5 Recipes on How to Use Leftover BBQ Chicken

So maybe you are now done with your barbecue weekend and your fridge is now full of leftovers. Well, lucky for you we have the best recipes for leftover BBQ chicken.

It is common that we cook more than what we expect to eat. So it is also quite unavoidable that you have leftovers especially barbecue chicken because it is one of the most common recipes.

Leftover barbecue chicken lasts long so you might want to learn a few recipes where you can cook it so that you get to enjoy the same flavor with different recipes.

It is also better to cook the chicken again with other ingredients so that you do not get tired of the same taste and spoil the chicken or put it to waste.

The very easy thing to do with leftover barbeque chicken is to shred it and put it in a salad. However, if you want some sort of meal for it, then you can also do that.

Chicken is a very healthy piece of meat and is also one of the cheapest. It packs a lot of protein and other minerals that help our overall health, plus it is very delicious.

So we cannot help but cook a lot of chicken when we are having a barbecue as it is also light in the stomach compared to beef or pork. That is why barbecue chicken is a common leftover food.

Gladly, you should no longer put it in the fridge and let it dry out in there as you can cook it again in another recipe. This way, you’ll have a fresh taste and a meal that will make you full.

So here are the best recipes for your leftover BBQ chicken.

 

 

1. Chicken Mango Salad

So let’s start it off with the most common way to make use of your leftover BBQ chicken. This salad contains a lot of nutrients and flavor since it has mangoes and other ingredients in it.

 

Ingredients

– Leftover BBQ Chicken (4 breasts)

– 2 fresh mangoes

– 150 grams of baby spinach leaves

– 1 red onion

– 1 cup whole egg mayonnaise

– 1/4 cup of lime juice

 

Procedure

Step 1. Prepare the ingredients

First, slice the mangoes in half and then remove the peel. You can also peel it first if that is easier for you.

Then slice them into strips about half an inch thick and set them aside. Peel and chop the red onion and then half the cherry tomatoes.

Shred the chicken using a fork or you can also dice them. You can also chop the spinach if you want but if they are small enough, then you can leave them as is.

 

Step 2. The dressing

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the lime juice. Whisk it until the lime juice has mixed evenly with the mayonnaise and then set the mixture aside.

 

Step 3. Mixing 

Put the spinach, the cherry tomatoes, and the onions in a bowl. You use the bowl for mixing and you can place them on a platter once you have finished it

After mixing them, put them on a platter and then lay the chicken on top followed by the slices of mangoes. Then drizzle the mayonnaise and lime juice mixture over the salad.

 

Serve and enjoy!

Note: you can also put the lime juice and mayonnaise mixture in the bowl together with the other ingredients and then mix it if you want to make a more even coating on the salad instead of topping it.

 

 

2. Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This recipe is not a very common one. But with the combination of ingredients and the flavor of the BBQ chicken, it is one of the best and you should definitely try it.

 

Ingredients

– 2 cups of shredded chicken

– 2 cups of chicken stock

– 4 cloves of garlic, minced

– 1 onion, diced

– 3 carrots, diced

– 2 tablespoons of butter

– 1/4 cup of flour

– 2 cups of milk

– 1 cup of frozen peas

– 1 cup of corn

– 1 pie crust

– Parsley and red pepper flakes to taste

 

Procedure

 

Step 1. Preheat The Oven

You are going to need both your stove and oven in this recipe so preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then proceed to the other steps while waiting.

It is important to preheat the oven ahead of time so that you will not waste any time when cooking. This recipe is quick and easy, so prepare everything that you need before starting.

 

Step 2. Shape the Pies

Get the premade pie and lay it on a floured surface. You can also make your own pie at home so you can have more control over the ingredients that you want to use.

Stretch the dough into a large circle and then cut smaller circles from it using glass for water or if you have a shape cutter. Either way, you can make it with any shape that you want.

Set them aside for a while so they get a firm shape. Once the oven is preheated, bake the pies for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust has turned golden brown.

 

Step 3. The Soup Ingredients

Peel the carrots and the other ingredients. Dice them into equal sizes while letting the corn and the peas thaw and then set all the ingredients near you so you can quickly get them when needed.

