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Chicken breast with fettucine and sun-dried tomatoes is a great leftover meal.
The mild flavor and low-fat quality of chicken breasts, particularly boneless cuts, make them a versatile food and an ideal base for a quick and easy meal. Some dishes can be prepared straight from the refrigerator with only a handful of additional ingredients. Most require that the chicken be plain or only lightly seasoned.
Salads
Perhaps the quickest and easiest option is to use pre-cooked boneless chicken breasts to add protein to an entree-size salad. In addition to the classic chicken Caesar, Cobb and chef salads, try chicken over baby spinach with chopped walnuts and Mandarin orange slices. You can replace the walnuts with sliced almonds or peanuts, add some fried noodles and water chestnuts, and toss everything in pre-packaged ginger dressing (or a mixture of sesame oil and fresh chopped ginger) to make a quick and easy version of Chinese chicken salad.
Pasta
Chicken and pasta is another combination with nearly endless possibilities. Toss sliced, boneless breast meat with fettucine or farfalle ("bowtie" pasta) for a quick and filling meal. Suggested sauces include pesto, Alfredo (grated Parmesan cheese with butter and cream) or even something as simple yet satisfying as fresh chopped garlic sauteed until golden (but not brown) in a little extra virgin olive oil. Adding sliced chicken breast to cold pasta salad also makes an excellent side dish.
Soups
One of the best uses for leftover bone-in chicken breasts is as a base for stock and soup. An entire breast---bones and all---can be simmered in water to produce a flavorful broth. Be sure to clean the meat from the bones afterward, either to use in the soup or for another entree. You can also use the stock to make gumbo or Italian wedding soup. In addition, combining equal parts chicken and beef broth produces a delicious base for pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup.
Sandwiches
For a hearty, satisfying lunch, lightly coat sliced or shredded breast meat with barbecue sauce, then serve it on a kaiser roll or hamburger bun with lettuce and sliced red onion. Chicken breast is also an ideal ingredient for wraps. Try spreading chopped chicken Caesar salad in a spinach tortilla, or toss sliced or cubed chicken, shredded lettuce, chopped carrots and cucumber slices in Thai peanut sauce to create a light, tangy wrap filling.
