The Best Meat for Meal Prep (Including Chicken, Beef, and More)

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When it comes to prepping meat, it’s important to learn how to choose the best meat for meal prep so that your recipes continue tasting delicious the entire week. Luckily, there are a handful of meat options for meal prep that are affordable, easy to prep, and stay tasty even when stored in the fridge for a few days. In this beginner-friendly guide, you’ll find a list of chicken, beef, pork, and turkey options that work great for meal prep — as well as some tips on some of the best ways to cook these proteins for weekly meal planning.

Jump To:

• What are the best types of meat for meal prep?
• Chicken
• Beef
• Pork
• Turkey
• Other cuts of meat

What are the best types of meat for meal prep?

Meal prep largely comes down to personal preference — after all, no one wants to prep foods they don’t enjoy eating. But when it comes to choosing which foods to meal prep, it’s important to understand that not every ingredient tastes great after a few days in the fridge.

Meat can be especially temperamental when you’re cooking it for meal prep. Some types of meat are easily overcooked and can end up dry and rubbery in the blink of an eye. Other cuts of meat just don’t taste great after being stored in the fridge for almost a week (although airtight containers can help meal prepped meat taste fresh for longer).

So, when you’re brainstorming recipes that include meat in your weekly meal plan, try to choose cuts of meat that are:

• affordable and budget-friendly
• easy to prepare and cook
• suitable for storing and reheating

As someone who has included plenty of recipes with meat in my own meal plans, I’ve learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t. Here are some of my top choices when it comes to meat options for meal prep — including a few tips on how to make them meal prep-friendly.

Chicken

Chicken has always been a popular protein choice for people who are learning how to meal prep because it’s affordable, easy to cook, and incredibly versatile in recipes.

When you’re shopping for chicken, you’ll likely notice that you have plenty of options to choose from. Here are some of the more popular cuts of chicken that work well for meal prep:

• Chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are the large sections of meat from the chest area of the chicken that contain low-fat white meat. They’re a popular meal prep protein because they taste great sautéed, baked, fried, and more.
• Chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are the upper portion of chicken legs — and unlike chicken breasts, they contain dark meat. They’re a great choice for meal prep because they tend to stay moist and juicy even after a few days of storage.
• Ground chicken. Ground chicken is a personal favorite meal prep ingredient of mine because it’s super easy to cook. Similar to ground beef, you can find both lean and fat-free varieties of ground chicken.

There are also two other types of chicken that work well for meal prep: canned chicken and frozen chicken. Canned chicken is great for meal prep-friendly recipes like salads, wraps, soups, patties, and even dips. And frozen chicken is a quick and easy low-cost protein that’s great for slow-cooked recipes, like soups and stews.

How to meal prep chicken

When you’re cooking for the week, the best way to meal prep chicken largely depends on the type of chicken you’re using.

Chicken breasts taste best when you use cooking methods that keep them juicy and tender for at least 3-4 days, like baking, sautéing, or slow cooking. Chicken thighs are a little more forgiving because they’re a lot harder to dry out — so you can usually choose whichever cooking method you like best.

And remember, whether you’re cooking chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or ground chicken, always cook your chicken to at least 165 degrees.

Beef

Beef is another great option for weekly meal prep because it’s versatile, tender, and a great source of protein, iron, and other nutrients.

Like chicken, there are various cuts of beef — and it can be helpful to understand which cuts work best when meal prepping. So, here’s a quick rundown of some of the more meal prep-friendly options:

• Chuck roast. Chuck roast originates from the front shoulder and lower neck portion of the cow. It’s a relatively lean, tough cut of meat, which means that it works best for slow cooker recipes.
• Beef brisket. Beef brisket is the cut of meat that comes from the lower chest area of the cow. It can be fatty or lean, depending on where it’s cut from, but lean brisket is another great choice for recipes that require slow cooking.
• Top sirloin. Top sirloin comes from the lower back of the cow and is a lean, but tender, cut of beef. This cut is a great option for recipes that require thinly sliced or marinated beef.
• Skirt steak. Skirt steak comes from the lower chest area of the cow, and is a thin, lean cut of beef. Like top sirloin, skirt steak works great for recipes that call for thinner cuts of beef.
• Flat iron steak. Flat iron steak comes from the front shoulder area of the cow, similar to where the chuck roast originates from. Flat iron steak has a slightly higher fat content than some other cuts, which makes it extra juicy and tender when cooked.
• Short ribs. Short ribs can come from multiple areas of the cow’s chest, such as the chuck or brisket. These tender ribs contain portions of the rib bone, which makes them perfect for braising or slow-cooking recipes.
• Ground beef. If you’re looking for the best beef for meal prep, don’t overlook ground beef. Like ground chicken, ground beef also makes a great substitute in recipes that call for whole cuts of beef.

