What to do with leftover chicken?

[k_young221]

The other day I roasted a chicken and had lots of leftovers. However, it was my first time and I didn't really know how to carve it, so... I kind of mangled the meat. lol The drumsticks are intact, but the rest of it was kind of torn into various-sized pieces. I'm looking for a recipe that uses cut up already-cooked chicken. I thought of a pot pie, but I tend to make that a lot. Any ideas?

(And next time, I'll be more careful carving the bird!)

Thanks a lot,
~K

[mudbug]

you can do tons of stuff -

grind it up for chicken salad
fajitas/tacos/enchiladas
shred it some more and add it to soups/stews
make stock (do you still have the bones)
Campbell's cream of something (or your homemade bechamel) and the chicken over rice or noodles

better go buy more chicken..........

[Alix]

Make chicken enchiladas.

In a large frying pan put some butter in with some diced onions and fry those til soft. Turn down element to medium. Toss in all your leftover cut up chicken (diced is good). Add about a cup (250g) of cream cheese and let melt. Add about 1 cup of salsa, and about 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese. Sprinkle in some cumin and chili powder or chiles to taste. Stir until it is well blended. Take off the heat.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture onto a tortilla and fold up. Place in greased casserole dish. When you have used all the filling and enchiladas are nestled together, sprinkle 1/4 - 1/2 cup of cheddar on top and place in the oven to heat thru.

Serve with sour cream and extra salsa. Mmmmmm!

[k_young221]

Oh, I like the chicken over rice/noodles idea. That sounds very tasty. So would I just cube the chicken, heat it on the stovetop with the sauce/cream-of-whatever and then pour it over the rice? Or do I need to make it in the oven?

Sorry if these are silly questions. =) Thanks for the response!
~K

[k_young221]

Alix-
I love the enchiladas, and I'll save that recipe.

Thanks!
~K

[mudbug]

We don't have any silly questions here, k.

Your chix is already cooked, so you just need to bring it up to temp by adding it to the sauce after you've got that going. I like to add veggies such as carrots or peas. Minced onions or mushrooms are always good - soften them first in a separate pan. Plenty of seasoning choices, too - use the ones you like.

[StirBlue]

You didn't mention the method of roasting so I'm assuming roasting pan. I always cook for leftovers. It may be the same roasted chicken but served with fresh side dishes. Using it for different dishes is good too.

Here is a next time tip: cut the back off the chicken. It will still have it's oval cavity if you want to stuff it, just use foil for the bottom. You can also put a spice can under the chicken to add flavor while cooking. Cook the back pieces for soup. Cover the entire leg section with foil so that it does not brown and use it for the salad.

Then there is the old tried and true leftover chicken casserole. Layer canned vegetables (your choice), leftover chicken cut into bite size pieces, mashed potatoes and topped with cheese. Heat through and serve.

Putting a birch dowel (stick) (wrapped in foil) through the chicken, laying the ends on the pan edges, before you cook it, will help hold the bird in place when it is done and you are trying to carve it.

[college_cook]

Melt some butter in a pan, add some cream, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes and reduce. In the meantime cook some penne or farfalle pasta. When the cream sauce is to your desired thickness, add your chicken, a bit of salt and pepper, and some parmesan cheese. Toss with cooked pasta and you've got yourself a quick, easy, and delicious italian meal.

[boufa06]

You can make Caesar Chicken Salad. The recipe is here.

[ChefJune]

Tetrazzini is one of my favorite dishes to make with leftover meat. IMO this dish never seems like "leftovers."

TETRAZZINI

serves 10

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
3-1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup dry Sherry
1 cup parmesan, freshly grated
5 cups diced, cooked chicken, turkey, crab or even cubes of cooked pork roast
1 pouns spaghetti
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter appropriate dishes and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in chicken stock and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Stir in cream, sherry and salt and pepper and half of the cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly.

Arrange 1/3 spaghetti in dish, sprinkle with 1/2 the meat and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat layers. Cover with rest of spaghetti and sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.