Want to try something new with your chicken leftovers? Chef Voula Halliday shares this recipe for a Mediterranean-inspired dish.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large firm, ripe, red pear, cored, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup black mission figs or dried figs, thinly sliced
2 cups leftover chicken, shredded or sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups arugula or spinach
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup instant polenta
1/4 cup gorgonzola, crumbled
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup (50 mL) extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.  
2. Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil to a large wide frying pan over medium high heat. Stir in sliced pear and cook, gently stirring for 6 to 8 minutes or until pear starts to brown on the edges.
3. Stir sliced pepper, onion and figs into pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft. Add chicken to pan. Sprinkle with ground pepper. Stir mixture together and continue to cook until chicken is heated through. Remove from heat. Stir arugula and parsley into pan. Cover and set aside.
4. To make polenta, add chicken stock to a large saucepan set over high heat and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, sprinkle polenta into the pan. Reduce heat to medium high and cook, still stirring constantly, until the polenta thickens, about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the gorgonzola cheese and butter.
6. To serve, spread polenta onto a large platter. Top with chicken mixture. Drizzle reserved balsamic vinaigrette over top. You can add some additional crumbled cheese as a final touch before serving. Enjoy while still hot.

Tip: If you don’t prefer to use blue cheese go ahead and substitute goat cheese for this recipe. You will need to increase the amount of cheese to 1/2 cup (125 mL) soft goat cheese.

More Roasted Chicken Recipes

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Smoky Slow Cooker Roasted Pepper Chicken
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast