Leftover Chicken Recipes (think Costco!)

So much chicken, so little time…..

[[Okay so a sidebar on Costco if you aren’t a member (I am a data nerd also), purchasing your gas alone at Costco is worth the investment. The gas averages ~19% less per gallon for premium so you are break even after 6 fill-up and going around 9:30 am or pm on a weekday saves you a significant amount of waiting time.]]

These chickens are huge and they are $4.99 so the options are endless! Food waste is rampant so let’s not discount that with eliminating the goodness that comes from every aspect of these golden delicious hunks of goodness; when you’ve used all of the meat you can get from the bone, boil the carcass and make chicken broth…..

I do not always come up with the total idea of a dish, I get inspiration from my kitchen gurus and go from there (imitation is the highest form of flattery so I imagine they don’t mind), I do everything to make it my own based on my preferences so I encourage you to do the same. I have a lot of ideas on what is important and what is not and I have placed them in the “tips and tricks” section of the blog, please check it out here.

So here are some of the recipes I have created to use the giant Costco Chickens (or leftover roasted chicken you make yourself will do as well). Enjoy and feel free to give me feedback.

No real recipe required:

  • Chicken Salad – I use slivered almonds, green apples and raisins with mayo or greek yogurt
  • Chicken Caesar Salad – I will have a whole section on variations of this eventually so stay tuned for that.   
  • Chicken Panini with pesto, arugula and provolone – Pressed grilled sandwich on sourdough with cooked chicken, provolone and arugula, mix pest with mayo and spread on the inside of the bread. Brush the outside with butter or olive oil before cooking (use a skillet and press the sandwich as it cooks if you don’t have a panini pan); you can add tomato also if you wish.
  • Pasta with Pesto, Chicken and Mexican Corn – 1 box farfalle, 1 can Mexican corn and 2 cups chicken. Mix together and add as much pesto as you would like, top with parmesan cheese.

The absolute goodness with directions: