A budget friendly collection of delicious recipes that can be made using leftover roast chicken, perfect for weekday dinners.
Any leftovers from roast chicken can easily be incorporated into weekday meals, so you need never let any go to waste.
From simple snacks to tasty casseroles and everyone's favourite chicken pie and with recipes here you will be able to find the perfect recipe to make sure you make the most of all the meat from your roast chicken.
Enjoyed a roast and now wondering what to do with the leftovers?
While some people may see it as a chore deciding what to do with leftovers from a roast dinner I find it more of a blessing, especially when it comes to chicken as it is such a versatile meat.
Indeed, one of the main reasons I love cooking my easy roast chicken at the weekend, is that I often have enough leftover chicken that I can easily make into one or even two more meals.
Sometimes these weekday meals may be as simple as serving cold chicken with a jacket potato and some coleslaw or some homemade oven chips. Other times I make them into something completely different.
So if you are wondering what to make with your leftover roast chicken look no further. Once you have had your fill, remove the remaining chicken and get it into the refrigerator as soon as possible and then decide which of the following delicious recipes you are going to make with your leftovers.
Easy leftover roast chicken recipes
From substantial homemade chicken pies to easy chicken nachos from curry to creamy casseroles there is something for everyone. Choose what to do with your leftover chicken from what other ingredients you have to hand or from the amount of leftovers you have. Either way there is plenty of choice in this collection of easy leftover roast chicken recipes, which require from as little as 200g (7oz) to 450g (1lb) of leftover cooked chicken.
Money saving recipes
Of course, making sure you use every scrap of chicken means that you will be making the most of every penny you spent on the chicken for roasting in the first place. But you are also saving money using the leftover chicken to make recipes that otherwise call for using individual prepared portions of the chicken.
That is because you pay a premium for someone to cut up and prepare and package the chicken pieces. So you will always save money buying a whole chicken, not to mention saving time when it comes to making the additional meals with your leftovers.
Cook’s Notes
It is important to mention a few points on food safety:
- Chill or freeze your leftover chicken as soon as possible after roasting and within 2 hours. Store in an airtight container.
- When reheating chicken whether using chilled or frozen make sure it is heated until piping hot.
- Cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Once frozen and thawed you must never refreeze chicken.
And dont forget about stock!
And while you are at it why not make some delicious homemade chicken stock from the carcass.
Chicken pies
In the winter we like to make pies with our leftover chicken as they make great filling winter comfort meals. My two favourite pies for using up cooked chicken are Chicken and Mushroom and Chicken and Chorizo adapted from a pie I first made to use up turkey at Christmas
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Amount of leftover chicken required:350g (12oz)
- Total Time: 1 hr 25 minutes
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow the recipe as written as this recipe was originally developed using leftover roast chicken.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 300-400g (10oz-14oz)
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Replace the cooked turkey with leftover cooked chicken.
- Total Time: 50 minutes.
Risotto
When we haven't really planned ahead risotto is our go-to recipe for using up leftover chicken. As we always have risotto rice in the cupboard and there is usually something in the fridge we can use alongside, in this case it is leeks.
Risotto is ideal if you only have a little leftover roast chicken.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 250g (9oz)
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow the recipe as written as this recipe was originally developed using leftover roast chicken.
- Total Time: 45 minutes cooked conventionally, 20 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Chicken curry
Curry is perhaps the obvious choice for using up leftover cooked meats. I have two chicken curry recipes that can be easily adapted to use leftover chicken. The first is a spicy tomato-based curry, the other a mild korma style curry.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400–450g (14oz-1lb)
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Add the chicken instep 4 and cook with the spices for 1 to 2 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
- Total Time: 35 minutes.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400–450g (14oz-1lb)
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow the recipe as directed from step 2 and reduce the simmering time to 20 minutes.
- Total Time: 25 minutes.
Chicken stir fries
These are also perfect for using up not only leftover roast chicken but also using up the odds and sods that get left in the fridge. So feel free to adapt these simple recipes to with any vegetables that need using up.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400–450g (14oz-1lb)
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Prepare the ingredients then heat 2 teaspoons of oil and continue from step 2.
- Total Time: 20 minutes.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 300–450g (10oz)
- Total Time: 35 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Combine the ingredients for the marinade, then mix the cornflour to a paste with a little of the marinade before stirring the remaining marinade. Omit step 3 and 4 and add the chicken with the marinade and stock and cook for a few minutes until piping hot before adding the noodles.
Chicken salads
Of course, you can just serve the leftover roast chicken with a side salad for a simple meal but why not make your salads that little bit more interesting and flavourful.
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 300g (10oz)
- Total Time: 15 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Simply replace the griddled chicken with cold leftover chicken.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 300g (10oz)
- Total Time: 15 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Make the salad replacing the chicken breasts with leftover chicken. Drain the noodles, then rinse in cold water and drain again before combining all the ingredients for the salad together.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400g (14oz)
- Time using leftover roast chicken: 15 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Simply replace the griddled chicken in the recipe with leftover roast chicken.
Other recipes for using up leftover roast chciken
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 200g (7oz)
- Total Time: 18 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Omit step 2 and add chopped leftover cooked chicken with the tomatoes.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 225g (8oz)
- Total Time: 35 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow the recipe as written as this recipe was originally developed using leftover roast chicken.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400–450g (14oz-1lb)
- Total Time: 35 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow recipe skipping step 3. Add the roast chicken to the thickened sauce and cook until the chicken is piping hot about 4-5 minutes. Then complete as per the recipe.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 400–450g (14oz-1lb)
- Total Time: 25 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Follow recipe skipping step 1. Add the roast chicken after 20 minutes cooking and continue as per the recipe.
- Serves: 4
- Amount of leftover chicken required: 350g (12oz)
- Total Time: 40 minutes.
- How to adapt to use leftover chicken: Simply replace the cooked turkey with leftover cooked chicken.
Have you made this recipe? I would love to hear from you. Did you enjoy it, did you change anything? Leave a comment and rate the recipe. Comments may be held for moderation before publishing.