Recipes for Leftover Roasted Chicken

The roasted chicken was moist and delicious as always, but you're wondering what to do with the leftovers as usual. If you're tired of leftover roasted chicken sandwiches or chicken salad, try one of these recipes for a change of taste.

Chicken Corn Chowder

This is a comfort soup at its creamy best and a favorite at my house. It's easy to prepare and doesn't take long to cook. A heart-healthy margarine and fat-free half & half help keep the fat and calories under control. A bag of frozen onions, carrots and celery blend save preparation time. Serve this hearty chowder with a crusty bread and side salad.

1 stick heart-healthy margarine (or any 0 gram trans-fat olive oil margarine)
1 16 oz. bag frozen finely diced onions, carrots and celery blend
2 cups potatoes, peeled and finely diced (about 2 large or 3 medium potatoes)
3 Tbsp. flour
2 ½ cups MSG-free chicken broth
2 tsp. MSG-free seasoned salt
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 ½ cups fat-free half & half
1 ½ to 2 cups chopped leftover roasted chicken
additional freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the margarine in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the frozen onion, carrot and celery blend, cooking and stirring constantly. Next add the diced potatoes. Continue to saute until the celery and onion are tender.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until blended. Pour in the chicken broth and seasoned salt, cook and stir until the flour starts to slightly thicken the chicken broth. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Add the corn kernels and the chopped chicken to the pot. Cover and continue to simmer for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Pour in the half & half and heat through, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Speedy Chicken Quesadillas

1 ½ cups leftover roasted chicken, chopped
chili powder to taste
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
6 flour tortillas
accompaniments: sour cream and salsa

Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium high. Divide the chicken evenly between the flour tortillas, only putting the chicken on half of each flour tortilla shell. Sprinkle chili powder over the chicken. Next divide the shredded cheese between all tortillas in the same manner.

Fold the tortilla shell in half over the filling. Carefully place 2 folded tortillas at a time in the hot skillet, adjusting the temperature if needed so as to not burn the tortillas before the cheese melts. Use a spatula to carefully turn each tortilla to the other side, cooking just until the Quesadillas are starting to brown and the cheese is melted. Slice into triangles if desired and serve immediately with salsa and sour cream.