One-Pot Leftover Roast Chicken Pasta, a quick and easy chicken dinner recipe for the whole family. Transform your leftovers into a spectacular dish that will have everybody asking for seconds. It's cheesy, it's delicious, a great midweek dinner no matter the season.
Roast Chicken always makes its way on our table whenever there is a big celebration. And on most days when we fancy a little feast without breaking the bank. It's quicker to cook than any other meat, it's easy, and kids rarely say no to it. Plus, it's proper delicious.
But, as it happens, a whole chicken rarely gets to be eaten up, and leftovers are inevitable. No need to waste all that excellent roast, especially when the good old pasta can come to the rescue.
Pasta is another dish that disappears quickly with us. It's the ultimate comfort food no matter how you cook it. And you only need a few simple ingredients to make it into a fabulous quick dinner.
My leftover chicken pasta is made in one pot, which means less mess, less stress. And it's ready in well under 30 minutes. It can't get any better than that! If you like one pot recipes, why not check my One-Pot Orzo with Bacon and Peas or my One-Pot Ground Beef Pasta?
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
STEP-BY-STEP photos and instructions
Since the chicken is already cooked, all we have to worry about is making the tomato sauce. Nothing fancy, super simple, this tomato sauce is the easiest to make, and also super delicious.
You add a jar of ready-made sauce if you wish, but making your own sauce is well worth it, plus you know for sure it's sugar free, and a lot better.
- sautee the onion and garlic, add the chopped tomatoes, and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes until some of the liquid is reduced
- add Italian herbs, or any dried herbs you like with a sauce, and that's your sauce done
Now, all that's left is adding the leftover chicken, which I just shredded roughly, but you can also chop it if you like.
- In goes the pasta too, with either water or chicken broth.
- Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook until the liquid is absorbed, and the pasta is cooked through.
If you like your pasta cooked really well, add some more liquid if that's already been absorbed.
- Add the parmesan, season to taste, and add plenty of fresh parsley, or basil. And that's our fabulous chicken pasta done!
Variations
Use any leftover meat you have from your Sunday roast, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other celebration - they usually equal plenty of leftovers.
This easy one-pot pasta can be made with any of these: leftover ham, leftover lamb, leftover beef, leftover turkey, leftover pork, or any other leftover roast you have. Or even a combination of the above.
Expert tips
By all means, you can cook the meat if you don't happen to have leftovers, just cook it separately, before adding it to the pan, and follow the exactly same steps afterwards.
It's an easy dish that kids love, my little girls really liked it, and were super happy to have a large portion. And trust me, I know what fussy kids are like!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. Just make sure that you leave the meat to cool completely before refrigerating, and that it is stored in an airtight container or a foil. Once you add it to the dish, make sure it's heated well, and there are no cold spots in the middle.
I don't like freezing pasta, as once reheated, the texture changes and it becomes mushy. I prefer to cook fresh pasta every single time I need it.
If you’ve liked my ONE-POT LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN PASTA or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
One-Pot Leftover Roast Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g, 13 oz)
- 2 cups leftover roast chicken (shredded)
- 3 ½ cups water or chicken broth
- 2 cups fusilli pasta
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large pan.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic, and sautee for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is transluscent.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and seasoning, and leave to simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced.
- Add the cooked chicken, water or chicken broth, and pasta.
- Leave to cook with the lid on until the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
- Mix in the parmesan, then garnish with parsley.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot with more parmesan if you like.
Patty says
I made your one pot recipe for dinner and my husband and I really enjoyed it, actually my husband said to make sure I save the recipe to make again. I always read people’s reviews and I added bell pepper and a little cream cheese as others suggested and it was great.
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback, that's lovely to hear!
Cheryl Bramlett says
Great recipe! Easy and quick. I had leftover chicken and frozen peppers/onions in the freezer. Used penne pasta. Added a little chicken broth and half n half for saucy sauce.
Daniela Apostol says
Amazing, thank you for your feedback, l am happy that you enjoyed it!
Ingrid says
This is my go to recipe for a leftover chicken meal. I also add a little bit cream cheese and it’s delightful!
Daniela Apostol says
That's great to hear, thank you for your feedback!
Karen M. says
This was very good, my husband really liked it. I added a green pepper because I’ve got them from my garden. Mine was soupier than the photos show. With the extra liquid in mine, I think I’d add another cup of pasta to the pot. Would make again.
Karen (not a Karen) says
What a great, easy recipe! We had leftover smoked chicken, smoked onions and smoked garlic, so I used those. I added a diced orange pepper, used homemade Greek seasoning since I had it instead of Italian, and added sliced baby portobello mushrooms and basil from our garden. I didn’t have Parmesan, but my hubby enjoyed his with blue cheese and our son and I used sharp cheddar. It’s absolutely a winner, and will be used a lot!!
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad that you all enjoyed it! It's indeed a versatile recipe and can be tweaked to your liking.
Lori S says
Made this for dinner and my husband said he would order it in a restaurant. Added red pepper flakes, fresh tomatoes, and almond mozzarella cheese. Thank you for an easy, quick, yummy dinner!
Daniela Apostol says
Amazing! Thank you for your feedback, I am happy that the dish was well enjoyed!
Ing says
I make this so often for my family. It’s one of our favs! Thank you
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad that you like it 🙂
Mike Reeves says
Rating 4.5 . Yet another lovely recipe got leftover meat. As said in another comment I’m learning cooking fast and this recipe is so easy and tasty. Thank you.
Suzanne Meserve says
Thanks for a great recipe, made this tonight for dinner using leftover chicken breast. I pulled from my pantry and used a 28 Oz can of crushed tomatoes, actually had to add an equal amount of water as well. So good and easy!!
Andrew choiw says
nice and quick surprisingly delicious. thank you, save the day