If there’s such thing as a “favorite leftover,” mine would inevitably be rotisserie chicken.
For one thing, it lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge, giving me flexibility on when I wanna use it for another meal. Plus, there are literally dozens of ways to conveniently cook leftover chicken!
Today, I’ll share 7 of my go-to leftover rotisserie chicken recipes!
1. Cheesy Chicken Tacos
At home, leftover chicken always calls for tacos!
This dish is incredibly easy to make, and you can whip up to 12 tacos in less than 30 minutes!
To make cheesy chicken tacos, simply stir in your shredded rotisserie leftovers into a sauce made with typical taco seasoning mixture, tomato paste, garlic, and chicken broth.
After that, assemble your tacos as you normally would with fresh veggies and cheese!
Since the meat is already flavored with tomato paste and other seasoning, it’s not really necessary to make salsa for this dish, conveniently reducing your prep time.
Full recipe: click here.
2. Chicken Salad Sandwich
We all have those inevitable mornings when we have zero energy to fire up the stove and cook.
If you find yourself on one of those days yet have leftover rotisserie chicken, good news: you can still enjoy a delightful breakfast or lunch without cooking with this chicken salad sandwich recipe.
Making this is as easy as mixing shredded chicken with ingredients such as mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, and other seasonings of your choice.
If you can spare 10 minutes to cook, feel free to include the hard-boiled eggs in your salad sandwich.
You can totally skip the eggs, though, as this dish will still turn out delicious even without them!
Pro tip: Skip the bread and serve the chicken mixture on a bed of veggies if you want to enjoy a refreshing chicken salad instead!
Full recipe: click here.
3. Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Use your cold chicken leftovers to create a warm, home-cooked meal by whipping up this chicken parmesan casserole.
It combines marinara sauce with tender shredded chicken and al dente pasta, creating a hearty dish full of cheesy goodness and Italian flavors.
But hey—don’t let the visuals and complex flavor profile of this dish fool you. This recipe actually needs very minimal prep and cooking skills!
Just combine all the ingredients with the cooked al dente pasta, bake the dish for 23 to 25 minutes, and you’ll have a perfectly cooked casserole that can feed the entire family.
No one will ever guess you used leftovers to make this cozy and filling meal.
Full recipe: click here.
4. Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Luckily, we can also make this dish using leftover rotisserie chicken!
Using whichever veggies I have on hand, it usually only takes me an hour to cook this soup, and about half of that is passive cooking. Very convenient, right?
Full recipe: click here.
5. Individually-Portioned Chicken Pot Pie
I used to make chicken pot pie with the traditional route of using fresh chicken and homemade dough.
But ever since I found a recipe that uses rotisserie chicken and store-bought pastry, I haven’t looked back since!
An entire rotisserie chicken usually makes 4 to 6 individual servings of these pot pies, so I usually just halve the ingredients and make 2 to 3 servings for myself.
Heads up: this recipe will be slightly more complex than other dishes on this list.
But just follow the recipe closely, and you’ll enjoy one of the best homemade pot pies you’ll ever taste!
Full recipe: click here.
6. Enchiladas Verde
Enchiladas Verde is another baked delicacy that’s easy to make yet always impresses my family and guests.
Haven’t tried making this dish before?
Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll master it on the first try.
See, although, other enchiladas verde recipes require you to use multiple pans, grill veggies, and even use food processors, this one requires none of those extra steps.
To cook this dish, simply create the enchilada sauce made with chicken, salsa verde, cheese, and other common seasonings. After that, assemble the enchiladas verde in a baking dish!
Believe it or not, you’ll only spend about 40 minutes to cook this recipe from scratch.
Full recipe: click here.
7. One-Pan Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice
Let me introduce our go-to rotisserie chicken fried rice recipe.
What started as a way to use up chicken leftovers has quickly turned into our family favorite, so much so that we now buy rotisserie chicken specifically to make this dish!
We love having this fried rice for breakfast, but if that sounds too heavy of a meal to start the day with, this dish will make a perfect lunch or dinner instead.
Some crucial tips when making rotisserie fried rice:
- Use day-old rice (or at least one that’s no longer hot)
- Never overcrowd the pan and keep it on high heat
- Feel free to customize the veggies you add
I personally love topping fried rice with a sunny-side-up egg with crispy edges, but that’s just a personal preference!
Note: This recipe uses 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken, but just adjust the ingredients if you usually only have 1 cup of leftovers, like me.
Full recipe: click here.
No Rotisserie Leftovers Left Behind!
Say goodbye to sad, reheated rotisserie leftovers and savor a variety of delicious chicken dishes made with your leftover chicken instead!
With the ideas above, you’ll effortlessly create easy and flavorful meals that may just outshine freshly cooked rotisserie chicken.
