Ways to Use Cooked Chicken

How convenient is it to call into the supermarket and grab a couple of cooked chickens?  You should get approximately 500g of flesh off a cooked chicken, so two chickens = 10 servings.   Make it up into a couple of different dishes and you have dinners and/or lunches for a few days.  

Here are some ideas for quick meals using cooked chicken.

Quick Lunch

Add 100g cooked chicken to ½ (of a 535g) can of Watties Tomato & Basil soup + serve with 2 crispbread spread with Vegemite or marmite.  Add extra water if too thick.

15 Minute Smokey Tomato Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 400g cooked chicken, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
  • 2 tins chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

Spray a large non stick frypan with cooking oil and saute onion with smoked paprika for about 3 minutes over medium heat, or until the onion is soft.

Add the cans of tomatoes plus the chopped chicken, stir well, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste, then serve with steamed veggies.  You could take leftovers for lunch the next day as a soup with crackers.

Chicken Pie

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 400g cooked chicken, chopped
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 cup frozen peas, cooked
  • 1 packet of Weight Watchers brown onion gravy made up with one cup of boiling water.  (stir well to ensure there are no lumps on the bottom)
  • 600g potatoes or kumara boiled in salted water and mashed with enough hot milk to make them creamy and spreadable.

Spray a non stick pan with oil then sauté onion.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the mash.  Stir well and place in an ovenproof dish.

Dot the mash on top and cook in 180 deg oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Chicken Soup

Serves 4

Make up a vegetable soup using vegetables like onion, celery, canned tomatoes, carrots, etc.  Saute the veggies in a sprayed non stick pot, add 1 litre of liquid chicken stock (like Campbells) and then add 400g shredded chicken.  Put a lid on the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes – or longer if desired.  Check seasoning and serve.

Curried Chicken

Ingredients

  • 400g cooked chicken chopped
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • A few mushrooms sliced
  • 3 small zucchini sliced
  • 1 teaspoon crushed ginger (from a jar)
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • Two teaspoons of red curry paste
  • 1 cup lite coconut cream (I used Samoa lite coconut cream)
  • Two tablespoons of sweet chutney or relish of some kind
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Spray a large non stick frypan with cooking spray and add onion, ginger and spices and cook for about three minutes.  Add the rest of the vegetables, adding more spray if you need to.  When vegetables are tender add the coconut cream, chicken and chutney and stir well.  Bring to a simmer then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

If you aren’t having rice or other complex carbs with your dinner, try serving the curry in a large pasta bowl with additional veggies on the side.   Freeze leftover coconut cream for later use.

Mix all together well and form into 8 patties, the mixture will be fairly soft.

If time, refrigerate for 30 minutes to help firm up the mixture.

Spray a non stick pan with cooking spray and cook the patties until lightly browned each side and cooked through.