Ideas For Left-Over Chicken

Lately I’ve been trying to be more frugal (one of the talents a stay at home wife may find useful to cultivate- I’m working on it!). I usually make whole chicken breasts for dinner, served with salad or rice and veggies on the side. I discovered that if I cook less chicken, and simply break it up into small pieces and mix it in with a veggie or whole grain pasta, my husband likes it very much, and it’s probably a lot healthier (more veggies and less meat is always a good thing, right?), and it definitely has been saving us money.

Now when I cook chicken breast, I either cook less, or cook as much as usual but put a portion on the side to use the next day in another meal.

Some great ideas for those delicious held-over pieces:

1. I add it, along with some roasted veggies, to a tortilla, top it with cheese, and fold it over. I heat it all up together until the tortilla is toasty, then cut it into triangle wedges. It becomes delicious chicken quesadillas (DH absolutely loves this).

2. I put it into a soup base (such as creamy chicken broth) and add some sauteed veggies and some spices, and it becomes a quick and delicious soup.

3. I toss it in with steamed broccoli, and add some teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds, and it becomes a very healthy Chinese dinner (healthier than take-out).

4. I add it to a salad…this is very healthy and tasty! I add olive oil and various crunchy veggies, salt and pepper.

5. I add it to cooked beans and spices and tomatoe sauce…it becomes chicken chili.

My husband could eat the same thing every day and be happy, but I prefer variety, so I love that having some fresh left-over chicken on hand opens up all these new options for the next day.