By: Danielle2 CommentsPosted: 05/30/2018Updated: 03/09/2022
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This Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep is so simple yet incredibly filling and delicious! Get back to basics with fresh cut bell pepper, carrot, cucumbers, paired with chicken breast, cheese slices, and grapes for a touch of sweetness. Simple portioning instructions included!
I shall never spend $8 on a bistro box from Starbucks again. Say it with me!!I shall never spend $8 on a bistro box from Starbucks again. YES.
Okay, I know there are going to be rare exceptions to this new rule I just put in place for you, but c’mon. Those things are freaking expensive and you can make the same thing at home for half the price.
I’ve always been a fan of making your own ‘lunchable’ style meal at home. Last year, I published How to Turn Cheese and Crackers into DIY Adult Lunchables.
This time, I’ve switched the processed meats from the ‘lunchable’ to good old fashioned chicken breast. I’ve also added more veggies and hummus, because hummus is delicious and basically a requirement for dipping raw veggie sticks.
Note from Danielle
This is one of my favorite summer go-to meal preps. I love making little combos of chicken, hummus, veggies, crackers and cheese (just like I did with Lunchables as a kid!). I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
Here in the post content, you’ll find detailed information on the ingredients used, possible substitutions, and helpful tips for successful results based on my experience with this recipe.
For theprintable recipe cardwith a list of ingredients followed by concise instructions, please keep scrolling down or hit the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the page.
Recipe Overview
Total Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty:Easy
Method:No Heat
Prep: Make-Ahead Friendly
Watch how to prep the Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep Recipe (1 min 45 secs):
What are the ingredients in these Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Preps?
Besides the obvious chicken and hummus, I’ve added a variety of produce I usually keep on hand, plus some yummy cheese!
Here’s what I put in my lunch plates – remember, you can modify this to fit with what you have and what you like to eat!
- chicken – I prefer to use sliced grilled chicken breast, or any chicken breast that you have leftover will work! If I want to cook chicken breast specifically for this type of use, I follow this recipe for Idiotproof Chicken Breasts.
- hummus – Use your favorite hummus. I love grabbing a container of Hope hummus because it’s delicious and divides perfectly into four servings.
- cucumber – Peel them fancy and be sure to dry off any extra moisture so they don’t get soft.
- carrot – Cut into sticks, any size you’d wanna eat will work, but make sure they’re gonna fit into your container.
- red bell pepper – Like with the carrot, cut into sticks, taking care to cut them a little smaller than your container so they’ll fit.
- red grapes – I actually pick a few of them off the bunch so I can shove them into my meal prep container and use the space better.
- sliced cheese – Endless limits here, pick your favorite cheese! I like a smoked Gouda to compliment these veggies, grapes and chicken.
- crackers or pita chips – If you’re looking for a crunch to go with this plate, I suggest crackers, pita chips, anything crunchy that you like will probably work 🙂
Do you store the crackers with the rest of the meal prep?
I usually prefer to store my crackers, pretzels, or other crunchy item in a separate container from this meal prep recipe. That way, they don’t get soggy or lose crunch.
They can be stored in another container (small mason jar for example), or kept in the package if you don’t need to portion them out.
How to portion your Chicken& Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep ingredients:
Cucumbers
Amount: 1 regular sized cucumber
Prepare by:Washing, peeling if you want, removing ends and cutting into 30-40 slices
Can substitute with: Celery
Tip: To achieve the stripes on the sides of the cucumber slices, use a peeler to remove long strips of cucumber peel following the entire length of the cucumber leaving peel on the cucumber in between the removed strips. It doesn’t even have to be neat to look fancy once the cucumber cut. Demo in the video below!!
Red Bell Pepper
Amount: 1 regular sized bell pepper
Prepare by:Washing, removing core and seeds, then cutting into strips
Can substitute with: Green, yellow or orange bell pepper, mini sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes
Red bell peppers are slightly sweeter than green bell peppers, and the red is vibrant and beautiful, which is why I like them. However, any kind of peppers you like to eat raw would work just fine.
Carrot
Amount: 1 large sized carrot
Prepare by: Washing, peeling, removing stem end, cutting into thirds, cutting each third in half lengthwise, and cutting each half into 3-4 strips.
Can substitute with:Sugar snap peas or baby carrots
Tip: Instead of buying a whole bag of baby carrots that you might not consume, just buy one large carrot (you can buy them individually but it might not be located right by the bagged carrots). You’ll definitely consume it and it’s most likely cheaper than a whole bag of baby carrots.
Red Seedless Grapes
Amount: 1 bunch of grapes
Prepare by:Washing and portioning.
