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Freezing Homemade Lunch Meat and Easy Lunch Ideas

May 29, 2015 by KimiHarris 12 Comments

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Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*

Chicken thighs flavored with herbs, garlic, and lemon peel are thinly sliced for a homemade lunch meat that is also easy to freeze! --- The Nourishing Gourmetv

This herbed and garlicky homemade lunch meat is make en masse, and then frozen for easy and healthy lunches later in the week. Nothing beats homemade lunch meat. It’s so much more flavorful and hearty. Plus, when you compare the cost per pound, you can also save significantly by making your own.

However, I don’t recommend that you make lunch meat every other day. This becomes tiresome at best, and impossible at worst. Instead make a huge batch, and then freeze it to use later in the week. Here’s how I did it (and also check out the easy lunch ideas at the bottom of the post!)

Making and Freezing Homemade Lunch Meat

For the pictured lunchmeat, I used this recipe of mine for Homemade Lunchmeat, except this time I only used the lemon peel (not the lemon juice) and added generous pinches of dried basil, thyme, and oregano for an herbed version. The important thing to remember is that this type of recipe is incredibly flexible! Use what you have on hand. .

Marinating lunchmeat for homemade lunch meat

I marinated the meat for about an hour or two, but you can go even longer – say overnight. Cover it, and mix the chicken around (to make sure all of it is getting marinated) if you are marinating for over an hour.

Then, lay the chicken thighs on a sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. I used several baking sheets. Cook for about 35 minutes, or until done.

Chicken flavored with lemon peel, garlic, and herbs, straight out of the oven. Used for making your own lunchmeat! --- The Nourishing Gourmet

Let cool for about ten to fifteen minutes, and then place in the refrigerator to chill completely (I piled them all into one large dish for this part). This is so you can thinly slice it. To get really thin slices, you can even freeze it for about 15 minutes.

Chicken thighs flavored with herbs, garlic, and lemon peel are thinly sliced for a homemade lunch meat that is also easy to freeze! --- The Nourishing Gourmetv

Thinly slice.

How to wrap homemade lunch meat for freezing for later. Delicious meat for many days to come!  --- The Nourishing GourmetHow to wrap homemade lunch meat for freezing for later. Delicious meat for many days to come!  --- The Nourishing Gourmet

Separate into how much you want to defrost at a time (I did about ½ a pound for 4 people). I wrapped the chicken in either wax paper, or these little wax baggies; then I put all of it into a freezer bag.

To use, defrost in the refrigerator!

Easy Lunch Ideas

1. Use the above lunch meat in a sandwich or wrap. Pair with sliced cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and spicy mustard. To make it even more flavorful, add a little lacto-fermented sauerkraut.

2. Make a main dish salad using the defrosted lunch meat, chopped olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Use this creamy balsamic dressing.

3. Make a big pot of soup (like this Egyptian Lentil Soup with Caramelized Onions) and reheat during the week, as desired. If you want a heartier meal, serve with a small green salad topped with the lunch meat!

4. Make a bento box with the homemade lunch meat, and sides, such as cucumber salad, rice crackers, fruit, and/or some paleo energy bites.

5. Pack in individual lunches, or place on a platter for serving, the following: Sliced cheese, sliced homemade lunch meat, grapes, olives, and sliced bread.

6. Make a creamy sauce (with dairy, or dairy-free) and gently reheat the sliced meat in it to serve over noodles. (Read about some of our favorite gluten free noodles here, and 4 grain free noodle options here).

Other Freezer Meal Ideas

  • Freezing Grain Free MeatBalls
  • 8 Gluten Free Freezer Meals
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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Egg Free, For the Kids, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Main Dishes

Previous Post: « Frozen Mango Lemonade
Next Post: Good Reads and Good Eats 5/30 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leesie

    May 30, 2015 at 11:44 am

    This is a yummy, terrific idea!

    The link to your lentil soup is broken, btw.

    Reply
    • jani

      May 30, 2015 at 10:51 pm

      I put the soup name in the search and it came up.

      Reply
    • KimiHarris

      May 31, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      Thanks Leesie! I’ll go fix it!

      Reply
  2. Krystal Wight Armstrong

    May 30, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    Cool, this is a really helpful idea!
    Just curious, do you use the wax paper to protect the meat from any plastic chemicals in the freezer bags? I’ve been wondering if I should be concerned about freezing food in plastic or if there was another way to freeze meat, like in just butcher paper.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      May 31, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      I do know that some people DO freeze meat in just butcher paper. I figured using the method above, I can not be freezing directly in the plastic, but I can also keep reusing the freezer bags too, as they will be easy to wash. I think that the plastic does help prevent freezer burn, so it’s nice to have on the outside. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Carrie

    May 30, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    Great idea! for something a little different, I have a friend who makes an awesome meat rub. and then bakes chicken breast immediately following the same baking method. here is the recipe: Nichole’s meat rub:
    2 TBSP salt (himilayan pink)
    1TBSP granulated garlic
    1 TBSP ground pepper
    2 tsp ground white pepper
    2 tsp onion powder
    2 tsp. ground cumin
    1 tsp cayenne pepper
    2 TBSP paprika
    Mix well and rub into meat before baking.

    tastes great on sandwiches!

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      May 31, 2015 at 7:27 pm

      That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
  4. joe

    June 10, 2015 at 1:40 am

    looks yummy! is there anything wrong if i use plastic containers to freeze the meat?

    Reply
  5. Dana

    September 3, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    So nice to see you back! Missed you!

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      September 3, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Thank you so much! It’s good to be back.

      Reply
  6. Liz

    September 4, 2019 at 10:59 am

    Awesome idea! I can’t wait to have a nice stash of quick meat in the freezer. And welcome back!

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      September 4, 2019 at 11:42 am

      Thank you!

      Reply

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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