Learn how to freeze dry chicken at home including preparation tips, drying times, and how to make the best freeze dried chicken.
You freezer isn't as reliable as you think. A power outage, broken freezer and freezer burn can easily ruin your frozen meat.
But freeze dried chicken is shelf stable, stays good for years and is ready to rehydrate into tender, flavorful protein whenever you need it.
I've spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of freeze-drying food at home, and chicken is one of the easiest foods to freeze dry.
Let me teach you all my tips for how to freeze dry chicken at home!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Freeze dried chicken is a game changer for anyone who wants lightweight camping food, quick weeknight meals, or a protein source in their emergency food storage.
- Freeze dried chicken is easy to rehydrate with water or broth.
- Having chicken already prepared can make busy weeknight meals much easier.
Supplies Needed
A home freezer dryer like the Stayfresh Freeze dryer that I use is required to freeze dry food. Unfortunately, there is no way to freeze dry without a freeze-drying machine.
A heavy duty scale is used to weigh the trays at the end of the cycle to check if the moisture is out of the food. This can prevent your food from spoiling prematurely.
Mylar Bags that are at least 5 mil thick to store the chicken long term.
An impulse sealer to seal the mylar bags closed.
Oxygen absorbers remove residual oxygen in the sealed bag.
Quart mason jars and an electronic vacuum sealer are a great option if you want to use small amounts of chicken and reseal the jars.
Recipe Ingredients
If you're wondering what chicken is best for freeze drying there are a few tips to know.
Cooked chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken tenderloins all work. Make sure there are no bones. You can either cook the chicken yourself or buy a rotisserie chicken.
Chicken thighs can be a little fatty, so trim the fat really well. For the longest shelf life I would choose chicken breasts because they are so lean.
Tip: For the best freeze dried chicken, trim any extra fat off your chicken because fat doesn't freeze dry well and can go rancid over time.
Salt/Seasoning: You can salt or season your chicken before or after cooking the chicken. You may want to skip a marinade to reduce the liquid your freeze dryer needs to remove and fats/oils in marinades don't freeze dry well.
Prep Your Freeze Dryer
Open the door to your freeze dryer and make sure the chamber is clean and dry.
Check that the pump has enough oil in it before starting the freeze drying process.
How to Make Freeze Dried Chicken
If you have ever wondered how do you freeze dry chicken, the process is easier than you think. Follow these simple steps.
Cook your chicken using your preferred method. Allow it to cool completely and refrigerate it so it is cold. Cut the chicken into small chunks (less an 1 inch thick) or shred it into medium pieces for best results.
Tip: If you shred the chicken very finely it is more likely to break apart when you are storing and rehydrating it.
Arrange the chicken on the freeze dryer trays. It can overlap a little, but remember the more chicken on the tray, the longer the dry time.
You can pre-freeze the chicken on the freeze dryer trays for 24 hours and select the settings on your freeze dryer for pre-frozen food or you can add the cool/cold chicken directly to the freeze dryer.
Close the chamber door, vacuum valve, and drain valve on the freeze dryer. Select the standard freeze drying settings of 125 and add an extra 24 hours (it may not take that long) to the final dry time/extra dry time.
When you have about 12 hours left of final dry time pause your freeze dry and check for doneness (see below).
It is very important to check that your chicken is fully dry before packing it for long term food storage. See the instructions below.
How to Check if Chicken is Done Freeze Drying
Weighing your trays with a good scale is the best way to make sure your chicken is done. If you haven't removed all the moisture, it can develop harmful bacteria.
After about 12 hours of final dry time you can pause your freeze dryer and weigh your trays. Record the weight of each tray and return the trays back into the freeze dryer.
Allow the final dry to run for another 3-4 hours and check the weight of each tray again. If the weight stayed the same then the moisture as been removed from the chicken and it is safe to seal in mylar bags.
If the weight decreased on any of the trays, add them back to the freeze dryer and allow it to run for another 3-4 hours and check the weights again.
When it is fully freeze dried, make sure you work quickly to add the chicken to mylar bags with an oxygen absorber and seal it before the chicken begins to absorb moisture from the air.
How Long Does it Take to Freeze Dry Chicken?
It typically takes about 24-36 hours to freeze dry chicken. However, it can vary depending on how much chicken was added to the trays, how much moisture is in the chicken and your specific freeze dryer.
That is why it is important to set a longer final dry time so you can pause your freeze dryer, weigh the trays and check for weight changes (more moisture being removed).
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Buying chicken on sale or in bulk is a great way to save money at the grocery store and add to your food storage.
- Fat doesn't freeze-dry well and can go rancid over time. If you want the longest shelf life possible, stick with lean chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs.
Specific Instructions for Stay Fresh Freeze Dryers
I created a video on how to freeze dry chicken in your Stayfresh Freeze dryer to show how I do it at my home.
If you are interested in learning how to freeze dry pre-frozen chicken then you may want to watch this video as well.
How to Store Freeze Dried Chicken
Long Term Storage: Add the chicken to mylar bags that are at least 5 mil thick. Add an oxygen absorber to the bag and seal it using an impulse sealer.
Make sure you label the bag with the date, the type of chicken and whether it is cubed, shredded etc.
Store the packaged chicken in a cool dark place for a long shelf life. It should last 10 years if freeze dried and sealed properly.
