Chicken is a versatile food that can be used in many dishes. However, after cooking a whole chicken or making chicken for another recipe, we often have diced chicken left over. Instead of throwing it away, there are many tasty ways to use it up!
In this article, I’ll share 15 of my favorite recipes and ideas to help you get creative with leftover diced chicken. With a little planning, you can stretch one chicken into several easy weeknight meals.
Benefits of Cooking with Diced Chicken
Using pre-cooked diced chicken in recipes has some great advantages:
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Raw chicken takes a long time to cook. Diced chicken is already cooked and ready to use in your recipe.
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Adds protein – Chicken is packed with protein to help keep you full and satisfied. Adding it to meals boosts the nutrition.
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Uses up leftovers – Put that leftover chicken to good use instead of wasting it.
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More flavor variations – The chicken takes on the flavors of whatever you cook it in.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Chicken
Properly storing diced chicken is important for food safety. Here are some tips:
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Allow chicken to cool completely before dicing and storing.
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Store diced chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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You can freeze diced chicken for longer storage. It will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer.
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When reheating chicken, heat it to 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.
15 Recipe Ideas for Diced Chicken
Here are 15 tasty ways to use up extra diced chicken: from soups and salads to skillet dinners
1. Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken noodle soup is a classic! Diced chicken, vegetables, broth and noodles come together to make a comforting bowl.
2. Chicken Caesar Salad
Transform salad into a hearty meal by topping crispy romaine lettuce with diced chicken, parmesan cheese, croutons and a creamy Caesar dressing.
3. Chicken Fajitas
Saute peppers, onions and seasoned chicken for an easy chicken fajita dinner. Wrap it all up in tortillas with fixings like cheese, salsa and avocado.
4. Chicken Pot Pie
For ultimate comfort food, make an easy chicken pot pie with diced chicken, veggies and a creamy sauce topped with a flaky pie crust.
5. Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Creamy Alfredo sauce coats pasta and chicken for a 5 star dinner with little effort.
6. Chicken Fried Rice
A quick meal is stir-fried rice with diced chicken, eggs, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
7. Chicken Tacos
Shredded Mexican chicken tacos are flavorful, easy and fun for taco night. Top with all your favorites.
8. Chicken Tortilla Soup
Simmer diced chicken in a tomato and chile broth with corn, black beans, tortilla strips and avocado.
9. Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken salad made with diced chicken, celery, mayo and seasoning is perfect for sandwiches or lettuce wraps.
10. Chicken Quesadillas
Loaded quesadillas are an easy weeknight dinner. Fill tortillas with chicken, cheese and peppers.
11. Chicken Stir Fry
Make a quick chicken stir fry with vegetables and teriyaki or sweet chili sauce for a saucy dish.
12. Chicken Salad
A classic chicken salad with grapes, pecans, celery and mayo makes a tasty light meal.
13. Chicken Tetrazzini
This creamy, cheesy chicken casserole baked with pasta and mushrooms is absolute comfort food heaven.
14. Chicken Pizza
Pile diced chicken and toppings like spinach, tomatoes and red onion on a pre-made crust for easy pizza night.
15. Chicken Rice Casserole
Combine chicken, rice, cream soup, cheese and veggies and bake into a hearty one-dish meal.
Endless Possibilities with Leftover Chicken
As you can see, leftover diced chicken can be used in all kinds of quick and easy recipes. Soups, salads, pastas, burritos – the possibilities are endless!
With a little creativity, you can give new life to leftover chicken and whip up budget-friendly meals for your family. No more wasting chicken. Now you’ve got plenty of delicious options to use it up!
Looking for MORE delicious Chicken Recipes? Try these:
Craving a delicious dinner in under 30 minutes? Look no further than this mouthwatering Honey Garlic Chicken. It’s a family favorite!
Anytime I can get dinner ready and on the table in under 30 minutes, I consider that a mom win. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook but finding the time to do it with our busy schedules can be just plain hard sometimes. I know this Honey Garlic Chicken will be a tasty dinner that the whole family will love, and it only takes 30 minutes to make.
I do everything I can to eat out less and cook more dinners at home. Meal planning is very helpful, but the meals I love most are the ones that are quick, use simple ingredients, and taste so good that they make my mouth water. These meals often show up on my meal planning menu.
This Honey Garlic chicken is all of that and more. It’s full of flavor mouthwatering flavor in every bite.
I cut up chicken to use in this recipe, but you could just use chicken breasts instead if you didn’t want to cut them up. Either way it’s delicious.
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This 30 minute chicken recipe makes the perfect dinner choice for busy parents like me who still want to make sure their families enjoy a nutritious, home-cooked meal.
Now with dinner on the table in less time, I can spend that time watching one more episode of our favorite shows before bed or we can play a few more rounds of our favorite board game.
Whatever we decided to do, less time in the kitchen means more time creating memories.
For this recipe, the sauce is probably one of my favorite parts of this dish. It’s simple to make and only requires a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Fresh garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, honey and some soy sauce.
The first step is cooking the in some butter and season with salt and pepper.
Then it’s time to create the delectable sauce. This is really my of my favorite sauces and it’s always a hit!
In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic and whisk together. Pour the sauce over chicken and cook until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through.
Serve over rice and with your favorite veggies for a delicious dinner any night of the week.
Quick and Easy Chicken Breast Dinner! My Husband’s Favorite Food! Healthy chicken breast recipe
FAQ
What to make out of diced chicken?
Diced chicken recipesOne-pan chicken couscous. A star rating of 4. 1 out of 5. Chicken korma. A star rating of 4. 5 out of 5. Quick chicken noodles. A star rating of 4. 5 out of 5. Coronation pies. Chicken & chorizo jambalaya. Chicken & chorizo quesadilla. Chilli chicken with honey & soy. Egg drop chicken noodle soup.
What to do with leftover diced chicken?
Fresh ideas for leftover chickenChicken & tzatziki wraps. Chicken, bacon & watercress baguettes. Easy coronation chicken. Mexican chicken & black bean wraps. Caesar pitta. Herby chicken & butter bean soup. Spiced black bean & chicken soup with kale. Chicken & sweetcorn soup.
How best to cook diced chicken?
In a large cast-iron or stainless steel skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in an even layer and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
What to have with chicken cubes?
30 easy dinner recipes you can make with diced chicken1One-pot creamy chicken and bacon fry pie. 2Peanut chicken coconut curry. 3Super easy Tex Mex chicken stew. 4Butter chicken for two. 5Greek chicken and artichoke kotopita. 6Chicken, bacon and vermicelli soup. 7Speedy chicken and mushroom casserole.