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What to do with leftover roast chicken?

Had a roast and wondering what to do with the leftovers? Here’s Melody with some great recipe ideas.

Leftover Roast Chicken

There’s a lot in the news at the moment about food wastage and I think that lockdown has made us all more aware of the amount we throw away. I know that when I didn’t want to go to the shops much, I really made the most of every scrap of food we had in the house! I was horrified when someone told me that they throw away the rest of the chicken after they’d had a roast so I thought I’d share some recipes of how to stretch your chicken out!!

Firstly, buy as good a quality chicken as you can afford and as big as you can too! I’m very lucky to have a farm shop nearby where they sell their own chickens and the butcher there told me that it’s because the chickens are grown slowly that they are so tasty. Yes, it’s a little more expensive but if you can S-T-R-E-T-C-H it out it will last you a few days! Everybody loves a roast chicken and families will quite often have a roast during the week as it’s the one meal that children all love.

Next, make your stock. Once you’ve had your roast, cut off the remaining meat and store it covered in the fridge. Place all the bones in a large pan along with a chopped onion, carrot and perhaps celery and garlic and a bay leaf and black peppercorns. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil and simmer for about 3 hours. Strain through a sieve, cover and store in the fridge for up to a week, or store in freezer for later use. Here are three recipes to use up those leftovers!

Leftover Chicken and Vegetable Rustic Pie

 Ingredients – Serves 4

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

1 leek, well washed and sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

400 mls chicken stock

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

150g button mushrooms (or larger mushrooms, quartered)

400g cooked chicken, cut into large bites

Pastry

150g self-raising flour

75g suet

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

Salt and pepper

Egg or milk to glaze

Leftover

Method

In a large pan heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, leek and carrots and gently sauté until softened. Add the flour and stir for a minute for the flour to cook out, then add the stock, mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the veg are just cooked. Taste and season again if needed, then add the mushrooms and chicken chunks and stir everything together.

While the filling is cooking, heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Combine the self-raising flour, suet, salt, pepper and herbs in a bowl. Add enough cold water to give a soft dough. Don’t over handle as the pastry will toughen.

Once the filling is ready, tip into an ovenproof dish. Mine was 25 cm x 17 cm. Roll the pastry out and lay over the dish, tucking the edges down the side. Make a couple of holes in the top and brush with either beaten egg or milk. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden.

foodie

Leftover Chicken Sandwich Filling (serves 1 generously)

 Mix together 2 tbsp chopped, cooked chicken, 2 finely chopped spring onions, 1 tbsp finely chopped red pepper, 2 pieces of drained and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp of honey and mustard dressing and a sprinkle of garlic pepper. Use as a sandwich filling with lettuce or try with a jacket potato!foodie

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 tbsp oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cm piece root ginger, finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp cornflour

600 ml chicken stock

100g (I used a small can) sweetcorn, drained

100g cooked chicken, shredded or chopped

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Shredded spring onions, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the garlic and ginger for 3 minutes without colouring. Blend the cornflour with a little of the stock and add to the pan with the remaining stock and the sweetcorn. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 7 – 8 minutes. Add the chicken and heat through, gently, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg and lemon juice together. Slowly trickle into the soup pan stirring with a fork to make egg strands. Season to taste.

Serve in bowls, garnished with toasted sesame seeds, shredded spring onions and dots of soy sauce. You could have a few prawn crackers alongside if you wished!

I hope you enjoy my tasty leftover chicken recipes!

Melody x