Best Ways To Use Up Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. Whether it’s with Costco’s rotisserie chicken, or when I roast a whole chicken myself, sometimes I just get a lot of leftover meat. When I do, I shred or cut up what I have left to save as a protein for another easy meal! It really make meal prepping a lot faster. But, even the rotisserie chicken bones has an extra delicious purpose! If you’re not sure what to make with your leftover chicken, here are some of my favorite leftover chicken recipes!
Best Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
5 Minute Chicken Rice
Here’s a recent viral Costco chicken rice recipe I’ve tried that I actually really enjoy. This chicken rice in a bag takes only 5 minutes. If you have a whole chicken to use for meal prepping, this is the recipe I’d make to take advantage of all that yummy chicken juices left in the bag. It’s simple, super savory, and so so easy to make!
- 2 cups hot cooked rice
- 1½-2 cups shredded Costco rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken
- chicken juices from the rotisserie bag
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp golden shallot oil
- 1.5 tbsp four season scallion sauce
- white pepper Optional
- sesame seeds Optional
Asian Shredded Chicken Topping
I use this Asian Shredded Chicken topping for meal prepping all the time! Since leftover shredded chicken can get a little dry, I add someGolden Shallot Oil and Four Season Scallion Sauce to give it a little extra flavor, fat, and aroma. Then, I top it on EVERYTHING: rice, noodles, salads, even as the filling to a sandwich or omelette. Trust me, this makes quick meals even quicker!
- 2 cups leftover Rotisserie chicken
- 2.5 tbsp four season scallion sauce
- 2 tbsp golden shallot oil
Roasted Chicken Corn Pasta Salad
If I’m looking for an all-in-one high fiber meal on a hot day, this Chicken Corn Pasta Salad is it. With leftover chicken, I can skip making the chicken from scratch, which will save a lot of time. And, I can add as many veggies as I want. If I want to sneak extra fiber without extra planning over the week, I make a huge batch of this Chicken Corn Pasta Salad! It’s the easiest side dish to add to a meal.
- ½ cucumber diced
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ yellow bell pepper diced
- 2 cups cooked pasta fusilli, penne, or any short pasta
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts or thighs, patted dry
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp rosemary
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp Melted Butter optional, for basting
Butter Paprika Corn
- 1 cup corn fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy Lemon Dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice more to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Golden Chicken Broth
Rotisserie Chicken Bones may be the secret hack to even more flavorful Golden Chicken Broth! Whenever you shred up all the meat in your whole chicken, just pop bones in a resealable bag and freeze them. Once you have enough roasted chicken bones, you can use them instead of chicken backbone to make this broth. I promise you, the already cooked bones add extra roasted flavor into your broth. And, they don’t have to be cooked as long!
- 8 chicken backbone
- 1 1/2-2 lb chicken feet or chicken wings
- 12-15 cups water
- 1 Japanese pumpkin
- 10 slices ginger
- 2 stalks green onion
- 4 tablespoons white peppercorn
- ½ cup Chinese cooking wine optional
chicken Salad croissants
If you have to make lunch in a pinch, or have company over for a backyard picnic, these Chicken Salad Croissants are a must-try. This is the perfect Costco recipe for a home party, because i got the mini croissants from the Costco bakery too! They’re dainty, but perfectly delicious and satisfying. You can make the creamy chicken salad ahead of time, and finish the sandwich anytime you want a bite to eat!
- 1 Rotisserie Chicken shredded
- 2-3 stalks celery chopped
- ½ medium sized red onion diced
- 2-3 tablespoons mayo of choice
- 1.5 tablespoons Japanese mayo
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- mini croissants
Shortcut Chicken Congee
There’s nothing more comforting than this Shortcut Chicken Congee. This particular recipe has an extra trick that gets that super creamy texture without boiling for hours. Just replace the chicken thighs in this recipe with your leftover rotisserie chicken, and you’ll get a super flavorful version of Cantonese Chicken Congee. I love serving it with extra Chinese Doughnuts! (Make this chicken congee DOUBLE flavorful using the Golden Chicken Stock from earlier!
- 4 piece Chicken Thigh cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 5 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 slices Ginger
- 2 cups Cooked Rice
- 2 – inch Ginger sliced into thin pieces
- 2 stalks Green Onion chopped
- 2 Chinese Doughnut optional
Chicken Cucumber Salad
This chicken cucumber salad can be both a healthy, refreshing side dish or a crunchy topping for rice and noodles bowls. Mixed together with Four Season Scallion Sauce and Golden Shallot Oil, the cucumbers and shredded chicken have all the flavor you need for a quick and easy meal.
- 2 cups leftover Rotisserie chicken or any leftover cooked chicken
- 1 whole cucumber
- 1 carrot optional
- 2.5 tbsp Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 2 tbsp Golden Shallot Oil
- 2 stalks green onions
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
Shredded Chicken Peanut Noodles
This classic Taiwanese Chicken Peanut Noodles is another way I love turning leftover chicken into a whole meal. It’s creamy and nutty from that super delicious sesame peanut sauce! Add in crispy veggies like carrots and cucumbers, and it’s a super refreshing dish that only takes a few minutes to make. It brings me right back to the summers of Taiwan in only a few bites!
- 2 servings noodles qq or hand cut
- 2 tbsp sesame paste
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 0.5 tbsp roasted sesame seed grounded
- 3-4 tbsp hot noodle water or until it becomes creamy consistency that you like
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
- Chili Oil to your own spice level
Toppings
- carrots
- cucumbers
- leftover rotisserie chicken or any cooked chicken
Cooking Your Own Roast Chicken
Inspired to try more than one of these leftover ideas? Sometimes one rotisserie chicken isn’t enough to cover the whole week. If you’re looking to batch-prep your protein from scratch, or just don’t have time to make it to Costco, here is how I roast a whole chicken to guarantee plenty of leftovers.
- 1 whole chicken about 4-5 lbs
- 2-3 tbsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/4 tsps salt or to taste
- 1/4 pepper or to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 7 small potatoes halved
- 3 carrots cut in chunks
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
