Do you want to know one of my cooking secrets? Each and every time I cook chicken I cook double, sometimes even triple, of what I need. It may seems a little extreme, so I'll explain.
Chicken is one of those foods that is so versatile, it's almost essential to have extra on hand. So, when I cook me some fowl I cook a whole lot extra which allows me to make more than one meal with the plucky goods. I use the leftovers for sandwiches, quesadillas, pizzas, feeding the dog, soups, salads and much more. Sometimes it really is the simple things that make life so much easier, isn't it?
We had some chicken breast in the fridge this week and I remembered a sandwich I had read about once, so I gave it a go. Grilled bread, topped with mixed greens and a curried-honey-chicken-carrot salad with a crunchy almonds and sweet raisins. Dead easy to make and so yummy to eat. The flavours are mild enough for the little ones and with the exception of mixed greens (which aren't well received here) everything is quite kid friendly.
Do you cook anything up in bulk? How do you use leftover chicken?
Open-Faced Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches (adapted from Beautiful Breads)
- 1 cup cooked chicken, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 1/4 raisins
- 1/3 cup curry sauce (see recipe below)
- 4 slices of thick-cut bread or baguette
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 3 tbsp butter
In a medium mixing bowl combine chicken, grated carrot, both almonds, raisins and curry sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Spread both sides of each bread slice with butter and cook in a skillet, over medium-high heat, until each side is golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Top each slice of grilled bread with 1/2 cup spring mix, then top with 1/2 - 2/3 cup of chicken salad mix.
Curry Sauce
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp grainy mustard
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp curry sauce
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
Definitely a great way to utilize left over chicken, sounds delish! I usually just go the boring route and put it in a salad.
Cheers!
C
Posted by: candice | 04/08/2010 at 09:31 AM
Yum! I will try this recipe for sure.
I often cook up more than I need when it comes to meat but I am not very creative when it comes to using it for left-overs. I usually just serve it the same way again the next night (very boring, I know, but easy).
Great suggestions for the chicken left-overs.
Tricia
Posted by: The Orchard | 04/08/2010 at 12:43 PM
Hi!
I was hoping you could suggest a brand of curry sauce that you like to use in your curry sauce recipe. Does it matter what color curry? Thanks! This Sandwich looks delicious!
Posted by: Eliza | 09/07/2010 at 03:30 AM
Hi Eliza - Im sorry to say that I actually dont. I think the yellow colour looks best but anything should work.
Posted by: Jan Scott | 09/08/2010 at 11:05 AM