25 Ways To Recycle Chicken

Coming up with dinner every day can be a pain in the neck especially if

you are a single cook. Just thinking about going to the store is

discouraging enough much less having to cook after a day’s work.Many of

us take the easy way out and throw something together from the leftover

dishes in the refrigerator and more often than not that leftover is

chicken.Not that there’s anything wrong with chicken.It’s quick easy and

economical. It tastes good and it’s good for you.But chicken is boring

if you always make the same old thing in the same old way.

Depending on the size of your cooking audience and with a little

imagination you can keep a roasted chicken going for a day or a

week.Start with a whole roasted or rotisserie broiled chicken from the

supermarket or a take out restaurant.After your first meal the rest of

the bird looms as leftovers.

Here are 25 ways to recycle leftover chicken without actually

cooking.With most of them you could round out the meal by serving a

salad a good piece of bread or a hard roll a piece of fresh fruit and a

couple of cookies.Most of the suggestions are quickie versions of more

complicated dishes.Assemble here heat up there.So who’s telling?t

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1. International “Ketchup”: Heat up a hefty portion of leftover chicken

and serve with an international dipping sauce found in the ethnic

sections of supermarkets. Try Thai dipping sauce, Szechuan dipping

sauce, Indian chutney and a smoky cowboy barbecue sauce. Do it with Eggs

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2. Chicken Deviled Eggs: Mash six hard cooked egg yolks with mayo,

grated onion, mustard and salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Stir in about a half-cup of finely chopped cooked chicken.

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3. Omelet or Scrambled Eggs: Combine small cubes of chicken, cubes of

cream cheese and some chopped herbs (parsley, chives and tarragon make a

good combination). Toss into an omelet or scrambled eggs and let heat

through until the chicken is warm and the cream cheese is oozy. Match it

with Breads

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4. Pita Sandwich: Spread pita pocket bread (whole wheat or sesame) with

mayonnaise to which you’ve added a pinch of curry and a few drops of

fresh lemon juice. Add slices of cooked chicken. Stuff in a few slices

of mango or avocado for a surprise and finish with a good spray of

watercress or crisp lettuce. If you have some chopped nuts handy toss

them in.

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5. Another Pita Sandwich: Spread pita pocket bread with mayo. Stuff it

with slices of leftover chicken, sweet cabbage relish and a slice of

tomato.Sprinkle generously with pepper. The crisp-sweet relish is the

flavor secret here.

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6. Cheese Melt: Spread a split and partly toasted English muffin with

pesto or mayo, top with slices of leftover chicken and grated or sliced

cheese.Heat under the broiler until brown and bubbly.

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7. White Pizza: Brush a small round of focaccia bread or Boboli with

olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Scatter with pieces of

leftover chicken, chopped fresh herbs and top with shredded mozzarella

cheese. Run under the broiler to brown.

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8. Red Pizza: Slice a piece of French bread in half lengthwise. Brush it

with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Spoon on a little canned

pizza sauce and scatter shreds of leftover chicken over all. Add chopped

fresh basil and oregano if you have some. Top with shredded mozzarella

cheese. Run under the broiler to brown.

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9. Mexican Pizza: Scatter shredded leftover chicken on a flour tortilla

to within a half inch of the edge. Generously shake mild or hot pepper

sauce onto the chicken.Top with some shredded mozzarella or jack cheese.

Run under the broiler until the cheese melts and browns and the edges of

the tortilla turn up like a saucer.Reach for additional hot pepper

sauce.

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10. Rancher Pizza: Scatter shredded leftover chicken on a flour

tortilla.Douse with smoked barbecue sauce. Top with grated cheddar

cheese if you like.Run under the broiler until cheese melts and browns

and the edges of the tortilla turn up like a saucer.

