To be creative as a mother is a useful skill for teaching, disciplining and entertaining, but it can be exhausting! To be creative with cooking and using your leftovers wisely requires less brainpower (at least for me), and it can really stretch your budget.
We’ve all had it at some point- leftover roast chicken, whether store-bought or home-made. What to do with the leftovers that aren’t really appealing to eat on it’s own? Here are a few suggestions for getting the most out of your already-cooked chicken. If you have some basic cooking skills and you have your pantry basics sorted, these should work for you.
Leftover roast chicken, skin-removed (if you want to keep things lean), deboned and shredded, can be used in multiple ways:
Chicken in mushroom sauce
Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, and frozen peas (or any other veg you have- zucchini, broccoli, or spinach). Add shredded chicken. Pour in a bit of chicken stock to make a sauce, thicken with corn flour if necessary. You can add some milk to make it creamy (or plain yoghurt/cream cheese, but add this last or it will curdle if you boil it). Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, salt and herbs. Serve with long grain white rice, brown rice or pasta.
Variations:
Chicken a la king- use mixed peppers and mushrooms.
Chicken pot pie- put some ready-made puff pastry over the chicken mixture in a casserole dish, brush with beaten egg, and bake in the oven till golden.
We’ve all had it at some point- leftover roast chicken, whether store-bought or home-made. What to do with the leftovers that aren’t really appealing to eat on it’s own? Here are a few suggestions for getting the most out of your already-cooked chicken. If you have some basic cooking skills and you have your pantry basics sorted, these should work for you.
Leftover roast chicken, skin-removed (if you want to keep things lean), deboned and shredded, can be used in multiple ways:
Chicken in mushroom sauce
Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, and frozen peas (or any other veg you have- zucchini, broccoli, or spinach). Add shredded chicken. Pour in a bit of chicken stock to make a sauce, thicken with corn flour if necessary. You can add some milk to make it creamy (or plain yoghurt/cream cheese, but add this last or it will curdle if you boil it). Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, salt and herbs. Serve with long grain white rice, brown rice or pasta.
Variations:
Chicken a la king- use mixed peppers and mushrooms.
Chicken pot pie- put some ready-made puff pastry over the chicken mixture in a casserole dish, brush with beaten egg, and bake in the oven till golden.
One pot chicken dinner, Chinese-style
My mom used to make this dish often, as we always seemed to have leftover chicken breast from our roast chicken. I prefer to leave the bones in as it adds more flavor to the sauce.
Cut chicken in pieces. Sauté onions until translucent; add fresh green beans and a dash of water and simmer for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce (Chinese oyster sauce) with the chicken. If you don’t have Hoisin sauce, soya sauce is just as tasty. Add enough water to make a bit of a gravy; thicken with corn flour if necessary. Season to taste. Serve on a bed of steaming long grain white rice.
Variations:
Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped black bean paste and 1 clove of minced garlic.
For a stew-like meal add some chunky cubes of boiled potatoes to the mixture.
Sprinkle finely chopped green onions (scallions/spring onions) over the prepared chicken.
Chicken in pita bread
This is great for a do-it-yourself quick dinner. Just put all your fillings out and the family can help themselves to whatever they like. It’s like a chicken mayonnaise sandwich, but with more options.
Stuff your pita with chicken, shredded lettuce/cabbage, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, sliced peppers, pickles, shredded raw beetroot, avocado- whatever salady things you like. If you want to increase the protein content, add some grated cheese.
Flavour your leftover chicken bits with mayonnaise or plain low fat yoghurt (to keep the fat content down) and your favourite salad dressing. Or, if you’re like me and love a bit of spice, add some peri-peri sauce, like Nando’s peri-peri sauce
, mixed with mayonnaise.
Tortilla wraps are a nice variation.
My mom used to make this dish often, as we always seemed to have leftover chicken breast from our roast chicken. I prefer to leave the bones in as it adds more flavor to the sauce.
Cut chicken in pieces. Sauté onions until translucent; add fresh green beans and a dash of water and simmer for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce (Chinese oyster sauce) with the chicken. If you don’t have Hoisin sauce, soya sauce is just as tasty. Add enough water to make a bit of a gravy; thicken with corn flour if necessary. Season to taste. Serve on a bed of steaming long grain white rice.
Variations:
Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped black bean paste and 1 clove of minced garlic.
For a stew-like meal add some chunky cubes of boiled potatoes to the mixture.
Sprinkle finely chopped green onions (scallions/spring onions) over the prepared chicken.
Chicken in pita bread
This is great for a do-it-yourself quick dinner. Just put all your fillings out and the family can help themselves to whatever they like. It’s like a chicken mayonnaise sandwich, but with more options.
Stuff your pita with chicken, shredded lettuce/cabbage, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, sliced peppers, pickles, shredded raw beetroot, avocado- whatever salady things you like. If you want to increase the protein content, add some grated cheese.
Flavour your leftover chicken bits with mayonnaise or plain low fat yoghurt (to keep the fat content down) and your favourite salad dressing. Or, if you’re like me and love a bit of spice, add some peri-peri sauce, like Nando’s peri-peri sauce
, mixed with mayonnaise. Tortilla wraps are a nice variation.
Chicken in cous cous with chickpeas, diced cucumber, finely chopped red peppers, fresh parsley, avocado chunks, seasoned with olive oil, salt, black pepper, fresh lemon juice/ red wine vinegar/ balsamic vinegar. A lovely salad that can be served warm or cold.
Chicken pasta with a twist
Sauté chopped celery and onions. Add raisins, a little chicken stock, and shredded chicken. Toss into cooked pasta shells. Sprinkle with roasted sunflower seeds.
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| From my dearest Daughters. |
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