what is the best way to freeze cooked chicken. not had much luck. even tried to get all the air out of bags?

Question

It is so much cheaper to buy a whole chicken but i never use it all before it spoils and when frozen it comes out dry. As I said above, I have tried to get all the air out of bagging it because i know that causes freezer burn.

Answer 1

I find it best to freeze uncooked chicken.
If you buy extra whole chickens, just throw them straight into the freezer.

Cooking chicken dries out the meat and throwing cooked chicken into the freezer dries it out even more.

If you must freeze cooked chicken, try to freeze it with some extra liquid - broth, bbq sauce... etc.

Answer 2

You don't mention what you plan to do with the cooked chicken once you thaw it out, but if you're using it in a recipe such as a casserole, then I have a suggestion. I often poach chicken breasts in water with some salt, pepper and parsley. Then I dice it and freeze it in the broth. Perhaps you could try boning the chicken and freezing it with some canned chicken broth to retain the moisture. It works well for me.

Answer 3

Once it is bagged get most of the air out and seal almost completely and use a straw to suck the remaining air out.
You will get a shrink wrapped look.

There are machines you can buy that will do the same process, so that would be worth a search.

Answer 4

put the chicken inside the plastic ziploc bag or a container. make sure that it is closed tightly. but since you say that you can't git the air out put it inside of an container and make sure that it is in a cool place like a deep freezer.