I have some leftover chicken (white meat) sitting in the fridge. I’m too tired to cook much from scratch tonight, and would like to do something incorporating the meat I’ve already got, but I’m also too tired to be creative.
So I turn to you, Dopers: what’s your favorite, nommiest, most wonderful use for some already cooked chicken meat? Bonus points if it won’t require a huge amount of time, effort, or a special trip to the store.
I’ve seen countless recipes over the years that start with “buy a rotisserie chicken and then …” and for the life of me can’t really think of a single one now. I usually use up leftovers by making Asian potstickers, but I’ve kind of played that card too many times, and Mr. Shoe is getting tired of them. I need a new trick.
Peanut chicken noodles:
Shredded chicken
Chicken broth, or, failing that, water
Soy Sauce
Any Asian-type sauces or spices, like rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic chili paste, hoisin, etc.
Peanut butter
Noodles
Heat cooked chicken in chicken broth or water, adding seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic chili paste until you have a nicely flavored broth. When it’s not quite boiling add a glop of peanut butter, stir until smooth. Stir your chicken and peanut sauce into cooked noodles. I like to add any fresh veggies I have, broccoli, green onions, cucumber, shredded carrot, green onion. Fresh basil or cilantro is nice, too. I add the veggies when serving, not even really concerned with warming them up, but you could add them earlier, too.
Saute chunks of the chicken with onions, peppers and/or leftover or frozen veggies and Mexican spices. Melt some shredded cheese on tortillas, either on a griddle or in the microwave. Add the chicken mix to the tortillas and fold. Takes about ten minutes.
Modify ingredients according to taste/what’s in the pantry:
Handful of cooked chicken
Drained jar of kraut (wine kraut is great)
Can of cream-of-whatever soup
Can of whole corn
Can of peas
Can of carrots
Can of sliced mushrooms
(or substitute frozen mixed veggies for canned)
Dump into pot, warm through, serve with bread (crusty sour dough french is tasty)
It reheats very well either on the stovetop or microwave
Chicken Stir-Fry
Cut up the chicken into strips. Cut up various vegetables – green and red peppers, onions, carrots, celery. You can add whatever else – broccoli, bean shoots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, jucama, baby corn.
Cook in a heated wok with heated oil in the bottom. The order is important – I do carrots first. add the chicken last. Keep the wok hot and continually stir.
After completing the cooking, add a bit of sauce for flavor. You can use a bottled sauce or make your own. Don’t drown the vegetables in sauce.
Serve with white or brown rice.
Sometime Pepper Mill makes casserole, or a chicken pot pie. But Stir Fry is easier and faster.
Cook pasta (preferably chunky, like ziti or penne)
Microwave 1/2 t red pepper flakes, 2 cloves garlic and 6 T olive oil together for about 1 minute
(Optional: reheat chicken in pan with a little of the oil mixture)
Toss chicken, pasta, oil mixture, 5 oz arugula or baby spinach, 1/2 c fresh basil, juice from 2 lemons, some lemon zest, 1 c shredded parmesan, salt, pepper.
Bonus points: goat cheese.
My husband likes chicken quesadillas: Shred the chicken, brush a flour tortilla with a little butter and put it face down on the skillet, sprinkle on the chicken, cover with shredded cheddar or queso blanco, cover with another tortilla, brush the top with a little more butter, flip when brown. Cut with pizza cutter and serve with salsa or sour cream.
Boiled up some mini penne, made some pesto sauce (one of those Knorr packets - I love 'em!) and shredded the chicken into the sauced pasta. I thought about adding pine nuts and then promptly forgot.
It was good!
I love that line of mini-pastas that Barilla has come out with, although the annoying music for the TV ads they constantly replay make me want to kill something.
