How to Use a Rotisserie Chicken (52 Ways!)

How to use leftover rotisserie chicken – 52 different ways! We’re making pizza, sliders, taquitos, quesadillas, salads, and much more!

Ever stare down at your Costco rotisserie chicken, wondering what to do with it beyond the usual chicken and veggies for dinner? 

You’re not alone. 

It’s a culinary enigma, a blank canvas waiting for your creative strokes.

Let’s face it: Rotisserie chicken is the unsung hero at the dinner table. It’s great to add to pasta dishes for a potluck, the star of a chicken salad for weekly lunches, and the protein hit that a chicken soup needs when someone is feeling under the weather. 

It’s versatile, easy to grab, delicious, and sometimes it’s dismissed for just that – chicken on a plate. We’re here to change that. A rotisserie chicken is so, so much more.

But today we are going to turn that bland old bird into a culinary masterpiece. We’ll make a few soups and salads, then switch to hot meals like tacos and pizza. And by the end, you’ll be using every last morsel of that bird!

So, whether you’re a seasoned chef or a kitchen noob, there’s something to discover for everyone one. 

Let’s talk rotisserie chicken magic ✨

How to Use a Rotisserie Chicken 52 ways:

Soups and Chilis:

This is usually the springboard for most people. Make a little chicken noodle soup or a chicken pot pie. So, let’s start here and get creative!

• Roasted Garlic White Chicken Lasagna Soup – A warm, hearty bowl filled with tender mushrooms, lasagna noodles, and protein-packed chicken. I usually make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. But if you’ve got plenty of shredded chicken, swap it out and get this on the table even faster.
• Parmesan Chicken Pastina Soup – This is the kind of soup you want on a cold, cold winter day. Made with parmesan rind and mushroom broth. Finish it with pastina and shredded chicken at the end.
• Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Soup)– If you want to change up your typical chicken soup recipe, this one uses eggs, lemon juice, rice, and cooked chicken. Easy weeknight dinner? Absolutely.
• Flu Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup – There’s no way I could share a ‘how to use a rotisserie chicken’ post without sharing the holy grail of rotisserie chicken meals – the classic CNS! My recipe includes fresh herbs, ginger, and turmeric to be the BEST cold buster soup of flu season!
• Creamy White Chicken Chili – everything you love about traditional chili – but made with chicken and in a creamy white base. Green chiles, pepperoncini peppers, and guacamole salsa help flavor this chili and it’s one you’ll find yourself making repeatedly!
• Comforting Chicken Corn Soup – If you’re from a South Asian household, you probably grew up on this stuff! Start with good quality chicken stock, shredded chicken, creamed corn, and corn kernels and finish with eggs at the end. Think of it as a cross between a brothy chicken soup and egg drop soup! I like to add a ladle of rice at the end to make it filling.
• Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup – a creamy bowl loaded with tortellini, cooked chicken, carrots, baby spinach and a hint of nutmeg to warm up this bowl of deliciousness.
• Hearty Chicken Posole Verde – Need something with BOLD flavor? Look no further! This soup has salsa verde, chipotle chilipowder, poblano peppers, and hominy. Serve it topped with sliced radishes, corn tortilla chips, 
• Soul-Warming Chicken Tortilla Soup – Start with tons of dried ancho peppers and soak them until tender. Blend them up and cook them with fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, and seasonings. Simmer with chicken stock and add a splash of lime to make it flavorful. Finally, serve the broth in bowls topped with leftover shredded chicken, tortilla strips, avocado and more lime wedges!
• Turkish Chicken Soup – the newest addition to my chicken noodle family. Instead of using typical egg noodles, we’re adding vermicelli pasta. A hint of dried mint and Greek yogurt are key ingredients in this recipe.
• Winter Lemon Chicken Barley Soup – You’ve had beef and barley soup, but have you tried this one loaded with lemonjuice, leeks, and tarragon? It’s such a cozy bowl!
• Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup – an all-time classic! Though my recipe uses fresh chicken breasts, you can easily skip those when pressure cooking and stir in the chicken at the end as listed. A family favorite for chilly winter nights!
• Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup – This is not something you see on a menu every day, but it is worth trying. We’ve got egg noodles, red enchilada sauce, diced green chilies for a little kick, and some tomato and black beans too. This makes one hearty and filling soup!
• Cozy Chicken Pot Pie Soup – Why make pot pie when you can make soup? Chopped onions, carrots, celery, peas, and corn add plenty of color and flavor to the dish. The shredded rotisserie chicken makes this recipe quick, easy, and painless!
• Jalapeno Lime Chicken Soup – If you can toss it in a crock pot, you can make jalapeno lime soup! The original recipe does call for chicken breasts. But you can omit the chicken breasts from the recipe and add the shredded chicken at the end. Flavored with jalapeños, lots of fresh lime, and salsa verde.
• Chicken Pho – This recipe gives store-bought rotisserie chicken a whole new look! We’ll start by removing all of the leftover meat from the bones. Save this; it’ll go back in later! Then, cook that chicken carcass with onions, ginger, and spices. Season the chicken broth with fish sauce and sugar. Finally, serve it with rice noodles, fresh herbs, and shredded chicken! The best homemade pho hack!
• Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup with Orzo Pasta – The way I see it, a good soup has three things: protein, starch, and vegetables! This one hits all the marks with shredded chicken, tender mushrooms, orzo pasta in a comforting soup. A dollop of sour cream makes it so creamy and flavorful.
• Wintry Verde Chicken Enchilada Soup – really flexes the pantry to get a flavorful meal on the table in around 30 minutes!

Hot Meals: 

• Cheesy Chicken Taquitos – Use rotisserie chicken, shred it up, and load it into flour or corn tortillas with shredded cheese, cream cheese, and seasonings. Then, fry, bake, or air fry the taquitos and serve them with your favorite salsa, guacamole or sour cream! 
• Buffalo Chicken Sliders – if you’re hosting the Super Bowl or any sports-watching party, these are a must! Use shredded chicken and a bag of coleslaw mix to get these on the table fast. Brushed with garlic butter and baked in the oven until golden on top!
• Enchiladas Suiza’s (Creamy Salsa Verde Enchiladas) – Enchiladas Suizas are cheesy shredded chicken enchiladas topped with a creamy tomatillo sauce. My weeknight-friendly recipe uses shredded rotisserie chicken and the easiest, creamiest salsa verde sauce!
• BBQ Chicken Pizza – toss shredded chicken in bbq sauce and top it on a store-bought pizza crust for a crowd-pleasing dinner.
• Have Mercy Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits – step aside pie crust! We’re topping our pot pie with biscuits flavored with cheddar cheese and thyme and cooking it up in a cast iron skillet until golden and delicious!
• Chicken Pot Tater Tot Hotdish – continuing down the line of nontraditional pot pies is this one topped with potatoes! Tots make it easy to get this hot pan of deliciousness out quickly!
• Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas – though I make these enchiladas are meatless, shredded chicken is a great way to add in some more protein! They already have chorizo (I use soy chorizo) but folding in some rotisserie chicken is an added way of bulking up these enchiladas in the protein department!
• Loaded Chipotle Chicken Crunchwrap – Just like crispy chicken tacos, but better! Usually, I marinate the chicken with a bunch of seasonings and then cook it in a pan, but if you want to get dinner out FAST, just swap the marinated chicken for cooked rotisserie chicken!
• Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Pie – For this recipe, we poach chicken before loading it up with a creamy tomatillo sauce, shredded cheese and corn tortillas. This makes it the ideal recipe to swap for rotisserie chicken!
• Crispy Baked Chicken Quesadillas – weeknight quesadillas are quick and easy to make with leftover shredded chicken. Saute onions and peppers and load it into tortillas to make quesadillas that are quick and easy enough to feed a crowd!
• Korean BBQ Chicken Pizza – a flavorful pizza at home? Look no further! Start with shredded chicken tossed in bbq sauce, and top the pizza with red onions, cilantro, scallions, and lots of mozzarella cheese! Want to make a snack instead? Use personal naan’s at the base!
• Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole – using shredded chicken makes this quick and easy! Cook the casserole as listed, and then stir in some ranch seasoning with the chicken before you add it to the casserole at the end, right before you top it with cheese!
• Hibachi Fried Rice – this is the kind of rice you get at your favorite hibachi restaurant! Stir in cooked chicken right at the end before you drizzle with soy sauce and seame oil and let the chicken heat through! A one pot dinner!

