Teriyaki Bowl - Freezer Meal Style

This is part of my freezer meals series... or how we survive the first few weeks after we have a baby!

This is one of those recipes that was adapted in the process... I made two of these freezer bags to start and after the first it was clear that it needed to be changed! So you'll see some pictures that illustrate what not to do! ;) Also I have to admit I did not take a finished product photo (that whole survival for the first few weeks after a baby comes - I forgot to take the pictures...) So this photo comes from the original Teriyaki Bowl post that I made. But it looks similar ;).

 

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken 

So you'll need - 1 can pineapple - sliced, or chunks; Teriyaki glaze,  1 chopped red onion and 2 cloves garlic.

See the baby carrots and broccoli? For the love of good food, please do not add them to the freezer bag.

The carrots might be fine but they are soggy when cooked with this dish. The broccoli just makes everything taste funny. Seriously it turned out bad with the broccoli - however I removed the broccoli and carrots from the second batch I made - turned out so much better!

Place everything else into the bag... I used a 1 gallon freezer bag.

 Be sure to add the juice from the can of pineapple to the bag as well!

 Dump the teriyaki sauce over it.

 Then add 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the bag as well.

 (I made 2 of these at once...)

Be sure to put the date, contents and to add 1/2 cup water to the slow cooker on the bag. But of course if you forget to add the water it still turns out fine (not that I forgot once or anything!) Adding the water is really only necessary if you add a completely frozen bag to the slow cooker.

You can make this in either of two ways - remove from freezer and thaw in fridge, or remove directly from freezer and place in slow cooker. For thawed bag, cook on low for about 6 hours or until chicken is 165-170 degrees. For frozen chicken, cook for 8-10 hours on low. You can also cook on high for part of the time if you need it done quicker... but make sure the center of the chicken reaches 165-170 degrees. (If the chicken is falling apart it is done!)

 

Now back to the carrots and broccoli... I actually steamed them while I was cooking the rice that I serve this with. I liked having the veggies with a little bite instead of soggy-weird textured. Plus the taste of everything was SO much better without the broccoli in the bag. (Seriously we wanted to eat the leftovers instead of letting them go bad in the fridge...) You can use frozen broccoli and carrots to make it an easier meal. I just happened to have fresh at the time I made the second bag!

If you want you can remove some of the juices from the slow cooker and add flour/cornstarch to make a sauce.

 Enjoy!