Does anyone agree with me that there’s something euphoric about eating rotisserie chicken? It’s certainly one of my favorite items to buy at the grocery store. Not only by the way it was cooked (because omg, yum), but because of it’s versatility.
My love for rotisserie chickens goes way back, back to my grade school days. It was one of those easy go-to meals when my mom didn’t have time to cook anything for dinner. She would give my dad (or when I started driving, me) a call to pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner. She’d cook up a box of Alfredo, some green peas, and call it a meal. It’s still one of my favorite childhood meals to date.
However, eating the rotisserie chicken as it comes isn’t the only way to enjoy this versatile protein. Once you remove all of the chicken from the bird, you have a lot of extra shredded chicken to work with! I find I can make up to 3 or 4 meals from one rotisserie chicken alone. Which is why I have quite a few rotisserie chicken recipes in my wheelhouse to make!
So if you find yourself with a leftover rotisserie chicken, here are some meals (both dinner and lunch) that you can make!
Dinners
- Cheesy pasta: Only need four other ingredients with this recipe!
- Pesto with zoodles: Saute the chicken, zoodles, and cherry tomatoes on a pan with some olive oil. Add in some pesto (pictured above!)
- Tacos: Sprinkle on some taco seasoning to the chicken and add with desired toppings to tortillas.
- Burrito bowl: Like you’re at Chipotle, but right at home! Make a chicken burrito bowl with all of your favorite fixings.
- Panini: Choose your favorite bread, your favorite cheese, favorite sauce, and maybe some other vegetables (like tomatoes and spinach) and cook on the skillet like a grilled cheese.
- Enchiladas: Mix with taco seasoning, taco cheese, sour cream, and a can of diced tomatoes and chiles. Roll into tortillas, add a can of enchilada sauce, and cook in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Noodle soup: Heat up some chicken broth. Cook celery, carrots, and egg noodles in broth, then add chicken.
- Fried rice: Forget takeout, try this recipe!
- Pasta bake: Mix together your favorite cooked pasta (I like penne), a jar of Alfredo, and a vegetable (like broccoli or spinach) in a casserole dish. Sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Cheesy casserole: Roast vegetables of choice in a casserole dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes at 400. Add in chicken and shredded cheese of choice on top, bake for another 5-10 or until cheese is melty.
- Buffalo chicken dip: Mix together buffalo sauce, chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, and blue cheese in a casserole dish or slow cooker. Cook until everything is completely melted.
- Wings with roasted veggies: Eat the wings by themselves (or with your favorite sauce) with some roasted vegetables.
- Taquitos: Roll up the chicken with some cheese into tiny taquitos. Brush on some butter on top of the taquitos and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Chicken & biscuits: Mix together the cooked chicken a can of Creak of Chicken soup, and cooked mixed vegetables in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Add cut up refrigerator biscuits and bake for another 15.
- Flatbread: Spread chicken on pizza dough with Alfredo sauce and any other sauce (pesto, buffalo, BBQ) and any vegetable toppings. Top with mozzarella and bake in a cast-iron skillet at 450 for 20-30 minutes.
- Pizza: Same thing as above, but use red pizza sauce!
- Chili: Make a chili using crushed tomatoes, chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, onion, and chili seasoning. Let it simmer in a dutch oven or slow cooker for an hour before serving.
- Nachos: Place some chips on a baking sheet. Sprinkle on chicken, cheese, and any other desired toppings. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. Add fresh toppings.
- Stuffed peppers: Use this recipe, just swap out the ground beef with chicken!
Sandwiches/Lunches
- Quesadilla: Add chicken, cheese, and salsa to a tortilla, placing another on top. Cook like a grilled cheese on a skillet.
- Hummus pita: Spread some hummus on a pita, add in chicken, feta cheese, diced cucumbers, and tomatoes.
- BBQ sandwiches: Mix shredded chicken with BBQ sauce of choice. Serve on warmed buns.
- Chicken salad sandwich: Mix chicken with mayonnaise, chopped celery, a splash of lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. Serve on a sandwich or a salad.
- Wrap: Add chicken, lettuce, and any other desired toppings (sauces and other vegetables) to a large whole wheat wrap.
- Club sandwich: Layer thin, toasted pieces of bread with chicken, mayonnaise, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.
Salads
- Kale caesar salad: Mix cleaned kale with chicken, caesar dressing, croutons, and shaved parmesan.
- Thai peanut chicken: Mix chicken with a Thai peanut sauce, crunchy sesame sticks, chopped celery, shredded carrots, and cabbage.
- Greek salad: Have with or without lettuce! Add chicken, feta cheese, black olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and an oil-based Greek dressing.
- Buffalo lettuce wraps: Add buffalo sauce to chicken and serve on lettuce wraps with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
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