Honey Chicken Penne Freezer Meal Prep
A box of sticky honey garlic chicken with penne and green beans tastes like takeout, but it comes out of your own freezer, ready in minutes.
Chicken thighs brown in a hot pan, then simmer in honey, soy sauce, garlic and black pepper until the sauce turns thick and glossy and clings to every piece. Plain penne and quickly sautéed green beans round out the meal.
Freeze each part in its own section of a silicone tray, and a hot, balanced dinner is just a microwave and a fork away on busy nights.
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Freeze time | 4 to 6 hours (hands-off) |
| Reheat time | About 5 to 7 minutes in the microwave, straight from frozen |
| Serves | 4 |
| Keeps | Up to 3 months in the freezer |
Why Chicken Thighs Are Worth It Here
Thighs have more flavor than breasts and a little more fat, which keeps them juicy in a sweet, salty glaze like this one.
That extra fat also matters after freezing. Chicken breast can turn dry and stringy when it is reheated, but thighs stay tender even after a trip through the microwave.
The sticky honey and soy glaze helps too. It coats each piece and protects it from freezer burn, so the chicken comes out tasting as good as the day you made it.
Why Freeze Each Part Separately
Keeping the chicken, penne and green beans in their own sections means the pasta does not sit in the glaze and go soft, and the green beans keep their color and bite. Everything heats evenly side by side, then gets tossed together right before you eat.
Separate blocks also give you options. Pull out one set for a single lunch, or grab four sets for a family dinner, and swap in rice or a different vegetable whenever you like.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, plus 1 teaspoon for the green beans
- 10 oz penne
- 10 oz green beans, trimmed (about 2/3 pound)
- Kosher salt, to taste
You will also need a large skillet, a pot for the pasta, a silicone freezer tray with 1-cup compartments, a zip-top freezer bag, and a microwave-safe dish with a lid.
How to Make Honey Chicken Penne
Part 1: Cook the components
1. Brown the chicken
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and let it brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Give the pieces room in the pan, because crowded chicken steams instead of browning. Work in two batches if you need to.
2. Add the garlic and the glaze
Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute, just until it smells fragrant. Keep it moving so it does not brown and turn bitter.
Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is sticky and glossy. Honey burns quickly, so watch the pan near the end.
3. Cook the penne
Boil the penne in well-salted water until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the package says, then drain. The pasta softens a little more when it is reheated, so slightly firm now means a perfect bite later.
4. Cook the green beans
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the green beans and a pinch of kosher salt, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until bright green and just tender. Stop while they still have some snap.
Part 2: Freeze
5. Cool and portion into the tray
Let everything cool to room temperature. Portion the chicken with its glaze, the penne and the green beans into separate sections of a silicone freezer tray, then freeze until solid, about 4 to 6 hours.
Once frozen, pop the blocks out and store them in a labeled zip-top freezer bag. Your tray is then free for the next batch.
These are the 1-cup silicone freezer molds I use to portion every component. Get the freezer molds on Amazon.
How to Reheat and Finish
6. Pop out a set of frozen blocks
Take one block each of chicken, penne and green beans for every serving. They go straight from the freezer into the dish, with no thawing needed.
7. Add the chicken to a microwave-safe dish
Set the frozen chicken block at one end of a microwave-safe dish or glass meal prep container.
8. Add the penne
Place the frozen penne block next to the chicken.
9. Add the green beans
Fit the frozen green beans into the last space. Keeping the three blocks side by side helps everything heat at the same pace.
10. Cover and microwave until piping hot
Cover the dish and microwave until everything is piping hot all the way through, about 5 to 7 minutes depending on your microwave. Stir halfway so the middle of each block heats evenly.
The chicken should be steaming in the center. If the penne looks a little dry, sprinkle a tablespoon of water over it before covering.
11. Toss everything together
Use a fork to toss the chicken, penne and green beans together so the sticky honey glaze coats the pasta and the beans.
12. Serve
Eat it straight from the container or tip it into a bowl. Each forkful gets glazed chicken, tender penne and a crisp-tender green bean.
Storage and Variations
The frozen blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on the bag.
Once a portion has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it, and keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
Swap the green beans for broccoli florets or snap peas, or use rice instead of penne.
For a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the glaze, and finish with sliced green onions or a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
