How to Meal Prep Chicken for the Week (Step-by-Step Beginner Guide)

Updated on December 30, 2025

Chicken is one of the most beginner-friendly proteins for meal prep: it’s versatile, affordable, and works with so many flavors. With one or two simple cooking methods, you can prepare enough chicken for several dinners and lunches in just one session.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the basics of safe cooking, how to store chicken properly, and easy ideas for using it in FestiveCook recipes all week long. With a simple weekly chicken meal prep routine, you can save time and make weekday lunches and dinners much easier.

If you’re new to cooking, it helps to start with one main ingredient you understand well. Chicken is ideal because:

• it cooks relatively quickly
• it takes on flavors from herbs, spices, and sauces
• it can be used in pastas, bowls, salads, wraps, and one-pot meals

By prepping chicken once, you save time, reduce stress on busy evenings, and make it easier to avoid last-minute takeout.

Before you start meal prepping, it’s important to know a few safety basics:

• Cook chicken until it is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear.
• Let cooked chicken cool slightly (about 15–20 minutes) before putting it in the fridge.
• Store chicken in shallow containers so it cools quickly and evenly.
• Keep cooked chicken in the fridge for up to 3–4 days.

If you want to keep it longer, portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze it. You can thaw it overnight in the fridge or gently reheat it directly from frozen in sauces and soups.

Here’s a simple method you can use as your base:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Place chicken breasts or thighs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (or your favorite seasoning mix).
4. Bake for about 18–25 minutes, depending on thickness, until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes, then slice or cube it for meal prep containers.

You can use this basic baked chicken in bowls, pasta dishes, one-pot meals, or simple plates with vegetables and grains.

Once your chicken is ready, here are some beginner-friendly ways to use it:

• Meal-prep bowls – Combine cooked chicken with grains, fresh vegetables, and a simple dressing like in Greek Chicken Meal-Prep Bowls.
• Quick skillet pastas – Add sliced chicken to recipes similar to Quick Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta for extra protein.
• One-pot favorites – Stir pre-cooked chicken into creamy one-pot dishes at the end of cooking so it gently reheats without drying out.
• Salads and wraps – Toss sliced chicken with leafy greens, chopped vegetables, and your favorite dressing, or roll it into a tortilla with leftover veggies.

Here’s how you might use one batch of meal-prepped chicken over several days:

• Day 1: Greek Chicken Meal-Prep Bowls for dinner, leftovers for lunch.
• Day 2: Quick Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta using your pre-cooked chicken instead of raw pieces.
• Day 3: Simple salad plate with chicken, roasted vegetables, and a slice of bread.
• Day 4: One-pot pasta or rice dish where you fold in the chicken at the end until warmed through.

By repeating this pattern, you build a rhythm in the kitchen: one prep session sets you up for multiple easy dinners.

If you want to dive deeper into specific aspects of chicken meal prep, these beginner-friendly guides cover tips, recipes, and food safety essentials:

• 5 Chicken Meal Prep Tips for Beginners
• 4 Quick and Easy Chicken Recipes – A Beginner Guide
• How Long Does Cooked Chicken Last? Safe Storage Guide for Beginners
• Chicken Meal Prep Guide: Easy Recipes

Want step-by-step recipes to go with your chicken meal prep? Explore our chicken and one-pot recipes on FestiveCook, then grab our free 10-Holiday-Recipes cookbook to make weekly meal prep even easier. Get our free 10-Holiday-Recipes cookbook →