When you’re choosing the best cuts of beef for meal prep, most people aim for leaner cuts that cook quickly. However, tougher cuts that can be slow-cooked until tender are also great options to keep in mind.

How to meal prep beef

Prepping beef for meal prep can take some practice to get right. Here are a few tips to keep in mind the next time you want to incorporate beef into your weekly meal plan.

Lean, tender cuts of beef, like top sirloin or skirt steak, taste best when seared quickly to lock in the juices. Tougher cuts of meat, on the other hand, benefit from slow cooking to bring out their tenderness. And while you may not think that cheap, lean cuts of beef are the best meat for meal prep, remember: a marinade can go a long way.

Beef is safe when cooked at a lower temperature than chicken (145 degrees) — but if you’re cooking ground beef, the CDC recommends cooking it to at least 160 degrees.

Pork

While it’s not as common to see this type of meat used for meal prep, pork is another versatile option that works well for a variety of recipes. In fact, you might already be familiar with some of the more common cuts of pork that work well for meal prep:

• bacon
• ham
• pork chops
• pork tenderloin
• pork roast
• pork ribs
• pork belly

If you’ve ever browsed meal prep recipes on Instagram, you’ve likely seen cuts like bacon and ham used in plenty of recipes — egg cups, breakfast burritos, and salads, just to name a few. But pork also tastes great as a main course protein, especially in slow-cooked recipes like barbecued pork ribs, braised pork belly, or pulled pork.

How to meal prep pork

Cooking pork for meal prep can take a little creativity, especially if you’re not used to eating pork regularly in your weekly menu.

Bacon and ham are relatively easy to cook and incorporate into most meal prep recipes. However, whole cuts of pork, like pork chops and pork tenderloins, take a little more effort to keep moist. One recommendation for keeping these leaner cuts moist is to keep the internal temperature to 145-150 degrees — this can help avoid drying them out. And if you’re looking for moist and delicious cuts for slow cooking or braising, consider using pork butt, shoulder, ribs or belly.

Turkey

Turkey is another poultry option for meal prep that can bring variety to your weekly menu, especially if you’re looking for lean protein options.

Similar to chicken, turkey breasts contain white meat, while turkey legs and thighs consist of dark meat. And although both light and dark turkey meat are a little leaner than chicken, this meat still remains a delicious protein option for meal prep.

One caveat to using turkey for meal prep is that it can sometimes be more difficult to find whole turkeys at the grocery store outside of the holiday season. However, you can usually find ground turkey in grocery stores year-round — and it can be a wonderful substitute for recipes that call for ground chicken or ground beef.

How to meal prep turkey

Truthfully, trying to prep a whole turkey for meal prep is likely going to take more time and effort than you have to offer. However, ground turkey and deli turkey are two options that can be used quickly and easily in meal recipes.

Depending on how lean your ground turkey is, you might need to add a little fat and moisture — which is easy to do in recipes like meatballs, patties, taco filling, and pasta sauces, for example. And because turkey is poultry, no matter how you choose to prepare it, just make sure you cook it to 165 degrees.

Other cuts of meat

Although this guide covers four of the best meat options for meal prep, this certainly isn’t a comprehensive list of every meat out there that you can prep with. However, chicken, beef, pork, and turkey are at the top of the list for meal prep when it comes to price, availability, and taste.

Still, if you’re feeling adventurous, here are a few other types of meat that can be incorporated into a weekly meal plan (if you can find them at your local butcher shop):

• lamb
• mutton
• duck
• rabbit
• wild game

Now that we’ve covered some of the best meat for meal prep, hopefully you’ll find yourself inspired to add more variety to your weekly meal plan! Did your favorite type of meat make the cut, or do you have other meal prep proteins that are your go-to? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

By the way, if you’re new to meal prep and want to learn more about the best veggies for meal prep, check out my top 10 list (with quick and easy recipe ideas). And if you’re looking for other meal prep beginner tips, check out my 10 meal prep tips for beginners.