Dinspo in my house is often just, ‘how do I turn the leftover bits and pieces from last night’s dinner into a whole new meal?’
Tonight’s dinner used up leftover chicken in a new way.
Brothy chicken & pea smash
Description
Last week I made an amazing @simple.home.edit butterflied Portuguese chicken, which I served with roasted pumpkin, capsicum and lemon. It was truly delicious, but we had quite a bit leftover. Not enough for a whole meal, but too much to waste.
Tonight’s dinner was inspired by that gorgeous paprika, oregano, garlicky chicken, but I wanted to use it in a new way, because heated up leftover roast chicken on its own is never as good (in my opinion.)
Did my kids love the pumpkin and capsicum? No.
Did they try any of the pea smash? Also no.
But we did end up with a delicious new meal that used up the leftovers, and everyone had clean bowls (except for the pumpkin and capsicum!)
I’d call that a win.
Ingredients
Pea smash
Brothy chicken
Instructions
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I started by covering a few handfuls of frozen peas with boiling water and setting them aside.
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I sautéed onion and garlic in a medium saucepan with a glug of olive oil, then added chicken stock, the leftover shredded chicken, a good pinch of saffron, along with a drained tin of cherry tomatoes and a couple of shakes of chilli flakes. I let the broth simmer gently while I made the pea smash.
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I drained the peas, then used my stick blender to smash them with salt, olive oil, a good handful of coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice. I added extra cold water to thin to a spoonable consistency.
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Then I added the leftover roasted capsicum and pumpkin to the broth and brought it to the boil, while a pouch of brown and wild rice heated in the microwave.
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After tasting the broth for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, it was ready to serve.
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The rice was divided between the bowls, topped with a couple of generous ladles of the saffron-scented chicken broth, a drizzle of evoo and a sprinkle of coriander. The pea smash could be spooned on top, along with some seasoned chickpeas.