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11. Peking Chicken: Steam a flour tortilla to warm and soften it. Spread

the tortilla with a teaspoon of hoisin sauce or more to taste (you can

boost the flavor with a drop of sesame oil), add thin shreds of leftover

chicken and small chopped pieces of chicken skin.The skin won’t be very

crisp but it adds a ton of flavor.Snip a scallion into rings and scatter

them over the chicken.Wrap up into a package.As an alternative spread

the hoisin sauce in a pita pocket and stuff with chicken, chicken skin

and scallions.

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12. Fajitas: Saute a little sliced onion and green pepper in olive

oil.Place on a warm flour tortilla. Add strips of warm cooked leftover

chicken. Spritz with lime juice.Top with a dollop of sour cream,shredded

lettuce and a spoonful of salsa.Roll up into a package.Warm it up

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13. Stir Fry: You don’t need a wok. A skillet will work just as well.

Toss sliced onion, garlic, red pepper, yellow squash and zucchini,

broccoli buds and bean sprouts with olive oil until soft. Toss in cubes

of leftover cooked chicken to heat. Douse with stir-fry sauce and heat

through.

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14. Fried Rice: Saute onion and garlic. Add a portion of leftover rice.

Add chopped scrambled egg, minced leftover vegetables and diced leftover

chicken. If there’s a little piece of ham or shrimp in the fridge chop

it and add. Season with soy sauce heat and serve.

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15. Kebabs: Alternate cubes of leftover chicken, pineapple and red

pepper on a skewer. Brush with melted butter or spritz with olive oil

cooking spray and heat briefly under the broiler to brown.

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16. Soup Helper: Reinforce any canned vegetable or chicken soup with

real pieces of chicken.

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17. Variations on a theme: Toss leftover chicken pieces with almost

anything: apples, olives, mandarin oranges, avocado, ham, pesto. Add

celery or nuts for crunch, onions or shallots for bite and lemon juice

for zest. Bind with mayo, a little yogurt or sour cream. Serve on

lettuce or in a sandwich.

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18. Chicken Caesar Salad:Toss pieces of romaine lettuce in a bowl.Add

chopped anchovies, chopped hard cooked egg and croutons.Toss with

bottled Caesar salad dressing.Top with strips of grilled chicken and

grated Parmesan cheese.

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19. Cobb Salad: Top salad greens with strips of julienne of leftover

chicken, ham and cheese. Make other strips of red onion, crumbled bacon,

bleu cheese and diced tomatoes. Add avocado and hard cooked eggs if you

like.

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20. Pasta Salad: Bolster almost any homemade or store-bought pasta salad

with chunks of chicken.

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21. Oriental Chicken Salad: Mix diced or shredded leftover chicken,

sliced water chestnuts, diced celery and a sliced scallion. Toss with

mayo to which you’ve added a pinch each of ginger and mustard and a

tablespoon or so of chopped candied ginger. Scatter sliced toasted

almonds over the top.Pick it off the Carcass

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22. Chicken Log: Soften a small package of cream cheese, and add

Worcestershire sauce and mild or hot pepper sauce to taste. Add a

chopped stalk of celery and about a cup and a half of minced leftover

chicken. Mix well and dump onto a piece of waxed paper. Form into a log

and chill. Unwrap and roll in chopped nuts and parsley. Serve with

crackers.

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23. Chicken Hash: Mince up leftover chicken and leftover potatoes. Add a

beaten egg, a sliced scallion and season heavily. Melt butter in a

no-stick pan, add the mixture to the pan and heat until a crust forms.

Flip and cook on other side.

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24. Mix it up: Toss scraps and shreds of leftover chicken into pancake

mix into waffle mix into griddle fritters.

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25. Chicken Pecan Spread: Blend a large package of cream cheese and 1/3

cup mayo. Stir in 3/4 cup of pecans, 2 tablespoons chutney (chopped if

necessary), 1 -1/2 teaspoons curry powder and a tablespoon of chopped

parsley.Add 1 cup chopped leftover chicken and stir well. Turn into a

serving dish.

Serve with crackers or as a spread for pear or apple slices.

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26. Time to buy another chicken.

The beauty of life is not how happy you are but how happy others can be

because of you.