Can substitute with: Cherry tomatoes or strawberries
Feel free to remove the grapes from the vine if it’s easier for you to prep and place into your containers. Grapes are a sweet little addition to this meal prep, so don’t skip them!
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Amount: 16 ounces, or two medium sized chicken breasts
Prepare by: Cooking and cutting into 4 ounce portions
Can substitute with:Hard-boiled egg or other non-meat alternative, more veggies, or ham or turkey slices
I used leftover grilled chicken breasts for my meal prep, but you can use any kind of meat or non-meat alternative you want. I think a hard-boiled egg would work as a great vegetarian friendly and cheaper option.
Hummus, Cheese & More
For these particular meal prep lunches, I used smoked gouda as my cheese addition. There’s minimal prep here – just cutting and weighing out your cheese into 1 ounce portions. Feel free to use your favorite kind of cheese.
I’ve tried several kind of hummus, but I can always count on Hope Foods Hummus to go well with anything. For these lunches, I purchased an 8 ounce container for original flavor Hope Foods hummus(affiliate link!) and divided it evenly between the four lunches. This equals 2 ounces of hummus for each lunch. PS: I’m also a huge fan of their spicy avocado hummus, but I didn’t want to photograph green hummus! You should definitely try it though.
I also like to pack a little bowl of pretzel thins or other cracker with this kind of meal prep lunch. To do that, I simply stash the pretzels or other cracker in a separate 1-cup glass prep container (affiliate link!) (the same one I would recommend for hummus if you don’t have the 3 compartment containers). This way the pretzels:
- don’t get cold and weird from being refrigerated
- don’t get mushy from touching hummus or moist foods
- don’t break or get smooshed from other foods
More No Heat Meal Preps…
All No Heat Recipes
Where do you get those containers?!
First and most important – these are the 3 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers (affiliate link!) from Prep Naturals (these sometimes sell out so check back). This is probably the most common question I receive. These style containers are essential if you want to keep food separated, like so:
I strongly prefer to keep my hummus separate from everything else until the moment of dipping. Who doesn’t want full control over their dipping?? So if you’re packing this lunch, you’ll need to pick one of the following ideas to keep a leash on your hummus:
- Buy these 3 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers (affiliate link!) (pictured) to easily store/transport your hummus.
- Buy a small, mini 1-cup glass prep container (affiliate link!) for small things like hummus or other dipping sauce – you can reuse it every day with a quick wash. I also use this to pack pretzels so they aren’t crushed.
- Buy single serve hummus packs. I don’t recommend this because it produces more packaging trash!
Meal Prep Containers
These are some of my favorite 3-compartment glass containers – they’re great for storing your meal preps when you want to keep components separate!
Is this recipe freezer-friendly?
No, I would not suggest freezing this recipe, however it is okay to freeze cooked chicken on its own if necessary.
How to store the Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep:
To store in the refrigerator, portion ingredients into your chosen containers with airtight lids. Dry the cucumbers as much as possible to prevent them from becoming soft. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep
Yield: 4 servings 1x
PrintSaveRate it
Prep: 10 minutesTotal: 10 minutes
This Chicken & Hummus Plate Lunch Meal Prep is so simple yet incredibly filling and delicious! Get back to basics with some fresh cut bell pepper, carrot, cucumbers, paired with a perfect portion of chicken breast, cheese slices, and grapes for a touch of sweetness.
Scale:
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cooked boneless skinlesschicken breast(see notes for cooking method ideas)
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, cut into strips
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into strips
- 1 bunch of red seedless grapes
- 4 ounces cheese (I used smoked gouda)
- 8 ounces hummus
- your favorite cracker, pretzel thins, or pita chips (stored separately)
Instructions
- Prep & portion produce: Wash and prep the cucumber, bell pepper, carrot and grapes, then separate into four even portions and add to meal prep containers.
- Prep & portion non-produce: Cut and add 4 ounces chicken breast and 1 ounce cheese, as well as 2 ounces hummus to each container. Use a kitchen scale (affiliate link!) if needed. Pictured are these 3 compartment glass meal prep containers (affiliate link!).
- Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately with crackers or pretzels. Keep stored in airtight meal prep containers in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4 days for best quality.
Notes
Chicken: Use leftover chicken or cook it up using any method you prefer. For the photos above, I used grilled chicken breasts. You could also cook fresh or thawed chicken breasts in the Instant Pot with 1 cup broth on high pressure for 7 minutes, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Here’s a greatoven baked method. For the recipe video, I used this stovetop method for the boneless skinless chicken breasts shown.
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal and does not include additions like pretzels or crackers. Recipe video added 9/12/19.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 meal prep lunch
- Calories: 357
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Protein: 32g
© Author: Danielle
Method:No Heat
