Last weekend, I got out a bag of frozen chicken, but when it came time for dinner, we ended up eating out. (Even our favorite chicken dish doesn’t stand a chance against the offer of Five Guys.)
A day [or so] later, I remembered that the thawed chicken was still sitting in our fridge and that I needed to cook it – and soon. I tried to come up with something delicious, but ended up punting. I just covered the chicken in Italian seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley) and baked it. It wasn’t exciting, but it did the trick. (If, by “trick,” we can agree that I meant, “Don’t let the chicken go bad and provide a nourishing, if not dazzling, meal for my family.”)
I knew we didn’t want to eat another bland meal of baked chicken, so I decided to get creative in how I used the leftovers. Unfortunately, my first attempt did not work out.
Inspired by some of my more talented cooking friends, I decided it was time to learn how to make homemade pizza dough . . . with yeast. Yeah, I was going to make something that had to RISE. Specifically, I was hoping to make this yummy looking beer batter pizza dough. I bought a packet of yeast and everything.
But then I realized that I had to make it with plenty of time for that rising. AND it makes a TON. I just wasn’t ready for all that. So, I pulled out my regular pizza crust recipe and set out to make chicken pizza. I even added mushrooms, because that’s the way my husband likes it.
Apparently, though, he has decided that he does not like chicken pizza at all – mushrooms or no mushrooms. And I learned this when he said, while watching me make the pizza, “Ummm . . . would you be upset if I just made a frozen pizza?”
Yes. My answer was most definitely YES.
And then when he told me in front of Annalyn that she might not like it because she might not like the red onions? (Which, I’m sure you know means she refused to eat any of it.) To my credit, I did not explode. But I did a bit of seething, that is for sure.
The kicker of the whole thing, though? The pizza really wasn’t that good.
Thankfully, I still had a couple pieces left of the baked chicken, so I had a chance to redeem myself. So the following day, I made the best salad I have had in a long time. It was SO good! Nothing fancy, but if you want a formula for a good salad, here you go:
Easy Chicken Caesar Salad
1-2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 oz. grilled or otherwise cooked chicken, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/8 cup shredded cheese
2 tablespoons croutons
2 tablespoons Caesar dressing
Tips: You can buy a bag of already-chopped romaine, although I actually chopped mine this time. And I prefer Italian blend cheese, partly because it’s so tasty and Italian-y and partly because it’s only two points on the new Weight Watchers system. But of course you can use whatever cheese you like; parmesan is always a good choice for a Caesar salad.
And last but not least, I highly suggest trying Kraft’s Caesar Vinaigrette if you like bottled dressings. It’s been a couple months since I’ve eaten at Olive Garden, but I swear this dressing tastes just like theirs. Tangy and delicious.
Another thing I considered doing with my leftover chicken was making enchiladas. But other than that, I came up empty. So, help me out! What do YOU do with leftover chicken?
This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green and Foodie Friday.
That cheesy chicken recipe sounds delicious!! I’m going to try it. Think it will be fine without onions? I love them but my husband hates them. I’d have to cut them really big so I could pull them out before I gave him the chicken.
I have the same issue with chicken. We eat a lot of chicken b/c other than myself, my family is PICKY PICKY. I’ve run out of ideas for chicken. I’m always on the look out for new chicken recipes!! I’d love enchiladas, or a nice casserole and such but… nope. Hubs won’t eat stuff like that. Unless it’s JUST chicken and cheese and not mixed with something else. Drives me nuts.
A friend gave me this easy crock pot recipe that I didn’t make correctly the first time but was still good.
Put chicken breasts at the bottom of the crock pot.
Sprinkle a packet of Italian seasoning over the chicken. (I used half a bottle of Italian dressing since I didn’t have the packet. If you do this don’t add a lot of water or else the sauce is a little runny.)
Put a stick of cream cheese in ( I put 2 since I love cream cheese!)
Cover with water until just covered.
Cook for 4-5 hrs until done.
I think you can also put egg noodles in with it too? She mentioned something about noodles that I didn’t remember her telling me about first.
