What Can I Make With Leftover Rotisserie Chicken? 25 Creative Recipes

Rotisserie chicken is a convenient shortcut for busy home cooks. You can pick up a perfectly roasted whole chicken from the grocery store deli and use it in endless quick and easy dinner recipes. But what do you do when you have leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge? Don’t let it go to waste! There are so many delicious ways to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. In this article, I’ll share 25 creative recipes to help you use up every last bit of your leftover rotisserie chicken.

Why Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken?

There are several benefits to using a store-bought rotisserie chicken in recipes:

• Saves cooking time: The chicken is already fully cooked so you skip the roasting step. This cuts your total recipe prep and cook time significantly.

• Adds flavor: Rotisserie chickens are typically seasoned with herbs and spices for lots of extra flavor. This seasoning carries through in any recipe you use it in.

• Saves money: Buying an already cooked chicken is cheaper than buying a whole raw chicken and having to cook it yourself. Plus you aren’t wasting food by letting raw chicken go bad.

• Reduces dishes: You don’t have any prep dishes to wash since the chicken is ready to go right from the package.

25 Creative Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

Here are 25 of my favorite recipes for using up leftover rotisserie chicken

1. Chicken Salad

Classic chicken salad is a no-brainer way to use up leftover chicken Toss shredded rotisserie chicken with mayo, celery, grapes, and seasonings for a versatile salad Enjoy it as-is, on bread, over lettuce, or stuffed in avocados.

2. Chicken Noodle Soup

Warm up with homemade chicken noodle soup. Simmer the shredded chicken in chicken broth with vegetables and egg noodles. It comes together in 30 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.

3. Chicken Pot Pie

Transform your leftover chicken into a cozy chicken pot pie. Just combine the chicken with frozen veggies, gravy and pie dough for a comforting meal.

4. Chicken Enchiladas

Leftover chicken is great in enchiladas Stuff tortillas with shredded chicken, cheese, beans and enchilada sauce for a flavorful baked casserole

5. Chicken Fried Rice

Stir some shredded chicken into fried rice with frozen mixed veggies, eggs and soy sauce. Quick chicken fried rice is perfect for using up little bits of leftover chicken.

6. Chicken Caesar Wrap

Pack up leftover chicken for lunch by making chicken Caesar wraps. Just wrap up shredded chicken, romaine lettuce, parmesan and Caesar dressing in a tortilla.

7. BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pile leftover chicken onto a homemade or store-bought pizza crust. Top with barbecue sauce, red onion and cheddar for an easy chicken BBQ pizza.

8. Buffalo Chicken Dip

Mix shredded chicken with hot sauce, cream cheese and ranch dressing to make a spicy buffalo chicken dip. Serve with crackers or celery sticks for game day snacking.

9. Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Toss cooked fettuccine with leftover chicken, Alfredo sauce, broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes. Quick chicken Alfredo pasta is a great weeknight dinner.

10. Chicken Quesadillas

Jazz up quesadillas by using leftover chicken. Stuff tortillas with shredded chicken, cheese, peppers and onions for an easy Tex-Mex dinner.

11. Chicken Tacos

Spice up taco night with rotisserie chicken. Top warmed corn tortillas with shredded chicken, lettuce, pico de gallo and Mexican cheese.

12. Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Make easy chicken salad sandwiches for a lunch or light dinner. Mix chicken with mayo, grapes and nuts. Spread onto bread and enjoy.

13. Chicken & Waffles

Give leftover chicken new life by turning it into chicken and waffles. Serve it southern-style over Belgian waffles with maple syrup.

14. Chicken Parmesan

Transform leftover chicken into crispy chicken Parmesan. Bread chicken cutlets, top with marinara and cheese, then bake until bubbly.

15. Chicken Tortilla Soup

Simmer leftover chicken in a tomato broth with onions, chiles, corn and tortilla strips for an easy Mexican chicken tortilla soup.

16. Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

For a healthy take, stuff chicken salad into lettuce wraps in place of bread. It’s a fresh low-carb lunch idea.

17. Chicken Stir Fry

Revive leftover chicken pieces by stir-frying them with frozen stir fry veggies. Toss everything with an easy teriyaki or oyster sauce.

18. Chicken & Dumplings

Make old-fashioned chicken and dumplings by simmering shredded chicken in broth with carrots and homemade biscuit dumplings. It’s pure comfort food.

19. Chicken Tetrazzini

This classic casserole is ideal for using up leftover chicken. Combine spaghetti, chicken, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce then bake until bubbly and golden.

20. Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Transform leftover chicken into a creamy chicken pot pie soup. Simmer the chicken in vegetable broth with carrots, peas, and cream. Top each bowl with a biscuit.

21. Chicken Cobb Salad

Make a hearty main dish salad with leftover chicken. Top greens with chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato and blue cheese. Drizzle with a vinaigrette.

22. Chicken & Rice Casserole

Mix shredded chicken with rice, veggies, cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese for an easy one-dish casserole. Bake until hot and bubbly.

23. Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Stir leftover chicken with hot sauce for spicy buffalo chicken. Stuff it into tortillas with lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing.

24. Greek Chicken Bowls

Build a Greek salad in a bowl with leftover chicken. Mix together chicken, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta and Greek dressing over greens.

25. Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Toss cooked pasta with shredded chicken, romaine, parmesan and Caesar dressing. Enjoy this chicken Caesar pasta salad chilled or at room temp.

Creative Ways to Use Every Last Bit

As you can see, rotisserie chicken is endlessly versatile. You can incorporate it into soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, pasta dishes, casseroles and more. Next time you have leftover rotisserie chicken, try whipping up one of these easy recipes. With a little creativity, you can use up every last bit of your chicken!

A cooked rotisserie chicken can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It’s recommended to refrigerate it within two hours of purchase or when it cools down to room temperature.