Leftover Chicken, Spinach, and Tomato Pasta is a great way to use up small amounts of cooked chicken. Use rotisserie, grilled, baked or even boiled chicken in this easy pasta dinner recipe.
I don’t know about you, but the holiday crunch is really catching up to me. Endless work days, untouched gift lists, cards to make, and people to meet. Things are getting to be really crazy in our house. Sometimes, I turn to take out if I need a fast meal for my family in a pinch, but it is not my first choice.
I always try to keep pantry staples like pasta, olive oil, and Hunt’s Diced tomatoes on hand for days when I need to throw together a quick meal that tastes good.
Bet you didn’t know I am a professional at winging dinner! Despite not always have a ton of time, I can usually whip up something flavor-loaded with ingredients I have on-hand.
Ever take the refrigerator challenge where you try to use up foods and leftovers you have on hand? Well, this recipe was inspired by that, but turned out to be a winner! It is perfect for a quick holiday meal before the real festivities get here!
After surveying my fridge, I realized I had so many onions, a heaping portion of spinach, cherry tomatoes, and leftover chicken tenders I needed to use up quickly that were about to go spoiled. There was also that box of angel hair pasta I had only used a little out of- hate when that happens.
So I decided to freeze my buns off and grill the chicken outdoors. Why I did that- I have no idea. I could have easily pan-fried it in the house, and YOU can too. Feel free to prep your chicken, however, you would like for this.
To beef up this recipe, and the mere cup of cherry tomatoes I had on-hand, I grabbed a can of Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes out of the pantry. These tomatoes are my favorite because they are FlashSteamed®, all natural, and the can contains zero BPA. They also taste pretty much just like freshly diced tomatoes which is awesome.
The chunky “sauce” recipe was pretty much made in the skillet where all the magic happens.
I started out by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil to my skillet over medium heat.
Then came the onion and garlic- so fragrant. About 3 mins later, the cherry tomatoes were added, and then the Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes. I added about 1/2 tablespoon of freeze dried basil and some black pepper. Once the tomatoes burst open, I increased the heat to remove some of the excess moisture.
Then, I added a package of Lipton Mushroom Secrets to the pan along with the spinach. I sauteed in for about 3 minutes on lower heat and added the pre-grilled chicken chunks. I allowed it to simmer on low for another couple of minutes before topping off some angel hair pasta with it.
Let me just say this is one creation you will love! It tasted fresh, and was jam-packed with flavor.
Refrigerate leftover challenge for the win!
The best part is, you totally can recreate this recipe at home without having to scrape together leftovers!
Leftover Chicken, Spinach, and Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked chicken
- 1 lb angel hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 can Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon dry basil
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 packet Recipe Secrets Mushroom
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic- saute for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cherry tomatoes and Hunt's Diced Tomatoes.
- Add in freeze dried basil and some black pepper. Once the tomatoes burst open, I increased the heat to remove some of the excess moisture.
- Then, add a package of Lipton Mushroom Secrets to the pan along with the spinach.
- Saute for about 3 minutes on lower heat and added the grilled chicken chunks.
- Allow to simmer on low for another couple of minutes before topping off some angel hair pasta with the mixture.
Thank you Kerri for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this recipe, sat down to eat it and was BLOWN away! The cherry tomatoes stole the show with every bite bursting with flavor. I didn’t have regular spaghetti noodles so I used angel hair. I was hoping this would taste as fresh as it looked, and it did not disappoint. The taste is truly authentic to Italian cuisine.
Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe, it’s most definitely going into my meal planning. I will never use store bought spaghetti sauce again. 😁
Our family loves to eat chicken and I’m always looking for new recipes. This looks like a delicious one! Thanks for sharing.
I actually love cooking with leftovers. Most think I’m crazy but it’s when I get the most creative. I love that you created this and put it over pasta. Those are great combinations
What an awesome recipe to use leftover chicken! It’s something that I would enjoy! I like that it doesn’t take much time to cook either!
Oh no, I’m the Queen of winging dinner!!! I want that title!!! I deserve it…. I like your recipe – looks easy and fast – my kind for sure!
What a great dish! I love turning leftovers into something else!
I love making pasta dishes because they’re usually so easy and they’re a hit with the kids! This one’s perfect for using leftovers! It looks so good as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks like a great weekend meal to serve. That’s the best time for us because we’re able to actually sit down and enjoy dinner.
Nice! I also recycle left over food. I hate to throw them out because that is so wasteful. I will keep this recipe suggestion in mind when I have some left over rotisserie chicken.
This looks really good! I would love to try this for dinner tonight!
I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. This looks like a great meal to try.
This looks so fantastic. it is an easy and tasty recipe idea.
I always keep a few cans of tomatoes on hand. You never know what you will whip up.
Now that’s how you use up the leftovers. This dish looks so delicious, I need to add it to our recipe rotation asap!
This looks like a super easy meal. YUM! A great dinner option for even during the week.
Now this is right up my street a really warming meal for a cold evening that makes you feel so much better.
Ah the struggle of leftovers. This is a great solution since we usually have chicken once or twice a week.
The age old question about what to make with the leftover chicken has been answered once again! I like making Italian-style dishes with leftover chicken, so this dis would fit quite nicely into that.
This looks so good! I love to make recipes like this with my leftovers. It’s a great way to keep everyone from UGH’ing when we don’t finish everything the night before.
I tend to keep those diced tomatoes around too. This pasta sounds really good and it looks so pretty!