leftover roast chicken

Use up leftover chicken in this rustic soup with garlic yogurt. Best served with cheese scones

Chicken soup

olive oil

onions,chopped

carrots,chopped

tbsp thyme leaves,roughly chopped

chicken stock

leftover roast chicken,shredded

frozen peas

tbsp Greek yogurt

garlic clove,crushed

lemon juice

cheese scone,to serve (see tips below)

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions, carrots and thyme leaves, then gently fry for 15 mins.

Stir in 1.4l chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover, then simmer for 10 mins.

Add the leftover roast chicken, remove half the mixture, then purée with a stick blender. Tip back into the pan with the rest of the soup, the peas and seasoning, then simmer for 5 mins until hot through.

Mix the Greek yogurt, garlic and lemon juice together. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in the garlic yogurt, then serve.

If you want to use a slow cooker, gently fry the onions, carrots and thyme leaves for 15 mins, then tip them into the slow cooker with 1 litre stock. If you're using a chicken carcass, add it now. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on High until the veg is tender. If you used a carcass, remove it now, shredding any remaining chicken from the bones. Stir back into the soup, or add the leftover roast chicken and frozen peas. Cook for 30 mins more. Remove half the mixture and purée with a stick blender, then serve as above.

This recipe is great for using up leftovers. Feel free to bung anything in - it's always delicious

Whip-round-the-fridge rice

basmati rice

tbsp oil

onion, finely chopped, and 2 garlic cloves, crushed

butter

leftover cooked chicken, shredded

soy sauce

Boil a pan of water, then add the rice. Cook for 8-10 mins until cooked but still firm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan. Fry the bacon pieces until crisp and tip onto a plate. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft. Drain the rice then add to the pan with the crispy bacon, butter, frozen peas and chicken. Heat through, stirring all the time until piping hot. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, soy sauce and seasoning, if it needs it, to finish.

Roast a chicken, then transform it into this speedy weeknight pasta dish with the help of spinach, basil, garlic and crème fraîche

Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pasta

long pasta (we used mafaldine)

leftover chicken fat (from the roast chicken recipe, below)

onion

red chilli

garlic

tomato purée

white wine

spinach

leftover chicken shredded (from the roast chicken recipe, below)

½ lemon

basil

crème fraîche

Cook the pasta following pack instructions and reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Heat the leftover chicken fat in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 8-10 mins until softened. Mix in the chilli, garlic and tomato purée, then cook for a further 5 mins until the purée has caramelised. Pour in the wine and simmer for 2-3 mins until almost completely reduced.

Mix in the spinach and leftover chicken along with a splash of the reserved cooking water. Cook for 3-4 mins until the chicken is heated through, then squeeze in some lemon juice, and add most of the basil, the crème fraîche and cooked pasta. Mix in a splash of cooking liquid to bring it all together, then season to taste, adding more lemon juice if needed. Scatter over the remaining basil to serve.

Have a busy week ahead? Roast a chicken on Sunday, then turn it into three speedy weeknight meals with our recipe ideas for leftover chicken

Roast chicken for weeknight leftovers

chicken

lemon

thyme

Pat the chicken dry all over and sit in a roasting tray. Combine 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper, then rub all over the chicken, getting under the skin and being careful not to rip it. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves and most of the thyme sprigs. Scatter the remaining thyme and the garlic in the roasting tin. If you have time, chill overnight in the fridge. If not, leave at room temperature for 1 hr.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Coat the chicken in the olive oil and butter and lay back in the roasting tin, breast-side down. Roast for 50 mins to 1 hr. To check if it’s cooked, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast – it should read 70C, or pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Use two forks to shred the meat. Remove the skins from the garlic and keep chilled in an airtight container along with the roasting juices and shredded chicken. Will keep chilled for up to four days.

Top 4 leftover roast chicken recipes from across the web

The most viewed leftover roast chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Chicken soup

Whip-round-the-fridge rice

Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pas...

Roast chicken for weeknight leftove...

Top 4 leftover roast chicken recipes from across the web

The most viewed leftover roast chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chicken soup

Whip-round-the-fridge rice

Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pas...

Roast chicken for weeknight leftove...

The most viewed leftover roast chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine