It seems, more often then not, after roasting a chicken (or buying a rotisserie chicken) for dinner there are leftovers and, if you’re anything like the eaters I know, reheated chicken is not tempting them. Sure, you can slice it up over greens with a little dressing or shred it for a burrito but we’re betting after trying this “leftover” chicken salad recipe you might find yourself roasting a bigger chicken just to make sure you have leftovers.
Plus, when we say “leftover” salad we’re talking about more than the chicken … this recipe will give you a great base but it’s so versatile you can add in almost anything you have “left” in the fridge from herbs to vegetables to fruit. Check out the list we’ve started for ideas and share a comment if you’ve added in something you enjoyed!
the chicken & such
Carve the chicken (or what’s left) and discard the skin and bones. Cut the meat into pieces / cubes and place in a large bowl. Depending on your preference you can make smaller or larger chicken pieces – the cubes make a more chunky salad style and smaller pieces wind up with a more spreadable version.
Rinse and finely chop the parsley and basil (if you’re using fresh basil), add the chopped herbs to the chopped chicken. Cut the marinated red onions into small pieces and add this to the bowl.
the dressing
In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, adobo and black pepper. Whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Pour over the chicken mixture and mix throughly.
Zest the lemon and add to the bowl and mix.
get creative (& clean out the fridge)
Look in your fridge and see what you have … a little dill left from your grilled salmon earlier this week, skip the basil and add this instead, have some celery stalks in the bottom of the drawer or 1/2 an apple left from breakfast, chop it up and mix it in.
Here’s a few suggestions to get you going and don’t forget to share a comment with your favorite.
- dried cranberries
- dijon mustard added to the dressing and mixed in
- finely chopped radishes
- chopped walntus
- a little shredded then chopped red cabbage
serve it
Any way you like – as a sandwich, over greens, with a few crackers.
- Roasted chicken – 5-6 cups cubed
- Parsley – ¼ cup fresh chopped
- Basil – 1 tablespoon dried, ½ cup finely chopped
- Marinated red onions – ⅓ cup chopped
- Mayonnaise – 1½ tablespoons
- Oil (vegetable or olive) – ¼ cup
- Lemon juice – 3 teaspoons
- Red wine vinegar – 3 tablespoons
- Adobo – 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper and salt to taste
- Lemon – ¼ zested
- Carve the chicken
- Remove chicken meat from carcass and discard the skin
- Chop chicken into pieces / cubes and put into a large bowl
- Rinse and chop parsley and add to bowl
- Rinse and chop basil and add to bowl (or add dried)
- Chop marinated red onions and add to bowl
- Make the dressing:
- In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, adobo and black pepper
- Mix thoroughly so all ingredients are combined and the dressing looks creamy
- Pour dressing over chicken mixture and mix thoroughly so all chicken is coated with dressing
- Add the lemon zest, salt and additional pepper to taste and mix thoroughly