 

Step 4. Making the Soup

Heat some olive oil in a soup pan over medium heat. Wait for the olive oil to totally heat up before putting any ingredient in it.

Once it does, put the garlic, onions, and carrots in the pan and let them saute until the garlic turns golden brown and the onions have softened or became translucent.

Add in the butter and then let it melt. Once the butter has melted, pour the flour in and then continuously mix it until it has combined with the butter.

It will take about a minute of continuous stirring for the flour to mix evenly with the butter and the other ingredients. Then, pour the chicken stock and milk into the mixture.

Add the red pepper flakes and the parsley to the mixture. You can turn up the heat and then bring it to a boil.

Once it boils, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Add the shredded chicken and the peas and corn.

Bring it back to a simmer and let it cook until the peas and corn are cooked through. 

 

Step 5. Serve

Get a bowl and then pour the soup in it. Place the pie crust on top and then serve!

Note: you can adjust the thickness of the soup by letting it cook longer for a thicker result or adding milk into the soup when it gets too thick.

 

 

3. Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

This is a very easy recipe and along with the soup, it will appeal to the kids. So if they do not want to eat leftovers, let them try this recipe and change their minds in an instant.

 

Ingredients

– 400 grams of BBQ Chicken

– 60 grams of rice noodles

– 3 tablespoons of shallots

– 1 carrot

– Mint leaves

– Rice paper wrappers

 

Procedure

 

Step 1. Cook the Noodles

Unlike pasta, Asian rice noodles cook very fast so do not let them cook for more than five minutes. Just place them in a bowl and then pour boiling water over it until all of the noodles are submerged.

Cover the bowl and let it cook for 4 minutes. This will be enough to soften the noodles and if not, you can go for 5 minutes but do not overcook it.

Overcooked rice noodles will provide flakes and slightly chewy texture on the noodles which are really not as pleasant as you might think.

Once the rice noodles are cooked, get them off the bowl and then drain the water. Rinse it with running water until it is cooled and then chop them coarsely.

 

Step 2. The Fillings

Prepare all the fillings that you need by chopping them thinly and then dicing them. This way, you will be able to arrange them easily in the wrappers later on.

 

Step 3. Serving

Dip the rice paper wrappers in hot water and then transfer them on a tea towel to drain. Once they are cooled, you can get the fillings and fill the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper.

Carefully fold the sides of the wrapper and then slowly roll it. Cut it in half or serve them whole, whichever you prefer.

You can let the kids roll their own rice paper rolls so they can also have fun in the process. Just make sure that the ingredients and the wrappers are cool enough to touch.

Note: you can add soy sauce on the side or any dip that you want to combine with the ingredients. You can also change the chicken with pork or any meat that you like.

 

 

4. Chicken Noodle Soup (Slow cooked)

This recipe is great for when the winter months come. It has a nice flavor that can be perfectly combined with the BBQ chicken plus the meat will be so soft for children and adults as well.

This recipe is also great for people with food sensitivities since it does not have any gluten or dairy in it. You can also store this food for days so you can have something to eat anytime you want.

 

Ingredients

– 6 chicken drumsticks or any part will do

– 4 and a half cups of chicken stock

– 2 medium potatoes

– 1 pack of Vermicelli Rice Noodles

– 1 carrot

– 1 stalk of celery

– 3 garlic cloves

– 2 leeks

– 1 teaspoon of olive oil

 

Procedure

Step 1. Slow-cooking

For the first batch of cooking, you are going to need all the ingredients except for the noodles and the leeks. These ingredients will be added hours after this initial step.

So get the ingredients ready by peeling what is needed and then dicing them all. Get your slow cooker and then put all the ingredients that you have just prepared in it.

Let the chicken and the other ingredients cook for at least 6 hours or until the meat is soft enough that it falls right off the bone. Once it does, shred the chicken and get the noodles ready.

 

Step 2. The Leeks and the Noodles

Get the noodles and then chop them into small pieces. This will allow the noodles to expand more in the cooker and every spoonful of the soup will have room for the other ingredients.

Once you have shredded the chicken and you have chopped the noodles, place them both in the slow cooker and let it cook for another hour.

