Quick Uses for  Leftover Chicken

 

1. QUICK COCONUT CURRY Simmer a can of coconut milk with grated fresh ginger and finely chopped garlic until it has thickened and slightly reduced. Stir in a few handfuls of shredded chicken, get everything warm, and serve over basmati rice with fresh cilantro.

 

2. GREEN SALSA TACOS Warm shredded chicken with some store-bought salsa, and pile into tortillas with shredded cabbage, sliced avocado, and hot sauce.

 

3. GREEN CHICKEN SALAD In a large bowl, toss the shredded chicken with a few spoonfuls of Roasted Garlic–Herb Sauce (here). Stir in whatever you’ve got in the fridge—sliced radishes and/or celery, chopped fennel, arugula or other soft salad greens, more fresh herbs, crumbled feta or other soft cheese, sliced tomatoes, maybe a little yogurt or mayo to make it creamy—and eat it on thick pieces of toast.

 

4. CHICKEN STIR-FRY In a large skillet, heat the cooked chicken with a little soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, finely chopped garlic, and grated fresh ginger. Add some quick-cooking vegetables like thinly sliced bell peppers and/or onions, sliced mushrooms, baby bok choy, or chopped greens (kale, escarole, chard) and cook, tossing, until the vegetables are where you want them.

 

5. CHICKEN SOUP All it takes is some chicken broth, some noodles or rice, and maybe a sliced carrot or two. Add the shredded chicken, warm it through, and serve with lemon wedges.

 

6. CHICKEN QUESADILLA: Mix shredded chicken with shredded cheese, sour cream or cream cheese, garlic powder and cilantro. Spread some mixture on a flour tortilla and cook in a dry skillet 2-3 minutes per side until crispy and filling is warm and the cheese melting.  You can do this by using only one tortilla and filling half to it and folding it in half or r by laying one tortilla flat on the pan and filling the entire tortilla and then covering with another tortilla. Serve with a sauce for dipping.

 

7. BBQ CHICKEN SWEET POTATOES: Mix chicken with BBQ sauce and minced garlic.  Split warm cooked sweet potatoes and add filling.  Top with shredded cheese, thinly sliced red onion and thinly sliced jalapeno.  Bake 15 minutes until filling is warmed and cheese melted.  Drizzle with extra BBQ if desired.