Chicken Meal Prep - 3 Marination Recipes

Presenter / Channel

• Food Maze (Instagram) — the creator mentions starting the page and links it in the description.

Goal / Method (Meal Prep Approach)

• Pre-cook a weekly workflow:
  • Cut chicken → prepare 3 marinades → divide into freezer boxes → freeze
  • Thaw: 2–3 hours on the counter or microwave defrost (4–5 minutes)
  • Cook: ~15 minutes per portion
• Uses home-cooked sides daily:
  • Rice / roti / subji / dal rice
  • Protein portion is paired with vegetables on the side.
• Meal-prep time: less than 2 hours

Ingredients (Quantities as Given) + Substitutions

Base Protein (Measured Raw)

• Chicken breast: ~800 g per marinade batch
  • He divides total chicken into portions for 3 marinades
• Total referenced intake: ~400 g chicken breast per day (raw)

General Swap Options (Protein Substitution)

• Swap chicken with:
  • Paneer or boiled soya chunks
• Keep marination the same and use the same weight:
  • Instead of 800 g chicken breast, use 800 g paneer or 800 g boiled soya chunks.

---

Marinade 1: “Chicken 65” (Personal Favorite)

For 800 g chicken (he divides into two boxes after mixing):

• Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder: 1.5 tbsp
• Turmeric: 1 tsp
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 10–12
• Curd (yogurt): 75 g
  • Note: he mentions he’s using curd (not yogurt) and prefers it
• Corn flour: 2 tbsp
• Rice flour: 1 tbsp
  • Substitution: if you don’t want corn flour or maida, use 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• Egg: 1 (crack in)

Technique cue:

• Crack egg → add to chicken → mix everything well
• Divide into 2 freezer boxes

---

Marinade 2: “Chicken Tikka” (Tandoori-style)

For 800 g chicken:

• Yogurt: 150 g
• Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tbsp
• Red chili powder: 2 tbsp
• Garam masala: 1 tbsp
• Tandoori masala: 1 tsp
  • Store-bought; homemade mentioned as optional
• Black salt: 1 tsp
• Additional salt: “based on your taste”
• Dry mango powder (amchur): 1 tsp
• Lemon juice: whole lemon juice (added after the first mix)
• Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek): 1 tbsp

Technique cue:

• Mix dry + pastes/spices, then add lemon juice
• Add salt later (he says he forgot initially)
• Add chicken and mix well
• Divide into 2 freezer boxes

---

Marinade 3: “Chicken 65 / Chicken 65 Classic South Indian” (Blender Paste)

He labels this as a “chicken 65” classic South Indian recipe. He notes he’ll use less oil / not frying, but the blender paste list is for this batch.

For 800 g chicken:

Blend into a smooth paste (no water added)

• Green chilies: 7 (he says he loves spicy food)
• Garlic cloves: 10–12
• Ginger: 1 inch
• Coriander seeds: 25 g
• Carum seeds (ajwain): 1/8 tsp
• Cardamom (elachi): 4
• Gram flour (besan): 2 tbsp
  • Note: lightly toast 2–3 minutes beforehand
• Mint leaves: 12–15
• Coriander leaves: 25 g (measured)
• Black peppercorns: 7–8
• Lemon juice: half lemon juice
• Black salt: “some” (quantity not specified)

Then:

• Greek yogurt: 100 g
  • Substitution: 100 g hung curd also works

Technique cue:

• Blend until smooth; do not add water
• Add marinade paste + yogurt to chicken and mix well
• Divide into 2 freezer boxes

---

Equipment + Prep Steps

• Blender jar (for coriander/green chili paste marinade)
• Cutting tools to cut chicken into small cubes
  • Try to keep pieces uniform for even cooking.
• Freezer storage boxes (he divides each marinade into two boxes)
• Microwave (for defrost option; not normal power)

Cooking equipment options:

• Pan (low flame grilling/frying)
• Oven
• Air fryer (optional timing variation)

---

Storage & Thawing (Timings Included)

Storage

• Raw chicken (marinated or not): 24–48 hours in the fridge
• In freezer: up to 6 months
• For weekly eating: store in freezer, not fridge
• He personally keeps everything in the freezer (doesn’t leave marinated chicken in the fridge all week)

Thawing / Bringing to Room Temperature

• Early morning thaw: leave on kitchen counter; 2–3 hours
• If you forget and need it sooner:
  • Microwave defrost setting
    • 4–5 minutes
    • Do not microwave at normal settings (risk of cooking the chicken)

---

Cooking Method (Low-Oil, with Timing/Temperature Options)

Oil Discipline

• Use exactly 1 teaspoon oil (measured), because oil amount affects calories.

Pan Method (Grill/Fry Style)

• Add 1 tsp oil to pan
• Place chicken pieces individually with space
• Do not mix immediately—cook until a crust forms on the bottom
• Then:
  • Flip
  • Turn flame to lowest
  • Cook until done

Oven Method

• Bake at 200°C for 40 minutes
• After the first 20 minutes, if using an air fryer:
  • Air fry at 180°C for 8 minutes
  • Flip
  • Cook another 3–4 minutes

(Air fryer timings are described as an option within the oven workflow.)

---

Tips / Common Mistakes

• Uniform cube size helps even cooking.
• Don’t add water when blending the paste.
• Don’t keep marinated chicken in the fridge all week.
• Don’t defrost at normal microwave settings—use defrost/decrease to avoid partially cooking.

---

Serving Suggestion

• He eats the cooked chicken portion with:
  • Dal rice daily (home-made)
  • Rice / roti / subji as sides
  • Vegetables on the side
• Mentions using single portions so he can complete daily cooking quickly.

---

Sources / References

• No external recipe sources are named.
• He references his Food Maze (Instagram) page and says the first video on the page was his chicken tikka recipe; he plans to add the link in the video description.