Leftover Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

Leftover Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

Sometimes the best laid dinner plans don't work out. My plans for our family favorite no fuss Chicken Parmesan went out the window when Olivia's school play rehearsals went long, Noah got invited to a friend's for dinner and Spouse was late coming home from work. Not wanting to keep the fresh chicken breasts in the fridge for another day, I just simply seasoned and grilled them and figured we could use them for sandwiches or something over the next couple of days.

The next day, schedules shifted again, this time in the other direction when we suddenly had to have dinner earlier than usual. This is where that leftover chicken came into great use. In a fridge clearing exercise, there was bacon, bell peppers and already opened canned tomatoes that needed to be used so I set out to make a smoky bacon tomato sauce to serve with the chicken. I stirred in some grated Parmesan cheese and a little smoked paprika added a further smoky note to the sauce which in the end turned out absolutely delicious. The key here was not to add the already cooked chicken until the very end so it stayed moist and tender and stayed together in nice bite sized pieces. I'm sure leftover roast chicken would work just as well and the recipe was so successful, I know we will be using this one as a go-to recipe in the future too.

Leftover Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

Leftover Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti - a terrific recipe that turns leftover chicken into a delicious new version of family favorite spaghetti dinner.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1/2 pound crisp cooked smoked bacon, chopped in small pieces
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups pureed canned tomatoes (San Marzano if possible)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 large bell pepper, diced small
• 4 servings cooked spaghetti pasta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Begin by making the sauce. In a medium saucepan heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium low flame and sauté the minced garlic for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the pureed tomatoes, smoked paprika, oregano, chili flakes, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, crisp cooked bacon, salt and pepper.
3. Simmer over low flame for about 20 minutes.
4. Add the cooked diced chicken and bell peppers in the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Stir in the Parmesan cheese at the end.
5. Serve over the cooked spaghetti with a generous sprinkle of additional Parmesan cheese.

Leftover Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti

Grilled Chicken Spaghetti Margherita

As the weather improves here in Newfoundland and we transition into the grilling season here's a quick, easy dinner idea that combines chicken from the grill with pasta and a fast cooking simple tomato sauce along with fresh mozzarella and chopped fresh basil. These simple classic Italian flavors are delicious with smokey, juicy chicken fresh off the grill for a very satisfying workday meal.

Serves 4

Season 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grill until fully cooked. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before slicing and serving in this dish.

Cook 1/2 pound spaghetti in salted water.

Quick Tomato Sauce

4 cloves minced garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
8 large ripe tomatoes diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes  (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to season

Saute the garlic in the oil over medium heat for just a minute before adding the tomatoes, brown sugar, chili sauce, salt, pepper. Continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and the compote reduces to a thickened consistency. Add the balsamic vinegar in the final minute or two of cooking before serving. 

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

To serve, add a sliced chicken breast on top of the spaghetti, then spoon on some of the tomato sauce. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella pop under the broiler for only a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. Finish with a generous sprinkle of chopped fresh basil.

Chorizo Spaghetti Bolognese

This is another comfort food recipe for me and one that I really enjoy as a winter warm-up dinner. The chorizo and bacon make for a very smoky sauce which I really love. The sauce can also be made ahead of time and just warmed up as the pasta cooks. Make the sauce this weekend for a welcome Monday workday dinner.

Serves 6
1 pound dry spaghetti pasta
Cook pasta in well salted water for 8-10 minutes.

4 strips smoked bacon, chopped in small pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small minced carrot
1 stalk finely chopped celery
½ cup minced red onion
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
4 ounces chopped hard chorizo sausage
3 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp dry oregano (or 3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano)
1 tsp crushed fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to season to taste
3 tbsp hot sauce (optional or to taste)
½ cup heavy cream (optional)

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, add the bacon and cook slowly over medium high heat to render the bacon to crisp. Drain off the bacon fat if you prefer, then add the butter, olive oil, carrot, celery, and red onion and cook until the onions are softened. Add the ground beef and chopped chorizo sausage and continue over medium heat until the beef is well browned.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream and simmer for about a half hour or more over gentle low heat. If adding cream, do so in the last 5 minutes of simmering the sauce.

Serve over the cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs if desired.

Parmesan Bread Crumbs

1 ½ cups coarse bread crumbs
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Toss together the bread crumbs, parmesan, olive oil and pepper. Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for about 5-10 minutes or until crunchy, tossing the crumbs occasionally as they bake.

Grilled Sausage Spaghetti Puttanesca

Everyone needs a quick supper idea from time to time and one of my favourites is this particular pasta dish. A puttanesca sauce is very quick and easy to make with some great flavours melding together in it. You may prefer to leave out the anchovy paste or capers if you dislike them and still have a very tasty dish. This one is paticularly fast to put together if you have leftover sausages from the grill to work with; I can have mine on the table in 20 minutes! Grilled fish or chicken also go well with this sauce.

Serves 4

6 large spicy Italian sausages, grilled and sliced
6 medium tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion diced
12 ounce package dry spaghetti
½ cup chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 red pepper diced
½ tsp chilli flakes or 2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
3 tbsp chopped capers (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
1 teaspoon anchovy paste ( optional)
Parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta in well salted water for about 8 minutes or until al dente.
Grill sausages until completely cooked. Slice.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for about a minute. Add the olives, tomatoes, chilli flakes, anchovy paste and capers and cook until the tomatoes just start to break down. Add the red pepper and basil and cook for an additional minute. You can add the sausage to the sauce at this point if you prefer, or just serve it on top of the finished pasta. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick you can add a little of the pasta water to thin it down.

Toss the sauce with the pasta and serve with freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Lemon Spaghetti Salad

This is a simple but versatile recipe for a tasty side dish. We serve this one hot or as pictured here, as a cold pasta salad. It's a great pot luck or picnic dish as well.

1 pound package of dry spaghetti
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Juice of 3 lemons
Zest of one lemon, finely grated and minced
¼ cup chopped fresh mint (fresh tarragon or basil make good substitutes)
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup chopped green onions

Boil the spaghetti to al dente in salted water. Drain the spaghetti. Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the dressing, and then toss together with the cooked spaghetti and serve hot or cold.

Italian Sausage Meatballs

I use these meatballs in a number of ways. I make small versions as hors d'oeuvres with marinara dipping sauce. They sometimes find their way into a meatball sub, most likely as leftovers. I use them in lasagna, on pizza and as shown here in good old Spaghetti and Meatballs. Many people say they are the best meatballs they've had.

Makes about 3 dozen meatballs or 6 dozen hors d’ouevre size meatballs.

1 pound Italian sausage removed from casings
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
2 ½ -3 cups coarse breadcrumbs
2/3 cup milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp ground thyme
2 tbsp dry oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp mustard powder
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional for those who don’t want the extra heat or adjust to taste)

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for a minute before adding to a large bowl along with all of the remaining ingredients. Mix together until well combined.
Form into 1 ½ inch balls and fry in 3 tbsp olive oil. Slow simmer in your favourite tomato based sauce for excellent spaghetti and meatballs.