Jamie Oliver's 20-Minute Chicken Recipe Is My Favorite

I often roast whole chicken as a way to make weeknight dinners easier. Leftovers are easy to turn into quick meals, from tacos and burritos to sandwiches and pastas, and Jamie Oliver’s One Pan Turkey Pasta is one of the most delicious recipes I made using leftover cooked chicken. 

In this recipe, Jamie makes an easy cream sauce and adds leftover shredded turkey (I always use chicken), fresh lasagna pasta, and frozen spinach. It’s a low-lift quick dinner that you can adjust to your taste, using ingredients you have available. I love that the prep is minimal—just a little slicing and measuring is all that’s needed. Basically, everything I’m looking for in a comforting, weeknight dinner.

Simple Swaps Make This Recipe Deliciously Adaptable

Leeks, tarragon, frozen spinach, and cooked turkey are the main elements of this recipe. Cheese and toasted breadcrumbs are added at the end for creaminess and texture.

Nearly every ingredient is something that’s easily kept on hand like milk, shredded cheese, and frozen spinach. And there are easy swaps for the other ingredients that you may not always have stocked: shallots, onions, or green onions can stand in for the leeks and will do an equally great job of adding savory flavor. Use about a cup of either, sliced.

Also, Jamie’s recipe calls for turkey (I mostly use chicken) so this recipe is good to keep in mind as a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.

I also think this recipe would be great with frozen broccoli or peas. And while Jamie uses lasagna noodles, I used penne—and as a matter of fact, I think any pasta would be great.

One Tip for Using Dry Pasta Instead of Fresh

Jamie’s recipe says to cook the fresh pasta in the simmering sauce. This works because fresh pasta is quick to cook and doesn’t need a lot of water. Since I prefer to use dry pasta, I cook it separately in a pot of boiling water. Otherwise, it can be difficult to keep the pasta submerged in sauce, making it tough to cook evenly. So I add al dente pasta to the sauce only for the last few minutes of simmering. The pasta gets a bit more time to soften, as well as meld with the sauce. 

Of note: Since the par-cooked dry pasta won’t absorb as much of the liquid, I reduce the water by about a third to make sure the sauce doesn’t end up too thin. If it gets too thick, I add a splash of water until I get it to my desired consistency. 

Before serving, I recommend seasoning the pasta with salt and pepper to taste. Plus, add a little extra cheese on top. Savory, creamy, and oh-so easy—this recipe is a total keeper.