Three Recipes For One Whole Chicken
Turn Classic Home-Style Leftovers into Italian and Mexican Dishes
Meal One: Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- Whole chicken (3 ½ pounds or more, depending on size of family)
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 ½ tsp. garlic (chopped, in jar)
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 350° . Place chicken breast side up in a baking dish. Slice butter and place on top of bird, or rub or brush to coat. Spoon garlic onto chicken. Add salt and pepper. Bake for 2-2 ½ hours. Test with a meat thermometer to be sure chicken is done.
Cut serving portions, including wings and legs. Cut up the rest of the meat into 1 inch sections. Separate accordingly.
Side Suggestions
Potatoes, baked or mashed, are great with chicken. If you are looking to save even more time, add quartered potatoes and baby carrots to the baking dish and bake them along with the chicken. Serve a simple salad to complete the meal. Try topping your lettuce with tomatoes, onions, sunflower seeds and ranch dressing.
Meal Two: Italian Pasta Dish with Chicken Leftovers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups leftover chicken, cut to small pieces
- 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- ½ onion, diced
- 3-4 tbsp. butter
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce (garlic and oil, or other preferred flavor)
- 1 package penne pasta
Sautee mushrooms and onions in butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Cook penne pasta in a saucepan, according to the package directions. Add chicken to the mushroom and onions. Cook until heated through (about 10 minutes). Stir in spaghetti sauce. Cook until heated throughout (about 5-10 more minutes). Stir in pasta or serve plain pasta topped with chicken and sauce mixture.
Side Suggestions
Serve Italian cheese bread along with the pasta dish. Many types can be found in the frozen food section of most grocery stores. Crunched for time? On a tight budget? Simply serve with buttered toast . . .or top plain sliced bread with butter and shredded cheese and cook it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350° . Complete the meal with a salad of green lettuce topped with sliced black olives, onions, cherry tomatoes, croutons and ranch dressing.
Meal Three: Chicken Quesadillas from Leftovers
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups cut up chicken, seasoned with taco or fajita seasoning, if desired
- 2-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 10 tortillas
- Butter or oil
- Sour Cream, if desired
- Salsa, if desired
With a quesadilla maker: Butter one side of each tortilla. Place chicken and cheese in other side. Fold. Make two and place together in the pre-heated quesadilla maker. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly browned.
On skillet: Place 1-2 tablespoon oil or butter in skillet and heat for 5-10 minutes. Place chicken and cheese on a tortilla. Fold and place in skillet. Cook until slightly browned, turning once.
In microwave or oven: Fill tortilla with chicken and cheese. Heat until cheese is melted and chicken is hot.
Side Suggestions
Make an easy guacamole dip from 2 avacados and packaged guacamole seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips. Make it a full meal with instant white rice and corn on the cob (or canned or frozen corn)!
Looking for another time and money saving recipe? Try my Cheap and Easy Classic Lasagna.
Want more ideas for using leftover chicken? Look at these Leftover Roast Chicken Recipes.
