Imagine you cooked way too much baked chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli for dinner on Monday. How do you spice up the leftovers so you don’t get bored by Tuesday?
1. Add a sauce
Spice up the chicken by adding a sauce like:
- BBQ sauce
- Homemade pepper sauce or hot sauce
- Pesto
- Marinara or your favorite tomato sauce
- Honey mustard
- Low-sodium soy sauce
2. Mix in some fruit
- Top your chicken with canned pineapple for an easy sweetness.
- Add finely cubed green apples to the broccoli for a cold crunch.
- Squirt lemon or lime juice on your chicken or rice.
3. Change its shape
- Shred your chicken one night and wrap it in a tortilla for a taco.
- Slice the chicken the next night and add it on top of a salad.
- Smoosh the broccoli with a fork and mix in some light sour cream and choice seasonings for mashed broccoli (similar to mashed cauliflower).
4. Make it a stir-fry
- Sautee the chicken, rice, and broccoli with some low-sodium soy sauce for an easy stir-fry. Add a little bit of crunchy peanut butter for added flavor and texture.
- Consider adding extra veggies, like bell peppers and cabbage. Try this broccoli and sweet pepper stir-fry Here’s an easy cabbage stir-fry recipe you can add your leftovers to.
- You can also use your rice to make a quick fried rice dish. Throw in a handful of frozen peas and a cracked egg—and voila!
What are your favorite ways to stretch your leftovers? Let us know!
Written by Taylor Newman, Ph.D. Candidate | Edited by Laurel Sanville, MS, RDN, LD and Danielle Anthony