Leftover Chicken 5 Ways
Chicken is a healthy go-to food that works great for lunch or dinner. To cut down on fat, cook up breast meat (a.k.a. white meat) and get rid of the skin (most of the saturated fat is there). Next time you grill or roast some, make extra and try these tricks to stretch the leftovers into another meal.
Pasta Salad
Shred up leftover chicken (boneless or picked from the bone), toss with some small pasta and you’ve got a quick dinner the entire family will love. Add a few veggies from the fridge or freezer — peas, bell peppers, carrots or even olives (my favorite) — and you up the vitamin C and potassium. Try this pasta works warm or cold.
RECIPE: Asian Chicken and Orzo Salad
Chicken Sandwich
In about five minutes, you can mix your leftover chicken into delicious sammie. Instead of slices of whole wheat bread, try pumpernickel or rye bread or roll up a flour tortilla. I bulk up my sandwiches with fresh veggies such as arugula, tomatoes, peppers and onions, and then top with one or two spoonfuls of hummus or babaganoush (pureed eggplants).
RECIPE: Rolled Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Parsley Aioli
Chicken Salad
How ‘bout a budget-friendly chicken salad? Of course, you don’t want to drown your chicken in gobs of mayonnaise. Instead, check out our ideas for lightened up versions of this easy dish.
RECIPE: Chicken Salad with Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette
Chicken Soup
Instead of toiling over the stove for hours, toss chicken pieces into some pre-made stock or broth with your family’s favorite veggies — presto, a perfect soup in minutes. Mix it up by adding beans, lentils, cabbage, collard greens or tomatoes.
RECIPE: Chicken and White Bean Soup
Classic Salad
Skip that drive-thru salad. Prep an easy lunch at home or on the go with sliced pieces of cooked chicken tossed on a bed of greens with two tablespoons of your favorite bottled vinaigrette (or make your own). Switch up those greens for a change of pace and different nutrients. Don’t forget a slice of bread or small roll on the side to balance it out.
RECIPE: Classic Salad with Chicken
TELL US: What are your tricks for stretching leftover chicken into more exciting meals?
Is it okay to recook chicken on another night after grilling or baking it?
My favorite way to use leftover chicken is in Stir-fry. Make a basis – saute Onion, garlic and any other veggies you like in stir-fry, stir in chunked up leftover chicken and season w soy sauce any any other seasonings you like. Also add sliced almonds or peanuts or even walnuts. Serve on rice if desired.
Our favorite way to use left over chicken is to shred it and make quesadillas! We use 2% taco cheese, salsa, lowfat sour cream, and home made quac! YUM!
One of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken is to shred it and add BBQ in a skillet and make homemade BBQ sandwiches. Kids love it!
Hi Chris,
You could, but be careful not too overcook it as the chicken can get rubbery. A good idea is to toss it on a bed of greens or you can throw it into a cooked stock with veggies for a delicious soup. You can also slice the cooked chicken up, warm in the oven and make chicken fajita's.
Suggestions on how to warm up leftover chicken – such as breasts, thighs, etc.
Not necessary to re-cook, however if you are wanting to reheat it, it's no problem. Careful not to let it cook too long (in either micro or oven) as it will become tough.
a good way to use left-over chicken is in chow mein or chop suey.
Definitely Chicken Pot Pie!! My favorite (easy) recipe uses two cans cream of potato soup, 1/2 cup milk, a can of mixed veggies, 2 cups of cooked chicken, black pepper and dried thyme to taste. . . Just mix together and pour into a pie shell. . . Top with the top crust, crimp the edges, slit the top a little and brush it with egg if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust is done. A whole lotta comfort for very little work!!! Oops – almost forgot that I'm on the Healthy Eats blog. . . I imagine reduced fat soup and milk won't change the taste much at all! Serve it with a healthy green salad for good measure!
make tetrazzina. just made it last nite
try steaming it. less chance of over cooking
It must be a Pennsylvania thing, Val. Great recipe! I also keep the broth from chicken when I cook it and then make gravy and add the chicken back in, along with lots of mixed veggies. Put into a pre-made pie crust, add the top and crink prettily, cut slits in it and brush with egg and milk. I serve it with some of the gravy I kept back from the pie filling and mashed potatoes. Yummy!!!
i like using my leftover chicken in quiche. i always have frozen pie crust in the freezer and this is a great time to use up all the vegetables that need to be eaten. while the quiche is baking i throw the chicken bones in a stock pot and cook them down. nothing is wasted.
I use leftover chicken in a stir-fry (doesn't even have to be leftover), and put the ingredients into a rice paper wrapper and eat it right away. We love the crunchy of the stir-fry and the silky wrapper.
Chop leftover chicken, top with stuffing-stove top is fine pour chicken gravy on, cover and reheat-BAM, fast dinner even kids like,
Pizza! I always make triple batches of whole wheat pizza crust and freeze the left over dough. Then when I have left over chicken I make pizza. I've done mexian pizza, buffalo wing pizza, chicken/garlic. Or just regular chicken, cheese, veggies and tomato sauce. Lots of room to be creative when it comes to chicken and pizza.
Cut it up into bite size chunks and mix with rice or pasta, add some cooked veggies,olive oil and sprinkle with parm. cheese–heat and it’s a meal.
if i can taste it, i will be happy some days.