Day 2! Leftover day!
But not the sad leftover day where you eat sad kind of questionable things from the back of the fridge on the day you go on vacation. That's the worst day.
Yesterday we made a double batch of roast chicken and veggies, and today we're totally re-purposing it into chili. Let's waste zero time and get right to it.
The biggest issue here is that you're going to need to take some time to remove the chicken from the skin and bones and shred it, and cut the roasted vegetables into little bits. 
That DOES take a few minutes, but you can do it the night before while your partner does the dishes, and when you're ready to make chili the hardest part of the prep is basically done. 
Other ingredients! 2 cans of any kind of beans you like. Whole peeled tomatoes (and the juice!), Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, diced onion, minced garlic, and sliced fresh jalapeno. If you hate spice leave out the pepper or take out the seeds - up to you! 
Start with the onion, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, a sprinkle of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of a big pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the veggies soften but not burn. 
When the vegetables are soft it's as simple as dumping everything in - drained beans, Worcestershire, leftover chicken and veggies, and tomatoes + juice. Add ½ cup of water at a time to make the chili as thin as you'd like it. 
Now, stir the chili and let it come to a boil for 15-20 minutes. Taste it a few times and add salt and pepper until it tastes fabulous. 
I'll be the first to say that, while chili is great, the toppings are my favorite part of any chili dish. I did crackers, sour cream, sliced green onion, and grated super sharp gouda for this, but I've also used cornbread, Greek yogurt, cilantro, and a host of other things to top chili. 
This is such a perfect leftover meal because it's really nothing like the original recipe at all. It's not overly lemony at all thanks to the chili powder, but still has a really nice lightness from the root veg and chicken. 
Dinner day 2! Enjoy it. 
Here is the recipe from yesterday, in case you missed it. If you're only making the chili just roast half of the chicken and veggies from this recipe.
Roasted Lemon Chicken + Root Vegetables
Ingredients
See quantity note below
- 6 medium-beets any color you like, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 parsnips cut into 1-inch chunks
- 10-12 pieces bone-in skin-on chicken, any cut you like
- 2 lemons sliced
- 1 stick butter melted
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- 1. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set out 2 metal cooling racks approximately the same size as the baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 400F.
- 2. Evenly divide the vegetables among the baking sheets in a single layer. Drizzle each pan of veggies with ¼ of the butter (half stick total), and sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- 3. Place a wire cooling rack in each pan over the veggies. On each rack, place 6 pieces of chicken. Using your fingers, gently separate the chicken skin from the meat, and stuff lemon slices under the skin of each piece of chicken.
- 4. Wash your hands, then sprinkle the chicken all over with salt. Drizzle the rest of the butter evenly over the chicken pieces.
- 5. Place both pans of chicken and vegetables in the oven at 400F for 40 minutes, rotating the pans (if one is on a higher rack than the other) halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- 6. Serve one pan of chicken and veggies topped with fresh parsley. Reserve the other for the second recipe.
Notes
- Note: This is a 2-part recipe and HALF of this recipe will serve 4 people; the other half is used to make a second recipe (next post). If you'd like to only eat this once simply halve the quantities above.
Nutrition
And, for tonight, the chili recipe!
Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetable Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pan roasted chicken and vegetables with lemon see recipe above
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 15- ounce can kidney beans drained
- 1 15- ounce can garbanzo beans drained
- 1 28- ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt to taste
- Optional toppings: sharp cheddar sour cream, sliced scallions, crackers, cornbread
Instructions
- 1. Remove the skin, bones, and lemon slices from the roasted chicken. Shred the chicken with forks or your fingers.
- 2. Dice the roasted vegetable pieces into a small dice, about the same size as the diced onion.
- 3. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and chili powder. Stir for 3 minutes until the vegetables start to soften, then add the roasted vegetables, beans, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce with 1 cup of water.
- 4. Bring the chili to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Taste, and add salt to your preference. If the chili seems thick, add more water until it is a consistency you enjoy.
- 5. Add the chicken to the pot, and simmer for 5-10 minutes more.
- 6. Serve with any toppings you like.
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