Delicious, quick and easy – this Roast Chicken Leftovers Curry is another great way to use up leftover roast chicken or leftover roast turkey, or indeed any leftover meat you fancy!
We love a roast chicken, but so often we end up with quite a bit left over (I always overestimate!).
Leftover roast chicken makes lovely sandwiches the next day, or sometimes we have it cold with potatoes and vegetables, but that can get a bit boring.
One of my absolute favourite things to do with roast chicken leftovers is turn them into a delicious curry.
The great thing about this curry is that, because I use sweet potato to bulk it out, you can make a decent meal even if you only have a small amount of chicken left.
In the recipe below, I suggest about 400-500g, but if you have even less try increasing the amount of sweet potato or adding in another vegetable like cauliflower or red peppers. Alternatively you could bulk this out with chickpeas.
Using roast chicken leftovers is great as it cuts down on the amount of time needed to make the curry and also means it tastes extra delicious!
However, if you don’t have any leftovers, ‘create’ some leftovers by frying up some diced chicken breast before you start this recipe.
I have used chicken in this recipe, but actually it works well with most leftover meats…beef and lamb both work well and it is also great with leftover roast turkey. Just follow the recipe below but using the leftover meat you have.
Serve this curry with basmati rice, naans or chapatis and all your favourite pickles and chutneys.
Need more ideas for your roast chicken leftovers?
Need more ideas? Check out my collection of easy leftover chicken recipes >>
Roast Chicken Leftovers Curry
Ingredients
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 small knob of butter approx. 2 tablespoons
- 1 large sweet potato or 2 small ones, chopped into 2cm cubes
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 3 garlic cloves chopped or grated
- 2 cm piece of ginger grated
- 400-500 g leftover roast chicken chopped into small pieces (or fried chicken pieces)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 200 g full fat Greek yoghurt
- Boiling water
- Juice of 1 lime plus another cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons coriander/cilantro roughly chopped (plus extra for garnish)
- 300 g rice to serve
Instructions
- Put the butter and the sliced onion in a large frying pan. Put the lid on and put the pan on a really low heat to sweat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn it off if the onions start to brown but leave the lid on.
- Put the chopped sweet potato into a saucepan and pour over boiling water. Bring back to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft.
- When the onions are ready add the chilli, spices, garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute on a low heat, then add the chicken, cooked sweet potatoes, tomato puree, ground almonds, yogurt and enough boiling water to make a thickish sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick.
- Meanwhile make your rice using packet instructions / your own preferences.
- When the curry has been cooking for 10 minutes add the coriander and lime juice and cook for 1 more minute before serving.
- Serve the curry with the rice, lime wedges and scattered with the extra coriander.
Notes
- If you don't have any leftover chicken, simply pan fry diced chicken or turkey until cooked all the way through, then continue with the recipe.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Need more ideas? Check out these 12 Easy Leftover Roast Chicken Recipes
Need more curry inspiration? Check out my collection of Easy Peasy Curry Recipes
Love chicken? Check out my collection of Easy Chicken Dinners…
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Maureen says
Does this work ok without the ground almonds? Daughter nut free!! But sounds yummy!!
Eb Gargano says
Yes, this should work fine without the almonds. The almonds do thicken the sauce a bit, so you might want to use less water to get the right consistency. If the sauce is still too thin, you could mix a tablespoon of flour with a small amount of cold water and add this paste to the curry sauce to thicken it. Hope that helps!
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
One thing I love about roast chicken is when you have leftovers, you can do so much! This sounds fantastic and I love curry. Thanks for sharing, Eb!
Eb Gargano says
Yes!! Leftovers are the best…so many fab things you can do with them…and makes cooking the next day so much easier! 😀 Eb x
Donna says
I love leftover meals. For us, it tends to be chicken or lamb curry, beef stew or giant pork sandwiches on Mondays! This recipe looks perfect, pinning for later! #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Ooooh – I am loving the sound of those giant pork sandwiches!! Thanks for your kind words 🙂 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Mmmmm delicious, I adore leftovers and one of our all time favourites is chicken curry! Perfect! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Chicken curry is the best…it’s one of our favourites too…which is why I have so many versions on my blog…I just can’t help myself!! Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
This recipe sounds super tasty! I love the sweet potato in the sauce – it sounds great with all the lovely spices. And what a tasty way to turn leftover chicken into a completely new meal! #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Monika! The sweet potato in the sauce is so lovely – it just compliments the chicken and the spices perfectly. I love transforming leftovers into totally new and exciting meals…and it cuts down on cooking time 😀 Eb x
Corina Blum says
Making a curry out of a leftover roast is one of my favourite things to do. I love the sound of the sauce with the ground almonds in as a thickener – I don’t think I’ve tried that but definitely plan to soon! THanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina 🙂 It’s such a fab thing to do with leftovers, isn’t it? Really recommend you try the ground almonds – works so well! Eb x
jenny walters says
Wow Eb,this looks delish! I love the ground almonds in it, lush!Beautiful colours too. You’re right too, I can just imagine it with peppers and other veg. Perfect for a Saturday night!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jenny 🙂 The ground almonds work so well, and yes it’s a great one for pimping up with extras – spinach and / or green beans also work well. Basically anything you like and that goes with chicken and curry – it’s very versatile! Eb x
Kate, Meals and Makes. says
Yum, this looks really rich and delicious, I love meals that use up roast chicken, they always seem to have more flavour. #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kate! Totally agree about the more flavour thing…and they are quick and easy to make…WIN WIN!! Eb x
RD says
Stuck for ideas and with very little time to plan or cook, I just made this for guests who’ve dropped in for the weekend. With no left overs I picked up a roast chicken at the supermarket and everything else is store cupboard / fridge territory. So quick and easy, and really delicious. Thanks for sharing
Eb Gargano says
Thank you so much for this lovely comment 🙂 I am really pleased you enjoyed it – and I love the idea of using a supermarket roast chicken!! Eb 🙂
Jenny says
Hi: I was looking for leftover roast chicken recipes and yours was about the second one I came upon. Well, I just finished my dinner and could not stop eating this.
