I roast chickens a lot and this is one of my favourite ways to use the leftover meat. I often find it’s more cost-effect to buy a whole chicken than to buy bits & pieces, so we have roast one night and then I find ways to use what’s left over the next couple of days or put things in the freezer for later. There’s a lot more meat on a bird than you might realise. My top tip is to always turn the carcass upside down because the really good stuff is on the bottom and there’s plenty of it! Out of one bird I’ll get roast dinner, homemade stock and at least one or two other dishes or soups. Occasionally I’ll even have a bit for a sandwich here or there on top of that. Keep in mind I’m only feeding two of us, so a large chicken can go a long way in my house, but when I’m feeding a crowd, I’ll at the very least make that chicken stock even if I have to freeze the carcass and do it later.
If you want to try a simple roast chicken recipe to get the best possible meat for this dish, try my super simple Olive Oil Roast Chicken.
This dish is a bit of a mash-up of some of my favourite things. I always have petit pois in the freezer and I regularly keep diced pancetta in the fridge because it lasts forever. Casarecce is an unusual pasta shape, but it’s one of my favourites and I find it is increasingly available in more shops all the time, but also super easy to find online. If you can’t find it, don’t worry… A fusilli, penne, orecchiette or any short pasta shape of your choice will work here. Bowties would be a cute choice and shells would work too!
If you don’t have any leftover chicken, it’s not a deal breaker. I realise not everyone roasts a chicken as often as I do. Any kind of leftover chicken that’s pulled from the bone will work. A leftover chicken breast from last night’s dinner or the meat picked from leftover thighs or drumsticks from your recent BBQ. Failing that, you could buy some precooked chicken from the shop or just fry up some mini fillets or stir-fry strips before moving on to the rest of the recipe. Don’t get too hung up on how much chicken is required for this dish. You can absolutely just use what you have whether it’s more or less. I’ve only included the quantity as a guide.
Ingredients
- Drop of olive oil & salt for the pasta water
- 250g casarecce pasta (or pasta shape of your choice)
- 15g butter
- Drop of garlic oil (or regular olive oil)
- 70g pancetta cubes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- Zest & Juice of 1 lemon
- 200g cooked chicken (or whatever you have)
- 175g frozen petit pois
- 250ml double cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to boil with salt and a drop of oil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions, checking it a minute or two earlier than suggested so that you can get the firmness you prefer. I usually like mine a little al dente. When the pasta is to your liking, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water before straining and set it aside. Strain the pasta and keep it warm.
- Melt the butter along with a drop of garlic oil or regular olive oil in a frying pan or casserole and fry the pancetta until golden & crispy. Add the minced garlic, dried mint, chilli flakes and lemon zest and cook while stirring for another minute or two.
- Toss in the peas and stir them about until they stop looking frosty. Then pour in the lemon juice to deglaze the pan.
- Add the chicken and double cream. Season with salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to low and leave to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Combine the pasta with the sauce and toss to coat. If necessary, use a little of the pasta cooking water which will thin it out if it’s too thick and the starch will help the sauce to stick to the pasta. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve in pasta bowls sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.
