Baked up tender and juicy, this 5 ingredient freezer dump recipe is a flavorful family favorite.
Honey Mustard Maple Chicken. What can I say? It’s easy, delicious and a dump recipe meal! Make up two or three or five ahead of time and you’ll have freezer prep meals for days, just waiting for the oven. The guys love it and I more than love it.
What could be better than a recipe that tastes amazing and sits in the freezer until you make it? Well, maybe someone else cooking it….but I’ll take this recipe over spending hours making dinner any day of the week and twice on Sunday!
MAKING HONEY MAPLE MUSTARD CHICKEN DUMP RECIPE
You’ll need these five ingredients –
- chicken breasts (thighs, wings or legs work too!)
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Stone Ground Mustard
- Minute Tapioca
Directions:
- Start with about 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken , or about 3 pounds of bone-in. Trim off any excess fat and cut the chicken into whatever size pieces you like.
- If you are cooking up breasts, slicing them in half lengthwise will cook a lot faster and get exposed to more of the tasty marinade.
- Put the chicken in a plastic freezer bag (or freezer-safe container). Dump in the honey, maple syrup, mustard and tapioca right on top of the chicken. Then label the bag, seal and store in the freezer until you want to serve it. It’s that easy!
COOKING THE HONEY MAPLE CHICKEN
It only takes a minute to get this meal ready to bake. Just be sure to thaw the chicken in the refrigerator or in the microwave first. Otherwise it will take forever to cook, with the outside of the meat totally dried out before the center is done.
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Dump the entire contents of the bag into a greased 3 quart baking dish. Spread the chicken into a single layer.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Baste the chicken occasionally with the tasty marinade to keep it moist and juicy. You know it’s starting to get done when the house smells heavenly from the bubbling maple syrup.
- The chicken is done when a meat thermometer reads 165° at the thickest part of the chicken.
- Let the pan sit a few minutes and baste again right before serving. Trust me, you don’t want to leave any of that sauce in the pan.
Boneless vs Bone-in Chicken Substitution
This recipe is amazing whether you are using boneless, skinless chicken or bone-in. For the best results, I recommend using skinless chicken for this recipe.But if you love that crispy skin, then by all means leave it on! I used 3 large breast pieces and cut them in half to make 6 servings.
You will need about 3-1/2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken to equal the meat of 2 pounds of boneless chicken. The bones account for roughly 25% of the weight and the skin about 18% of the weight.
TOOLS TO MAKE HONEY MAPLE MUSTARD CHICKEN
Click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- 1 Gallon and 2 Gallon Freezer Storage Bags – I find the best deals online, and my local store doesn’t stock the 2 gallon size!
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – Amazing quality, with a convenient 1-1/2 TBSP measure. They will look gorgeous hanging in your kitchen too!
- Large Baking Dish – huge baker that is great for large meals and holidays! The color will brighten up any corner of your kitchen.
- Instant Read Thermometer – simple to use and read for both Fahrenheit and Celsius. This is the one I use everyday.
More Easy Freezer Meal Ideas
- Korean Barbecue Beef
- Asian Barbecue Chicken Bake
- Sweet Spicy Chicken
- Cheese Steak with Peppers
- Freezer Meal Beef and Gravy
FREEZER MEAL HONEY MAPLE MUSTARD CHICKEN
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup stone ground mustard
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp Minute Tapioca
Instructions
Freezer Prep
- Cut breasts in half lengthwise. Trim any excess fat.
- Place chicken, honey, mustard, maple syrup and tapioca in plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Move chicken around to coat with sauce.
- Seal bag or container, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before baking.
OVEN BAKING
- Preheat oven to 375°. Grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray a 3 quart baking dish.
- Dump thawed contents of freezer bag or container into baking dish. Spread out chicken into a single layer. Spoon marinade over the chicken.
- Bake on center rack of oven for 50 – 55 minutes until chicken has reached at least 165° on an instant read thermometer. Baste occasionally during baking with marinade and drippings.
SLOW COOKER
- From frozen, cook 4 to 5 hours on High.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and rating. I would appreciate the chance to troubleshoot any issues you might have had before you leave the rating!
Hi Wendy. Yes, you can use the frozen breasts. Check the label that the meat processor didn’t add a lot of injected water/salt/broth for freezing. This can be as much as 20%! It varies between brands. Quality Fresh chicken breasts generally have less or no injected water. The maple mustard flavor will seep into the breasts as you thaw before cooking in the refrigerator. Hope that helps.
Will this recipe work with already frozen chicken breast? Or should it be made with fresh chicken breast? I usually buy cases of frozen ones because it’s cheaper.
HI Patty, thanks for the question. Minute Tapioca or instant tapioca is tapioca that’s been finely ground so it dissolves easily into liquids. It’s great to use as a virtually tasteless thickener in sauces. You can find this online or in the baking aisle at most well stocked grocery stores.?
What is 2 min tapioca and where do I find it?