Once you open a bag, the clock starts ticking so you may want to package it in smaller portions so you know you will use the entire bag.
Short Term Storage: I like to add my freeze dried chicken to a canning jar and use an electronic vacuum sealer to remove the air. Without an oxygen absorber, I use it within a few months. With an oxygen absorber, it will last longer.
How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Chicken
You can rehydrate chicken in cool or warm/hot liquids. It doesn't take much liquid to rehydrate it. Add it to a bowl of cold water or broth and put it in the fridge to use later that evening in a meal. Or add it to warm water to rehydrate it faster.
An easy way to rehydrate freeze dried chicken is to add it to warm chicken broth because it adds extra flavor. I also love to add it directly into soups or other meals that have a lot of moisture.
Once the chicken has been rehydrated, store it in the fridge and use it within 3 days.
Ways to Use Freeze Dried Chicken
You can use freeze dried chicken in so many easy meals! Sometimes you will need to rehydrate it first in water/broth and other times you can just add it to easy recipes that have a lot of liquid in them already (soups, sauces etc).
- Tacos
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Alfredo
- Casseroles
- Soups
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Hawaiian Haystacks
- Chicken A La King
Our family loves freeze dried chicken alfredo, freeze dried chicken noodle soups and freeze dried chicken pot pie!
A great use of freeze-dried chicken is to add a little to chicken flavored ramen noodles for some protein.
Flavor Variations
I like to freeze dry my chicken plain so that I can add flavor later. However, if you know how you plan on using the chicken you can season it before freeze drying it!
- Spicy - add spicy taco seasoning/fajita seasoning or other hot spices to your chicken.
- Versatile - add a little sprinkle of salt and pepper to the chicken.
- Herbs and Spices - You can add your favorite herbs like thyme or basil to the chicken or spices such as garlic powder and onion powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, raw chicken can be freeze dried. Freeze drying does not cook the chicken so you need to follow safe handling practices anytime you are handling raw meat. Keep the raw chicken refrigerated or frozen until processing, avoid cross contamination, and make sure it is fully dry after the cycle. You will need to cook it immediately when you rehydrate it.
To freeze dry chicken breast, trim away visible fat, cook the chicken, cube it or shred it, add cooled chicken to the freeze dryer, and run the freeze drying cycle with an extra 12-24 hours of dry time. Check that the chicken is fully freeze-dried before ending the freeze drying.
I recommend keeping the chicken pieces no more than 1 inch thick. Smaller, evenly sized pieces dry quicker and more consistently than large, thick pieces.
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One of my favorite things to eat is freeze-dried fruit. Check out these posts below!
📖 Recipe
How to Freeze Dry Chicken at Home
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 pounds chicken breasts (about 4 breasts per tray)
Instructions
Prep the Chicken
- You do not need to use parchment paper for freeze drying chicken, but you can if you would like to.
- Remove the cooked chicken meat from the bones and trim away fat and skin. Tip: Fat and skin can spoil quicker than the meat because the high fat content so remove as much fat as possible.
- Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes or shred it into medium pieces.
- Spread the chicken out on the freeze dryer trays in one layer. It will be fine if the chicken touches other pieces of chicken.
Instructions for Pre-Frozen the Chicken
- If you would like to pre-freeze your chicken it will help you freeze dryer to run for less time. Cover the trays and add them to your freezer. Allow the chicken to freeze for 24-48 hours.
- Turn on your freeze dryer and select the option for frozen food. Change the settings for freezing shelf temperature to -10℉ and the maximum shelf temperature to 120℉. Change the final (extra) dry time to 24 hours. It should take less than 24 hours. See Below.
- Allow the freeze dryer to reduce it's temperature to at least -10℉ before adding the frozen chicken into the chamber. Close the chamber door and make sure your vacuum and drain valve are close.
Instructions for Unfrozen Chicken
- Make sure your chicken is cold before adding it to the freeze dryer. Add the trays to the chamber, close the chamber door and make sure your vacuum and drain valve are closed.
- Click Freeze Dry and in the freeze drying settings change the settings for freezing shelf temperature to -10℉ and the maximum shelf temperature to 120℉. Change the final (extra) dry time to 24 hours. It should take less than 24 hours. See Below.
Check for Doneness
- Once the final dry time is complete or if you want to check for doneness, pause your freeze dryer and open the vacuum valve.
- Weigh each tray individually and write down the weight of the tray. Add the trays back to the freeze dryer, close the vacuum valve, and continue for another 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, pause the freeze dryer and check the weight of the trays again. If the weight stayed the same then the chicken is done freeze drying. If the weight decreased then continue to run the chicken for another 3 hours until the weight no longer changes.Tip: It is extremely important to allow the freeze dryer to remove all the moisture to make sure the chicken is shelf stable and will not spoil prematurely.
Re-Hydrate the Chicken
- To add moisture back to the freeze dried chicken, add the chicken to a bowl of warm water or you can add it directly into soup of other meals that have lots of liquid.Tip: Add the chicken to a bowl of warm chicken broth or chicken bouillon to enhance the chicken flavor!
Video
Notes
Freeze drying chicken at home is easier than it sounds, and the payoff is huge. You get shelf-stable dry food that tastes good, rehydrates fast, and lasts longer than almost any other preservation method.
Freeze-dried meats are an important part of your long-term food storage. It is a great way to have protein for emergency preparedness.
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