When I graduated from college, my mom gave me a recipe book entitled 365 Ways to Cook Chicken. True story. I love the versatility of cooking with poultry and always have (minus that six month vegan stint…). On a cold winter day, you can find a chicken or turkey crown roasting away in our oven, and in the summer you can find the coals piping hot in the grill on our porch. While Sunday evening dinners are a tradition around here, we’ve found some time-saving ways to stretch this meal across the first half of the week. (Disclaimer: these recipes are also great with a store-bought rotisserie chicken – a la Costco!) Here are our go-to favorites!
Chicken fajitas. This is the best if you’ve grilled some onions and peppers also. Chop, reheat briefly and add fajita seasoning. Gently warm some tortillas and voila! Dinner in less than 15 minutes!- Chicken pot pies. Despite being a winter staple in our house, these freeze and reheat incredibly well if you put them into small containers. This recipe is a take on one from Ellie Krieger’s The Food You Crave.
- Soften and brown whatever veggies you have laying around (celery, onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, potatoes) in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper bef
ore adding the cooked (and chopped) chicken. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and roux (2 cups of broth mixed with 1/3 c flour). Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add frozen peas and/or corn, 2 tbsp parsley, and 1 tbsp thyme. Put into baking dish, cver with puff pastry and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot.
- Soften and brown whatever veggies you have laying around (celery, onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, potatoes) in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper bef
- Chicken Waldorf salad. This one always makes me happy. It’s super easy to make, makes an average dinner seem slightly more sophisticated and looks beautiful when served on a bed of lettuce or in a pita pocket.
- Combine 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Add 2 cups diced leftover chicken, 2 apples cored and diced, 2/3 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup seedless grapes (halved). Mix and serve!
- Spiced chicken and apricot salad. This dish is best served cold which makes it perfect for those hot, don’t-want-to-cook days of summer that a surely coming. Right? The recipe is actually from a cookbook that I found at a dollar store over ten years ago. It’s not even in print anymore…
- Combine 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 4 tsp mango chutney, 2 tsp mild curry paste for dressing.
- Add: 4 chopped scallions, 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, 6 oz of chopped leftover chicken. Stir to combine. Best enjoyed with some naan bread.
What are your favorite ways to reuse leftover grilled chicken?
