Creamy Garlic Chicken + Freezer Dump Bag

Recipe extract from our new cookbook, THE FAMILY MEAL SOLUTION published by Penguin Random House Australia, 2022. PREORDER your discounted, signed* copy from Booktopia now. On sale and in store 5th July 2022. *(limited signed copies available.)

This exclusive Creamy Garlic Chicken + Freezer Dump Bag recipe is one of our favourites from the Winner Dinner chapter of our new cookbook. As part of the Slow cooker + freezer dump bag chapter you will fall in love with simplicity of prepping another meal for a busy night.

What is a freezer dump bag? This genius prepping hack is to make a meal fresh and prep a freezer bag of uncooked ingredients at the same time. For example, while making this Creamy garlic chicken for dinner, you can also make a bag of the uncooked ingredients and freeze it. So next week, when you know that you won’t have time to cook, you can defrost and dump the freezer bag into the slow cooker with little to no other prep.

{If you love these you will also love our Raspberry and white chocolate blondies premix which also features in our book.}

This irresistible creamy garlic sauce will work well with chicken, pork or veal, or for a vegetarian option use root vegetables. You can enjoy this recipe with pasta as we have suggested, or omit and serve with some steamed rice. This meal is also lovely in a thermos for keeping hungry tummies warm and full on those wintery school days.

Baby serve: Chop, mash or blend the chicken mixture, stir through a few pieces of chopped pasta and spoon feed to your baby. Mash through some additional vegetables if you wish such as pumpkin, sweet potato broccoli or carrot. Serve some pieces of soft chicken and pasta alongside as finger foods.

Toddler serve: Serve the chicken pasta in a small bowl alongside some steamed vegetables, bread and fruit. If you have a reluctant eater, cook some plain pasta and offer deconstructed alongside the creamy sauce.

+DUMP BAG INGREDIENTS 

Add these ingredients to your shopping list if you want to make a freezer dump bag at the same time as you prep the below recipe.

DUMP BAG PREPARATION: Place the dump bag ingredients in an airtight container or freezer bag with air expelled. Freeze for up to 2 months.

TO THAW: Place the dump bag in the fridge overnight, ensuring the contents have fully thawed before adding to the slow cooker.

TO COOK: Add the entire dump bag contents into the bowl of the slow cooker and continue at step 2.

• 500 g free-range chicken breast fillets, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 leek, white part only, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1/4 cup (35 g) drained sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups (500 ml) salt-reduced chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

To add fresh when cooking

• 2 cups (160 g) fusilli pasta
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) cooking cream
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup (40 g) grated parmesan

NOTE: When cooking fresh, if time allows, you can increase the flavour by sautéing the garlic and leek in the butter for 5 minutes over a low heat.

WASTE-REDUCING TIP: Whenever you need to open a can or jar to use just a bit of the ingredient, try to work the leftovers into the meal plan that week. We love to use the leftover sun-dried tomatoes as toppings on a lunchbox pizza.

ALLERGIES/INTOLERANCES: Gluten/wheat: use a gluten-free pasta. Dairy: use extra virgin olive oil instead of the butter and omit the parmesan. Instead of the cooking cream, try coconut cream. Vegetarian: try root vegetables such as sweet potato and chickpeas instead of the chicken.

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Ingredients

• 500 g free-range chicken breast fillets, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 leek, white part only, finely sliced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1/4 cup (35 g) drained sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups (500 ml) salt-reduced chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups (160 g) fusilli pasta
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) cooking cream
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup (40 g) grated parmesan, to serve (optional)
• crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Method

Step 1

Place the chicken, garlic, butter, leek, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken stock and apple cider vinegar in the bowl of a slow cooker. -

Step 2

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2  hours or LOW for 4  hours, or until
the chicken is very tender. -

Step 3

Uncover briefly to stir in the pasta and cream. Cook for a further 15 minutes on HIGH or 30 minutes on LOW, or until the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid and is al dente. Stir through the spinach and turn off the slow cooker as the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it rests. -

Step 4

Serve with grated parmesan and crusty bread if desired. -

Step 5

STOVETOP OPTION: Place the chicken, garlic, butter, leek, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken stock and apple cider vinegar in a large heavy based saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir through the pasta and cream and additional cup water, cover and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir through the spinach and remove from the heat as the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it rests. Serve with grated parmesan and crusty bread if desired. -