21 tasty chicken breast meal prep recipes…these will have you covered for healthy make ahead lunches and dinners!
Chicken breasts are one of the most popular proteins for meal prep. Per pound, they contain fewer calories and grams of fat than chicken thighs, making them a smart choice for anyone who is trying to slim down.
Not only that, but chicken breasts are so versatile, they can go with just about anything…they really are a blank canvas!
I though it would be fun to round up some of my favorite chicken breast meal prep recipes from around the web, so you never have to get bored with your chicken breast routine!
But first, a few tips I’ve found to make sure that your meal prep chicken breasts stay moist and delicious:
- Store them in a sauce/vinaigrette- Storing and re-heating your chicken breast in a sauce helps lock in extra moisture, and same goes for chicken breast stored in a salad vinaigrette.
- Bake them whole, then slice– Baking your chicken breast whole, rather than cubed or pre-sliced helps retain more moisture. Make sure you let them rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing up, as this prevents juices from running out.
- Cut against the grain- cutting with the grain results in stringy, chewy chicken breast. This goes for slicing it raw (pre-baking) or slicing it after it cooks. See this article for a good visual guide of slicing against the grain.
- Don’t overcook!– chicken breasts can be tricky…a minute or two of extra time in the oven can mean dry dry dry. Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C). Once you get a system down for cooking your chicken breasts, you don’t have to worry about this. To cook whole chicken breasts, I recommend 425°F for 18 min (smaller 5 oz chicken breasts) to 28 min (larger 12 oz chicken breasts).
Alright, enough tips. Let’s check out these 21 chicken breast meal prep recipes!