After I boiled a whole chicken earlier this week to make my chicken noodle soup, I was left with a large amount of cooked chicken to use for other things. You may have read my earlier post regarding my need to use leftovers to create new meals… this post is essentially a sequel to that one, focusing solely on using cooked chicken leftovers.

Since most chicken dishes require the chicken to be cooked in a certain way, or marinated before cooking, I had to think creatively to figure out what I could do with plain old cooked chicken so I didn’t let it go to waste. I had a total of about 5 cups of chicken once it was all chopped up/shredded, so I decided to split my leftovers into 2 different dishes:

1. Chicken Salad

I’ve always loved chicken salad, and you really can’t beat the homemade kind. I kept it simple both because I didn’t have many ingredients that I would have needed to make a more complex recipe (such as this holiday chicken salad from Allrecipes.com which I need to try at some point!) The recipe I used was a simple mix of the following ingredients in a medium bowl:

• 2 cups cooked chicken meat, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

This seems like it will make about 5 sandwiches, so it’s the perfect amount of chicken salad to last for the week. It’s also a healthified version, as I replaced half of the mayonnaise with non-fat Greek yogurt. Replacing only half of the mayo helps to keep the essential flavor there, but make the overall recipe more healthy.

2. Chicken Divan

I didn’t want to get sick of eating chicken for weeks, so I decided to use the remainder of my extra chicken to make something I could freeze and defrost at another time for a quick and easy pre-prepared meal. I remember my mom making Chicken Divan when I was younger, and I always loved it, so I looked up a recipe for this delicious casserole and decided to whip it together. The recipe I found that seemed closest to what I remembered from my past was a Paula Deen recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

Again, I made some additions and substitutions to ingredients in this recipe. The recipe typically calls for cream of mushroom soup, but I used cream of chicken instead because it was what I had on hand. Additionally, I added sliced mushrooms and croutons to the recipe; the mushrooms, to add the flavor I may have missed out on by using cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom soup, and the croutons, because my mom used to always add these and I loved the different texture that they added to the dish. Finally, I substituted half the mayonnaise again with plain non-fat Greek yogurt to make the recipe a bit healthier.

The recipe I used in the end is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli, chopped
  

  Photo Courtesy of CampbellsKitchen.com

• 3 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
• 1/2 cup seasoned croutons
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Microwave broccoli on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and croutons.

In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Place the mixture into a 9-inch square casserole dish or disposable aluminum foil pan that has been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top.

Since I made this casserole for a later date, I stopped here, wrapped the casserole dish in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to ensure a tight seal, and placed it in the freezer. When I take it out, I will defrost it and then bake for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees, as the recipe instructs.

I love when making one dish can turn into 3… and those 3 dishes should equate to over 20 separate meals!! Between the soup that we have been eating, the other half of the soup that I froze, the chicken salad for lunch, and the casserole, which will amount to at least 2 dinners, I feel extremely proud of myself for making the best of what I had!

Do you have a favorite meal to make with already-cooked chicken? Let me know in the comments… I’ll need more ideas for the next time I decide to make my chicken noodle soup!

One trick I’ve learned from being a busy homemaker is that leftovers should NEVER get thrown away. Nor do they need to be. Even if you make a meal and you don’t want to eat it again, you can always take your leftovers and spice them up by turning them into something else.

First off, almost anything can be made into a sandwich. Leftover meatballs, chicken, Thanksgiving dinner… you name it, you can put it between two slices of bread. This is a quick and easy way to turn last night’s dinner into the next day’s lunch, and can save you a few bucks that you might otherwise spend at the deli down the street from your office!

Other than sandwiches, here are a few of my favorite meal transformations:

Pork Tenderloin

• BBQ pulled pork
  I’ve found that the best and easiest way to cook a pork tenderloin is to let it slow cook in the trusty Crock Pot. Coat the pork in a mix of brown sugar, garlic powder and a spoonful of Dijon mustard (or whatever you prefer, but that’s my favorite go-to pork rub), let it cook on low all day, and by the time you get home from work the pork will be literally falling apart. This makes for an absolutely perfect pulled pork. Sure, you can carefully slice the pork loin to have for dinner the first night, but take the rest of it and pull it apart and mix it with your favorite barbecue sauce. Suddenly you have a whole new, but equally delicious, meal… or of course, filling for some great sandwiches!

• Pork fried rice
  Who says you have to order out to get good Chinese food? Pork fried rice is actually a fairly easy dish to make at home, and when you have half of a perfectly good pork loin left over from last night’s dinner, it’s a great way not to let it go to waste!

Barbecue Chicken

• Salad
  BBQ chicken can make a great dinner-lunch combo when you slice up the leftovers and mix it with some lettuce, tomatoes, a sprinkle of Mexican cheese, black beans and corn… add a spicy Ranch dressing (I make my own by mixing Lite Ranch dressing with some Tabasco sauce) for a little kick and you’ve got a delicious and easy salad for your next day’s lunch!

• Pizza
  Ever since I got a pizza stone as a wedding gift, I have been obsessed with making my own pizzas. Grab some fresh whole-wheat crust and coat it with BBQ sauce instead of the typical tomato sauce. Throw on your leftover BBQ chicken, along with whichever other toppings you like best- personally, I like to add tomatoes and caramelized onions- and then of course cover it with your favorite cheese. I find that Mexican cheese tends to work best with the BBQ flavors. It makes a delicious alternative to your typical pizza.

Mashed Potatoes

• Shepherd’s Pie
  Growing up, my grandmother always used to make me Shepherd’s Pie. It became, for me, less of a quick and easy dish and more of a treat. So now, when I have leftover mashed potatoes from time to time, I treat myself and am reminded of those days with my grandmother. And it might be the easiest way to treat myself, since all it really requires is cooking some ground beef with a few spices, opening a can of corn and layering in my pre-made mashed potatoes!

• Omelet
  Last but certainly not least is one of the lesser-known uses for leftover mashed potatoes, for an omelet. More specifically, an Italian frittata. Using a small frying pan, combining a few eggs, a little milk, some veggies (zucchini and onions are my favorite) and your leftover mashed potatoes, you’ll end up with an omelet that’s not only delicious, but more fluffy and textured than any omelet you’ve ever eaten before.

The bottom line is, leftovers should rarely, if ever, be thrown away. Didn’t your parents ever tell you about those starving kids in Ethiopia? They weren’t kidding.But leftovers don’t have to be boring, or even the same food you ate before. You can take your left over food and really transform it into a new, equally delicious meal for another day. And of course… they will always be even better if you just add a pinch of salt!