Leftover Chicken Recipes - Some Great Ideas For Chicken Leftovers

An important thing to remember with any chicken leftover from a meal is that is should be placed into a container with a lid as soon as possible. Once it's cooled enough, put it straight into the fridge or freezer.

If you've had a whole roast chicken or BBQ chicken, remove the meat from the bones first. Although it can be quite messy, this will take up much less space in the fridge and give you more options for using the meat.

Now for some chicken leftover recipes. I've tried not to put these in the traditional recipe format as the idea is to create something simple from what's leftover.

Chicken Pasta Pesto

This leftover chicken recipe is very quick, simple and filling. I first came up with it years and years ago and still use it often. I think the best chicken for this is leftover rotisserie chicken, or some leftover shredded chicken or roast chicken. All you then need is some pesto sauce (I prefer pesto with sun-dried tomatoes in it) and some pasta (spiral pasta works best for this).

First boil the pasta, according to the instructions on the packet.

While the pasta is cooking, tear the chicken into smaller, bite sized pieces if it isn’t already. Leave the bones out, obviously!

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it back into the saucepan. Add the chicken pieces and then about 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce (or however much you like).

Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together well and then scoop into a bowl. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top if you like, and you have a delicious meal.

Cheesy Chicken Focaccia

This is a good lunchtime recipe for leftover chicken. What you'll need is some leftover cooked chicken pieces, some grated cheddar cheese, some focaccia bread (or really any bread you like, but focaccia works well) and some avocado.

You'll also need a sandwich toaster or sandwich press. If you don't have one you can use a griller that heats from above (sometimes called a broiler).

Slice your bread lengthways through the middle, and put a little butter on each piece. Then on one piece, scatter the grated cheese evenly over it and place the chicken pieces on top. Finally slice up the avocado and put it on top of the chicken. Put the other slice of bread on top.

Now put it into the sandwich press and grill it for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted enough. If you're using a griller or broiler, you can put the two pieces of bread under it and cook until the cheese has melted on one half and the empty half has toasted nicely. Then put the two together.

Once it's ready, just cut in half and enjoy. You can also add other things to the filling as well like mayonnaise or Caesar salad sauce. Just be aware these may not work in a broiler, so leave them for the sandwich press!

Chicken And Leek Pie

This is another recipe that can use leftover cooked chicken. You can find the recipe here or in the Easy Dinner Recipes section.

I hope you find these leftover chicken recipes useful, easy and delicious!

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