Chicken muffins (Gluten free, AIP, paleo)

Don't know what to do with leftover roasted chicken? Those chicken muffins will be perfect for a grab and go meal.

I'm back with another muffin recipe: chicken muffins! OK I know 3 muffin recipes in a row is A LOT!! You're probably thinking it's too much and that you've had enough of muffin recipes so I promise you this is the last one (of the year? maybe, I honestly don't know when will be the next one as I have absolutely no plans). So why this new recipe at the risk of putting my readers off my blog?

Because, with Thanksgiving coming up next week I thought this recipe could be interesting for some of you, in order to use up some of the turkey leftovers. And yes, if you are not American and not going to celebrate Thanksgiving you are probably thinking “why am I even reading this? And she says "chicken muffins" and she talks about Thanksgiving???”

Well good news, these muffins can be made either with leftover roasted chicken or leftover roasted turkey. And it doesn't need to be made only after Thanksgiving or after any other holiday. You can make it all year long with chicken (here I say chicken on purpose because I'm not sure anyone eats roasted turkey all year long).

Why should you make them all year long? Because they are extremely convenient!! You can either have them for breakfast, appetizers, bring them to a picnic or a potluck, eat them with a salad for a quick lunch or dinner, bring them in your lunch box... And they are delicious!

Ingredients

• sweet potato purée (or pumpkin purée). If you make this recipe with sweet potatoes, use orange sweet potatoes.
• Tigernut flour : This recipe uses tigernut flour (or almond flour for those who are not on AIP). If you are on AIP and still in the elimination phase, unfortunately there are no possible substitution for the tigernut flour. Why? Because all the other AIP compliant flours have very different texture and they all need their own amount of liquid. So it is not possible to replace the tigernut flour with another flour without altering the entire recipe.
• Arrowroot : it is a starch. If you are not cassava intolerant, you can substitute it with tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). Other possible substitutions, only if you are not on AIP nor Paleo diets: you can use potato starch or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
• leftover roasted chicken (or turkey) skin and bones removed
• tarragon (fresh, frozen or dried)
• apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• extra virgin olive oil
• baking soda
• Pinch of sea salt

About the sweet potato purée

To make this recipe easier, I prepare a big batch of sweet potato puree that I will use for different recipes (either my Mashed sweet potatoes (AIP, paleo, whole30) recipe or my Sweet potato breakfast bowl (AIP, paleo, vegan) or even my Fudgy brownies (Coconut free, AIP, paleo, vegan)).

And to make sweet potato puree, you can either :

• use a steamer (my personal favorite) : peel and slice the sweet potatoes. Put them in your steamer and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until they are soft.
• use an oven : use a fork to pierce several holes into the sweet potatoes, then place them on a baking dish and cook in the oven for about 1 hour at 400°F (205°C) or until they are soft. Then slice them down the middle and scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin.
• use a microwave-oven : use the same process as with the oven, then place them on a microwave-oven safe dish and cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.

Whichever way you decide to cook your sweet potatoes, once they are cooked and cooled down, just add them to your blender with the other ingredients of this recipe.

How to make these

• In a blender combine the sweet potato (or pumpkin) puree, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Blend until well combined.
• Cut the chicken (or turkey) into small pieces.

• And chop the tarragon

• In a large bowl, combine the tigernut flour, arrow root, baking soda and pinch of salt. Stir.
• Add the sweet potato purée to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Then add the chicken/turkey and tarragon to the bowl and mix all the ingredients together.

• Line or lightly oil a muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup with dough (you should get about 8 muffins depending on your pan).

• Bake for about 25 minutes for the muffins (or for about 35 minutes for the loaf). To make sure that they are cooked, insert a thin bladed knife into the centre of one the muffins, the knife should come out clean. And voilà! Wait for them to cool down before removing from the pan. Serve at room temperature along with a salad or soup. Bon appétit!

Can I make a loaf instead of muffins?

Yes! If you don't have a muffin pan or simply don't fell like having muffins, you can make this as a loaf instead of muffins. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card for the bread.

How to store those savory muffins

After they are cooled, store the muffins in the refrigerator (no more than 2 days in the fridge, otherwise, they will get dry). After storing them in the fridge, you do not need to reheat them. In France, they are eaten at room temperature. But if you prefer them hot, you can reheat them. Though keep in mind that reheating them might dry them out a bit. Take them out of the fridge in advance in order for them to reach room temperature. You can also eat them right out of the fridge if you forget to get it out in advance.

Can I freeze these ?

Yes, they freeze very well. That's another reason why they are so convenient! Get them out of the freezer before in the morning and they will be defrost when it's time for your luch break. Prepare yourself a salad or a nice hot soup (stored in an insulated lunch box) and voilà, your "to go lunch" is ready!

Personally, if I know in advance that I want to freeze my batch, I will make it as muffins, because they look better in a muffin shape (yes, beauty is important when it comes to food) and I also think they freeze better as muffins VS as loaf slices. Also, it is better to freeze your chicken muffins (either as a loaf or muffins) when they are still fresh. So freeze them on the day you make them or the day after at the latest.

Other gluten free savory muffins or breads

• Sweet potato and bacon muffins (AIP, paleo)
• Zucchini and pesto muffins (AIP, paleo, vegan)
• Zucchini and tuna bread (Coconut free, AIP, paleo)
• Olive fougasse bread (Coconut free, AIP, paleo)