It’s an easy recipe to tweak according to your liking.
Here’s are two more and these are probably my favorites:
CHICKEN POPPY SEED
Cook boneless chicken breasts (about 4 or so. Or you can use chicken tenders. Whatever fills the bottom of your baking dish) until done. Cook however you want.
Line baking dish with them.
Mix a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup with 8 oz sour cream and pour over the top.
Sprinkle poppy seeds over that if you like them. I don’t actually do this part!
Sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers over the top until completely covered.
Pour melted butter over ritz crackers.
Bake at 350 until hot and bubble and done. Usually 30-40 minutes.
This recipe is SOOO good. It’s the chicken we served at our wedding and people raved over it.
CREAMY BAKED CHICKEN
Put boneless chicken breast at bottom of baking dish.
Cover top of chicken with slices of Swiss Cheese
Pour a can cream of mushroom or chicken soup mixed with a little milk to thin, over top
Pour a package of Stuffing over the top of that to cover. (I use stuffing made for chicken recipes from Pepp. Farm)
Pour melted butter over the top.
Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until chicken is done.
This one is also delicious. I feel like I have to eat it with cranberry sauce, though!
Enjoy!
Wow! Oh my gosh, thank you for the recipes. Those both look so good! You could definitely leave the onions out of the cheesy chicken, although your husband is certainly missing out. ;)
I like making chicken salad with leftovers. I add greek yogurt, scallions, grapes, celery and walnuts. SOOOO good! Have a great day!!!
Yum – that sounds good, Roz!
I make a salad with chicken on top – salads are great, because you can make it any way you like! Mine has cos lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, kalamata olives, fresh ricotta, lentils, tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The chicken, I toss in bread crumbs and crushed garlic, then saute in butter until golden brown and slightly crispy. Good stuff…
Oh my, that sounds so good!!
My family’s go-to meal is jasmine rice and grilled chicken. I always make sure to cook extra so I’m guaranteed leftovers, which results in my favorite meal: Fried rice! I scramble a couple of eggs in the wok, set them aside, stir fry some frozen veggies, toss in the leftover chicken to reheat it, add in the leftover white rice and some soy sauce, throw the scrambled eggs back in and VOILA! yumminess! If you have it on hand (which I always do) I also add some sesame oil, sesame seeds and a splash of rice wine vinegar. It’s the best.
Here’s a chicken pot pie recipe I perfected that was amazing: http://melissabrotherton.com/2010/12/01/mantagical-turkey-pot-pie-or-what-to-do-with-leftovers/
That salad looks wonderful though, I need to try that dressing. :)
I totally bookmarked that potpie recipe. Thanks, Melissa!
Leftover chicken is good for throwing into soup (Chicken Wild Rice, anyone?) or casserole. I’ll roast a chicken and then cube the leftovers and freeze them until I need them. Works like a charm!
*sigh* My husband doesn’t like soup either. (However, I do and should’ve made another batch of my chicken enchilada soup!)
When I forget to go to the grocery store, but have chicken in the freezer, I make barbecue chicken. Like I did tonight. =)
Slice up some onion (in my case, a lot), chop up some garlic, (in my case, A LOT!) and sut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook it all in the same skillet. Once cooked, pour some barbecue sauce on top and heat it up. Add rice and a veggie and you’ve got yourself a meal!