I didn’t have the ground almonds or the coriander but everything else was in my stash – including all the spices. (I did add turmeric as well since I sneak it into recipes whenever because it’s such a great anti-inflammatory spice.) Also did not have any sweet potatoes in the house so I subbed with a small delicata squash.
It’s difficult for me to use up leftover chicken as I don’t like it reheated but in this recipe, with it being coated in all those lovely spices, it was wonderful.
This is a recipe I will be holding onto and next time will make sure I have the missing ingredients.
Thank you
Eb Gargano says
Hi Jenny – thanks for leaving me this lovely comment! Such a lovely way to start my day 🙂 I am so pleased you liked my recipe – especially given you don’t normally like reheated chicken – that’s a real accolade 😀 And I love your addition of turmeric! I am a big turmeric fan too and, like you, I add it into lots of recipes…I am definitely going to add turmeric to this next time I make it. Eb 🙂
Samual Barnes says
hi, sounds lovely but what amount of boiling water do i use? x
Eb Gargano says
Thank Samual! It’s just a splash of boiling water – maybe 100ml/3.5floz. But really it’s up to you and how thick you like your curry sauce. 😀 Hope that helps. Do let me know how you get on if you try it! Eb 🙂
Christine Hardie says
I’ve throat problems and can’t handle nippy spice flavours but like tasty dishes. Which ingredients would I cut to make this delicious curry milder. Thank youc
Eb Gargano says
Hi Christine – sorry to hear about your throat problems. I’m not sure what the nature of your condition is so I’m not 100% sure what might irritate it, but certainly you would want to cut out the chilli flakes, I think. That would make it a ‘mild curry’, but still with lovely spicy flavours. However it may be that some of the other spices could also irritate your throat – if that is the case, I imagine you might also want to cut out the ginger too at least. I hope that’s helpful – I think though, in all honesty the best person to advise you would be your doctor as he/she would know the spices that are most likely to cause you problems. Hope you get to try it and enjoy it! Eb 🙂
Christie says
Wow! I’m struggling to type this as I’m so full up after stuffing my face with two full portions of this curry. Wonderful recipe, thank you.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am delighted to hear this. You must’ve liked it to have eaten TWO portions – I’ll take that as high praise 😉 Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Eb 🙂
Alissa says
This looks so good and am making it for dinner tonight!
Eb Gargano says
So pleased you like it! Eb 🙂
Tony says
Hi eb made this delicious meal for me and the missus….Lyn doesn’t really like spicey food so I just put in half teaspoon of chille flakes ….and I must say it was delicious …I done a raita and had some mango chutney with it….thank you I did use left over chicken as well lovely……
Eb Gargano says
Hi Tony – thanks for this lovely comment. Delighted to hear you both enjoyed this so much. Mmmm yum – raita and mango chutney with this sounds perfect! Eb 🙂
Bec says
Hello! Just started to make this and realised I need my only remaining yogurt for my naans…what can I replace the yoghurt with?! Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
OK – best sub, if you have it, is coconut milk. Or failing that, creme fraiche, single or double cream would all work. If you don’t have any of those then just leave the yogurt out completely. It won’t taste quite the same, but it will still taste nice. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Stephanie Crummey says
Can you use coconut milk instead of yoghurt?.
Eb Gargano says
Yes, absolutely – I often do! Eb 🙂
Susan Kay says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I intend to cook it tonight. My question is, could you state the amount of calories per serving? Thank you.
Eb Gargano says
Hi Susan. I hope you enjoyed this curry! I have run a full nutrition calculation for this recipe for you, so you can now see the full breakdown (in the recipe card), but the answer you wanted is 381 calories per portion (including the rice.) Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Kate Cassar says
Hi Eb. Could this be made with coconut milk? Thank you.
Eb Gargano says
Absolutely! That works really well in this recipe 😀
Joanne says
I don’t have any sweet potatoes nor squash. Should I just leave it out or should I add a regular potato or two?
J
Eb Gargano says
A regular potato or two would work great! Or you can just leave it out if you prefer. Personally I’d add the potato. Enjoy! Eb 🙂