31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 7 & 8

So how was your first week of October and the challenge to cook everyday? Did you do it? I'd love to hear what you cooked this week and if you tried anything new! If you didn't make it all week, then try again this week! I didn't make remember to blog everyday, but there's always this week, right? : )

So I thought that to round out the week I would share two more recipes that are easy and another good use of leftover chicken. The first is my all time favorite chicken salad. I used to hate chicken salad. I'm really not a fan of celery in my food. I feel that it is a crunch I don't really want in my sandwich, and it seems that chicken salad always has it. Well, if you like celery in your chicken salad, you can always put it in, but this recipe doesn't need it! Also, I usually just trim down the recipe based on how much chicken I have leftover.

Chicken Salad

- 4 cups chicken (diced or shredded, depends on how you like it)

- 1 cup dried cranberries or sliced grapes

- 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans (walnuts are also great)

- 1 1/4 cups mayo

- 1/3 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix the chicken, berries and nuts together in a bowl. Mix the mayo, honey, salt and pepper together until well combined then pour over the chicken mixture. Gently stir until well coated. Serve on bread or eat with crackers.

This second dish is really easy and if you don't have enough meat, you can always add some sausage to bulk it up a bit. If you don't have leftover chicken or choose to use some sausage, then you can cook it before the onions and garlic.

Italian Chicken Pasta

2 cups cooked chicken

1/2 a box of pasta (whatever you prefer)

2-3 strips of bacon

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken stock)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup italian blend cheese, plus more as needed

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta. Cook the bacon in a large saute pan and then set aside. Leave just enough bacon grease in the pan to cover the bottom. Saute the onions and garlic on a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, but be careful not to let them burn. Deglaze the pan with the wine and let reduce for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices and continue letting it cook for about 5 minutes. Take out the bay leaf, slowly pour in the half and half and then whisk in the cheese. Let this simmer for a few minutes and then add more cheese if needed, as well as checking your spices. Add your drained pasta and chicken to the sauce then top with a little more cheese and run under the broiler just until brown.