While waiting for the soup to cook, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan and then cook the leeks. You can use butter for more flavor but olive oil will do just fine.

 

Step 3.

Get the soup out of the slow cooker and into a bowl and then serve with the leeks while still hot.

Note: this is a big batch of soup so if you want, you can store in the freezer for up to 5 days and just reheat it whenever you want to have some hot soup.

 

5. White Chicken Lasagna

This recipe will definitely please both kids and adults in the house. This is a perfect recipe when you have lots of BBQ chicken leftover on the fridge so it won’t go to waste.

 

Ingredients

– 3 chicken breasts

– 16 ounces lasagna noodles

 

Ricotta Filling

– 15 ounces of ricotta cheese

– 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

– 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

– 1/2 teaspoon of salt

– 1 egg

 

White Sauce

– 4 cups of milk

– 4 ounces of grated parmesan cheese

– 4 tablespoons of butter

– 4 tablespoons of flour

– 3 cups of mozzarella cheese

– 8 garlic cloves

– 3 ounces of dried tomatoes

– 1 medium onion

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

– 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

– 2 teaspoons of onion powder

– 15 diced basil leaves

– 6 slices of bacon

– 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

Procedure

Do not get overwhelmed with the number of ingredients that are needed in this recipe as it will be fairly easy as we slowly progress into the recipe.

 

Step 1. Preheat The Oven and Cook the Lasagna Noodles

Before everything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so that it will be ready once you are done with the other steps of the recipe.

Since the other ingredients will be cooked, we are aiming for a lower temperature so that we can prevent overcooking the lasagna later.

While waiting for the oven to reach the desired temperature, boil a large pot of salted water on the stove. Follow the cooking instructions on the box of the lasagna for the cooking time.

Once it is cooked, drain the water from the lasagna and then wash it under running water to stop the cooking process. This will prevent overcooked pasta with that unpleasant texture.

 

Step 2.  The Ricotta Filling

Put the Ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix them well together until the mixture is evenly distributed.

Set aside.

 

Step 3. Cook the White Sauce

Get a large cast-iron skillet and then melt the butter in it over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and minced garlic and let it cook until the onions turn translucent.

Add the flour slowly by sprinkling it into the skillet and continue stirring. Let it cook for at least 1 minute before adding the milk.

Once you have added the milk, continue stirring the sauce so that the flour does not harden and stick to the bottom of the pan and possibly burn.

Keep on stirring until the sauce thickens and it comes to a low boil. Once it does, add the parmesan cheese and the other spices and continue stirring until the cheese is melted.

Put the shredded chicken into the mixture and then let it rest for a bit.

 

Step 4. Arranging the Lasagna

Lightly grease a pan and then put half a cup of the white sauce on the pan. Spread it evenly at the bottom using a spoon.

Add one layer of pasta laid overlapping each other. Scoop another spoonful of the white sauce and then spread it evenly over the pasta.

Add dollops of the ricotta filling over the pasta and then spread it evenly. Add a layer of basil, cooked bacon, and mozzarella over the ricotta filling and then add another layer of lasagna.

Repeat the process until the layers have reached the top of the pan. End the layering process with the lasagna noodles and then cover it with shredded mozzarella cheese.

 

Step 5. Baking

Place the lasagna in the middle rack of the oven and then let it bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and has some golden-brown spots at the top.

Remove from the oven and let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Note: you can use any part of the chicken but we figured that it is best to use chicken breasts since they are composed mostly of pure meat.

 

Conclusion

These are our top picks for the best recipes that you can make so your leftover BBQ chicken can have a new flavor and ingredients that accompany it for a fresher meal.

There are a lot of recipes that you can do with leftover BBQ chicken and so we are sure that there are some of those that we have missed.

But we selected the easiest recipes to make so you can make the life of the frozen leftover chicken lively once again. These recipes will surely get your family eating more.

The ingredients in most of these recipes are also available in most markets and stores so you can go out and find everything that you need to make at least one of these recipes.

So consider keeping that delicious BBQ chicken and start practicing your cooking skills by doing the recipes that will bring another type of food on the table!

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