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Have you ever tried making your own lunch meat? This homemade chicken lunch meat recipe is so easy and delicious! And you don't have to worry about icky ingredients!

Homemade Chicken Lunch Meat

Course Lunch
Keyword chicken, make-ahead, sandwiches
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 2 lbs
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 tsp oregano or other favorite seasoning/herb
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil or other cooking fat, melted if needed
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. In an 8x8 pyrex dish, or similar, place the chicken breasts. Add the garlic, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, avocado oil, salt, and pepper on top. With some tongs, flip the chicken and move it around so that all the ingredients are coating the chicken. Allow the chicken to sit for about 20 minutes before placing it into the preheated oven.

  2. Bake for 30 minutes or check the temperature with a meat thermometer and remove when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. If you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear then it is fully cooked.

  3. Let the chicken cool for at least 20 minutes.

  4. Cover and place into the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled. You can also put it in the freezer for about 40 minutes if you are in a hurry. You need it to be quite cold in order to slice it nicely for sandwiches.

  5. Remove from the fridge and, using a very sharp knife, slice the chicken against the grain.

Recipe Notes

This chicken can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for at least 3 months.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Nourishing Gourmet.