How To Freeze Dry Chicken

Freeze Dried Meats

Ever want to have chicken on demand but don’t have the time to always go to the grocery? Added to that, you only have a tiny bit of space in your freezer for stocking up. That’s mostly the problem why regular households can’t buy in bulk. Then it’s time for you to try freeze-drying chicken!

Why Freeze Dry Chicken?

There are several reasons why you should freeze dry chicken.

Long-term storage

This is the main reason why many freeze-dry their food. Freeze-drying poultry gives you the option to store them long-term without relying on cold storage. Packed, sealed, and stored properly, your freeze-dried poultry can last for 25+ years.

Convenience

Just imagine having chicken that tastes as good as it is fresh anywhere you are. You can take them with you on camping trips, on long journeys, or even when you’re on vacation.

And did you know you can also freeze-dry cooked chicken? Yep, you read it. Freeze dry your leftovers or even a whole meal. Then when you’re ready to eat, just reconstitute the meat in hot water!

Stock up

You’ll never know when emergencies can happen. When you freeze dry chicken, you have the confidence knowing that you or your family will always have food ready. Since they can last for years, you can gradually build your stock every time you buy food.

How Do You Freeze-Dry?

Did you know that you can freeze dry both raw and cooked chicken? Yes, you can! Separately, of course. You don’t want to risk cross-contamination. So whether you’re freeze drying cooked or raw poultry, here’s what you should do.

Uncooked/Raw Chicken

1. Line up your freeze dryer trays with parchment paper and pre-freeze them in the freezer. This should take 1-6 hours, depending on your freezer.
2. Trim out all the fat, bone, and skin from the chicken. Fat doesn’t freeze dry well – heck, they don’t freeze dry at all. So, take them out and make the chicken as lean as possible.
3. Cut the chicken into portions, keeping the thickness to no more than 3/4 inch or 1.9cm.
4. Take out the trays from the freezer and freeze the chicken.
5. Pre-freeze your freeze dryer or prep it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Load up the trays, keeping a 1/4 inch space between the pieces of meat.
7. Once your freeze dryer’s done prepping, put the trays inside the freeze dryer and start freeze drying.

Cooked chicken

*Note: Handle this separately from raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination

1. Cook the bird as you would prefer. Some grill their poultry, while others bake or boil. Just remember to keep it as oil-free as possible.
2. You can slice, dice, or shred the bird, whatever floats your boat.
3. Do steps 1-7 as above

Once your freeze dryer’s done its job, check out your meat. It should be dry to the touch inside and out. If there’s still moisture, put it back in the freeze dryer for another 2-3 hours.

How To Store Freeze Dried Chicken

You can use individual Mylar bags for your chicken for portion control. You can, of course, use big ones but make sure to vacuum-seal them to keep them good.

The good thing about freeze-dried chicken is that you don’t have to keep them in the freezer or fridge. You’re good to go if the Mylar bags are stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

I Don’t Want Just Plain Chicken In A Bag

We hear you. Good as it can be, it can be boring if you’re just taking out plain chicken. The good news is that you can be as creative as possible with your freeze drying.

One is to add in raw chicken along with other raw ingredients in the bag or jar before sealing. If it’s going to be a chicken stew or soup, this is going to be so convenient. Just open the bag and dump everything in the pot. You can get started cooking without reconstituting the ingredients.

But what if you’re too tired to cook or just want to have a no-brainer dinner? Then you can freeze dry cooked poultry meals. Place them in a Mylar bag with oxygen absorbers and  . Then when you’re ready to eat them, just put in hot water. Do your thing for 20 minutes, then go back and dig in.

How Do I Cook It?

Ready to dig in to your stash? There are several ways to prepare your freeze-dried chicken for eating.

Raw:

1. Take out the poultry from the bag and place pieces in a bowl.
2. Soak them in room temperature water (not hot, not cold) for 10-20 minutes until they’re rehydrated. But don’t limit yourself to just water. You can use beer, brine, or even your wet marinade.
3. If you’re going to cook the poultry in a sauce or soup, there is no need to rehydrate. Just cook it like you would raw chicken, then add more water.

Cooked

1. Take out the fowl and place the pieces in a bowl.
2. Soak them in warm or hot (not boiling) water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Don’t wait too long because it’s going to get mushy.
3. Eat the chicken as you would like.

Freeze-dried chicken offers so many conveniences in terms of storage, supply, and ease of cooking. You can freeze dry it raw and cook it when you’re ready. Or you can freeze dry it cooked, so all you have to do is add warm or hot water to eat.

Have you tried freeze-drying chicken? Is it your favorite or not? Share your experience in the comment section. Ask away if you also have questions!