Ooooh, that sounds good AND easy! Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
Hi Mary,
Sorry about the pizza disappointment. I actually make bbq chicken pizza with mine! It’s always a real hit at our house. I also make bbq chicken sandwiches. Also, it wouldn’t take much leftover chicken to make a small batch of chicken noodle soup. Just another thought. :) Here are the recipes if you are interested:
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 package Martha White deep dish crust pizza dough mix (1.00)
½ of chicken, chopped (combination of chicken left over from roasted chicken and 1 extra breast) (2.50)
½ of red onion or yellow onion thinly sliced (.10)
½ to ¾ bottle of favorite bbq sauce (we like the honey bbq) (.75)
1 Tbs. dried oregano (PI)
1 Tbs. olive oil (PI)
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese (or blend of your favorite pizza cheeses) ($2.75)
½ to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (depends on how much heat you like) (PI)
1 thinly sliced green onion (.10)
Directions:
Mix pizza crust dough according to directions on back of package. While dough is resting, caramelize onions in olive oil being careful not to burn. Remove from heat. Instead of placing down in cake pan or pizza pan as directed, carefully roll dough out into a large baking sheet, avoiding making any holes in the dough. Dough will probably not fill whole sheet, but this gives it a nice rustic look. Be sure to prick dough with fork before placing in oven. Bake dough according to directions. While pizza dough is baking. Combine your chicken with enough BBQ sauce to coat it. Add in dried oregano. When pizza dough is done baking (approx. 5 minutes) remove from oven. Lightly brush surface of pizza crust with olive oil to edges. Spread BBQ sauce over pizza crust leaving approx. ½ to 1inch around edge of crust without sauce. Lightly sprinkle a small amount of garlic powder over BBQ sauce and red pepper flakes. Top with ¾ of cheese, caramelized onions, chicken and green onion. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake approximately 11-13 minutes, watching that it doesn’t burn.
Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwich Melts
Following is the super easy recipes for this meal. Maybe it will inspire you to shop from your pantry and avoid the drive thru…
Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwich Melts
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts depending on size (frozen or fresh) ($2.00)
1 tsp. salt (PI)
Approx. 1-cup favorite BBQ sauce (.50)
4 slices Provolone or Munster cheese (.90)
4 large hamburger or sandwich buns (.50)
Directions:
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, add salt. Place chicken breasts in water and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer chicken on low until cooked through. Do not cook chicken too fast as it will become dry and tough, you want to poach the chicken. Will take approximately 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Remove chicken from water and allow to cool. Rinse out your pot and use to warm BBQ sauce. Shred chicken and add to the sauce coating thoroughly, Add more sauce if needed.
Place two buns each in sheets of tinfoil. Heap chicken on one side of bun and place a slice of cheese on the other side. Place halves of buns together and wrap tightly in tinfoil (you should have two sandwiches per package). Place tinfoil packs in oven approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted.
I have the chicken noodle soup recipe on my blog.
http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/01/arlenes-chicken-noodle-soup.html
Anyway, those are some of my “go to” extra chicken recipes!
Heather @At The Picket Fence
Heather, thank you so much for the recipes!!
Chicken pizza is awesome! Your husband doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We make BBQ chicken pizza all of the time. Especially on the beer batter crust. Thanks for the shout out, by the way.
My husband often doesn’t know what he’s talking about in reference to food. ;)
We love BBQ chicken at our house. Love to make pizzas on the grill. We aren’t very fancy round here…tonight I shredded up the chicken with bbq sauce and threw it on some buns.
YUM. BBQ chicken would have been so good!
Leftover chicken rocks! You can throw together chicken quesidillas, top a salad, slice and make a sandwhich traditional or wrap with lettuce, throw on top of pasta and cover wiht spaghetti sauce, or grill some onions peppers and mushroom in a pan, mix up some plain yogurt and garlic and throw it all on some warmed up naan bread for gyros. The italian spices already on the chicken would be fine for all that really…
Believe it or not, I forgot about quesadillas! I think the Italian seasoning threw me for a loop, but you’re right. It would’ve been good!
I usually make chicken with garlic…and let the rest of the spices be added to each dish:) But actually oregano goes with mexican food too, but basil is not really as good with it.
This really looks good…can’t wait to give it a try. I would love for you to join me for What’s On the Menu Wednesday whenever you can. Thanks again for sharing.
Freeze it Mary! 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken is about 1 pound (close enough) and when you have these little bags of cooked shredded chicken in your freezer suddenly a casserole, soup or pasta dish that needs to have chicken cooked before you can make it is super fast and super easy! So I say…freeze it for another day. :-)
I should have, Tami! Well, my salads were good, but shredding and freezing it would’ve gone much further!