Recipe: Cheesy oat-crusted chicken and tarragon quiche

This cheesy, savoury tart uses tarragon to boost the flavour of leftover roast chicken.

Repurpose your weekend roast into weekday meals!

Quiches are such a great way of using up leftovers; the possibilities for mix-ins are endless.

I had roast chicken and carrots crying to be used - from there, this dish was born.

I’ve always been fond of thick crusts and bases. Pies, cheesecakes and tarts are just more special with a buttery, crisp and substantial base.

This base is exactly that: it’s chunky, has a delicious texture thanks to the oats and almonds and takes on the fragrant flavour of tarragon and cheddar cheese.

After baking the crust, I honestly thought I could eat it just like that; sliced into wedges and slathered with butter for a nice savoury treat. I’ll hold that thought for another time.

After the crust has baked, it is topped with a cheesy tarragon quiche filling and those leftover cuts of roast chicken and carrots.

Use lamb and potatoes or beef and kūmara instead of my chicken and carrots if that’s what you’ve got in the fridge.

I love chicken with tarragon, although if you’re using roast lamb or beef, you can use parsley or rosemary instead to suit.

The star of the show here really is that cheesy oat crust - it’ll be a hit!

Visit Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com.

Serves six to eight

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 50g oats
• 50g almonds
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 25g cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g cold butter, cubed

For the filling:

• 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 100ml milk
• 100ml cream
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 75g roast chicken, shredded
• 75g roast carrots, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced/180C convection. Grease a 20-centimetre pie tin.
2. Place oats and almonds in a baking tray. Add one teaspoon of oil and mix to combine. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.
3. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add flour, salt and dried tarragon, and pulse briefly to combine. With the food processor running, add butter, one cube at a time, followed by the cheese. Add one tablespoon of water and process until the mixture clumps together.
4. Press firmly into the base of your prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, clean out your food processor bowl. Add eggs and process briefly to mix. Add remaining ingredients except for the chicken and carrots, and process until well-combined.
6. Arrange chicken and carrots evenly over the crust. Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Serve hot, with fresh herbs and tomato relish.

Olivia Moore and her Taupō business That Green Olive offer recipe development, food photography - in studio or on-location - for restaurants and cafes, recipe video creation and social media content creation.