Do you need to use up leftover chicken? Or would you like to get a head start on meals with deli-roasted or rotisserie-cooked chicken from the store?

Whether you are making breakfast, lunch or supper, it can be easy to get creative with chicken that already is cooked. Here are some examples.

Breakfast, Brunch and More

For a fast and healthy breakfast to go, you may want to try Chicken and Cheese Breakfast Muffins, one of the recipes from Chicken Farmers of Canada. If you make the muffins ahead of time, you can warm them in the microwave in the morning.

When you have more time, perhaps consider serving Black Bean, Chicken and Egg Enchiladas for a hearty breakfast, or for lunch or supper. The filling can go into four 10-inch, whole-grain tortillas, or you can use seven-inch tortillas for eight smaller servings. Savoury Asparagus and Chicken Bread Pudding can be the main course for brunch, lunch or supper. It also includes eggs, green onions, mushrooms, red peppers and cheese. Making this dish with whole-grain bread can help increase the fibre.

Salads and Soups

For a salad full of fruit and flavour, check out Arugula, Citrus and Chicken Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette. Topping it with toasted coconut can add a caramelized and nutty texture.

If you make Spiced Chicken, Spinach and Brown Rice Salad, you can serve it warm or cold. The herbs and spices include garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, saffron and cilantro.

If you like garlic, maybe you also will want to try Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Soup with Chicken. It can be ready in less than an hour.

Oriental Chicken Soup can be on the table in about 30 minutes. It contains lots of vegetables (you can use a frozen stir-fry veggie mix) and some rice vermicelli.

Pasta and Pizza

For a quick and nutritious meal, I like to toss cooked chicken with whole-grain pasta, vegetables and a low-fat pasta sauce for a hot dish, or a low-fat salad dressing for a cold meal.

An Asian-style pasta dish can be easy to prepare too. Chicken and Vegetable Spaghetti with Honey-Soy Sauce includes red, yellow and green peppers, and onion, cooked in a wok.

How about a pizza that can be ready in about 20 minutes? You can make Chicken Pesto Pizza by topping two, large prepared pizza crusts with sun-dried tomato pesto, cooked chicken, chopped red pepper, black olives and feta cheese.

These recipes and many more are available at www.chicken.ca, where you also can find how-to videos and nutrition fact sheets.

ARUGULA, CITRUS & CHICKEN SALAD WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Developed for Chicken Farmers of Canada by Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc.

  • Serves 4.

Toasted coconut has a caramelized, nutty and chewy texture. It’s a great way to maximize the coconut flavour in your favourite recipes. Follow this recipe to learn the technique to ‘supreme’ an orange and grapefruit, delivering maximum juice and skinless segments.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pink grapefruit, medium
  • 3 orange, medium
  • 2 cups (500 mL) chicken, leftover or deli, without skin, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup (125 mL) unsweetened coconut, shredded
  • 4 cups (1 L) arugula (rocket)
  • 4 cups (1 L) field or mixed salad greens

PREPARATION

  1. Use a sharp knife to cut off both of the ends of the grapefruit. Cut ½ inch (1.25 cm) deep into the fruit, or more, to remove the peel, the white membrane beneath and some of the juicy parts. Set aside peels as you go as they will be used for juice. Rest the grapefruit on one of the flat ends. Remove the peel and membrane by slicing down from the top, following the curve of the fruit, making sure you are cutting on the inside of the white membrane. Rotate and repeat until you have gone all the way around the fruit.
  2. Cut the fruits into segments away from the membranes by cutting on either side of the membrane to remove sections. Use the same procedure to prepare the orange segments.
  3. Squeeze juice from peels and membranes into a measuring cup. You should have approximately ¼ cup (60 mL) of fresh juice. Set aside for vinaigrette.
  4. Cut the roast chicken into thin slices. Set aside.
  5. Heat a dry, medium skillet over medium-high heat. Spread shredded coconut out in skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until coconut is mostly golden brown. Do not walk away, as this can burn easily.
  6. Add arugula and salad greens to salad bowl. Top with grapefruit, orange segments and chicken. Finish with the toasted coconut sprinkled over. Serve with the citrus tarragon vinaigrette.

Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) orange juice
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) grapefruit juice
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin
  • olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
  • ½ tsp (2.5 mL) tarragon, dried
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp (2.5 mL) black pepper, freshly ground

PREPARATION

  1. Make the vinaigrette by combining the fruit juices, olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, dried tarragon, Dijon mustard and black pepper in a jar with a lid. Shake well to combine. Serve with the arugula, citrus and chicken salad.

Nutritional Info

  • Per 400 g:
  • Calories, 370.
  • Protein, 26 g.
  • Total fat, 16 g.
  • Saturated fat, 8 g.
  • Carbohydrate, 34 g.
  • Fibre, 8 g.
  • Cholesterol, 55 mg.
  • Sodium, 110 mg.

Source: Chicken Farmers of Canada.