Pasta Perfection:

• Creamy Cozy Chicken Tetrazzini – nothing like a cozy noodle dish! We’ll make a homemade tetrazzini sauce then toss it with your favorite noodles, chicken, a roux made iwth seasonings, milk, and sour cream and top it with breadcrumbs for good measure!
• One Pot Creamy Boursin Pasta – ever think a block of cheese, orzo, and shredded chicken could make such a delicious dinner recipe? Us either! Finish the recipe with baby spinach and a hint of nutmeg to make it nice and festive.
• Unbelievable Pan-Fried Cantonese Noodles – crispy pan-fried noodles could always use some protein stirred in at the end.
• Lemon Mascarpone Pasta with Sauteed Asparagus – one of my favorite comfort meals that’s perfect for springtime! Instead of serving this with grilled chicken or fish on the side, just shred and add the chicken right at the end.
• One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta – stir in shredded chicken before you finish the dish with half and half and parmesan cheese. In one pot dinners we trust!
• Weeknight Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken – make a 30 minute recipe even quicker by swapping the marinated chicken for rotisserie chicken! Then top with chili oil for more added flavor!

Make a Meal out of Snacks:

• Chicken Puff Pastry – One of my favorite snacks as a kid after school! Think of these are mini hand pies that you can snack on or serve as appetizers!
• Crunchy Baked Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers – got leftovers? Make these little jalapeño bites as a snack!
• Loaded Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Nachos – toss that leftover chicken in bbq sauce. Then top it on a bed of nachos with cheddar cheese, onions, and pickles jalapenos! Perfect football watching food!
• Chicken Salad Sandwich – Looking to meal prep a protein-packed lunch? Look no further! we’ll swap some of the mayo for greek yogurt to make this even more protein rich.
• Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps – normally I make these with ground chicken, but you could added finely shredded rotisserie chicken right at the end before adding the sauce to get this easy springtime recipe out on the table super quick.

Toss a Salad:

• Roasted Corn Chicken Orzo Salad with Garlic Lime Vinaigrette – a quick and easy spring/summer salad that starts with roasted corn and poblano peppers tossed with chicken and garlic lime vinaigrette.
• Asian Sesame Chicken Salad – when you want the panera inspired salad but don’t feeling like cooking the chicken at home, use rotisserie chicken, add tons of wonton strips, and dress it out in that tangy asian sesame dressing.
• Creamy Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad – swap the grilled chicken for shredded rotisserie chicken and make this simple caesar dressing to get this pasta salad on the table lightening fast.
• Pickled Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette – inspired my Mendicino Farms, this salad combine shredded chicken with red onions, dried cranberries, roasted almonds, and green apples. it’s truly a flavor bomb!
• Chopped Thai Chicken Salad with Skinny Peanut Dressing – a quick and easy salad topped with homemade preanut dressing hta you can totally meal prep for the week.
• Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad with Ginger Dressing – one of my all time favorite pasta salads! Dice or shred a rotisserie chicken and add it to lettuce, mandarin oranges, and top it with a ginger soy dressing.
• Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Mangoes – a sweet, tangy, and savory dressing just makes this whole bowl of yumminess devour-worthy.
• Chickpea Quinoa Power Salad – loaded with chickpeas, quinoa, fresh parsley and so much more! And if you’re looking for how to use a rotisserie chicken, this is a great salad to meal prep and enjoy all week long! 
• Autumn Harvest Bowl with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette –  color, flavor, and seasonal produce! That’s how we like our salads. Skip the grilled chicken and dice up a rotisserie chicken to get this lunch time favorite on the tabke in no time.

And the last way to use a rotisserie chicken? Toss the bones and a handful of vegetables into your instant pot and make bone broth!

And I’ll do you another one – this is my Marry Me Chicken Soup. Just swap the chicken breast for shredded chicken and you have another delicious meal on the table in no time.

That’s 53 (!!) different ways to use up a rotisserie chicken! That means, you could buy a rotisserie chicken every week and not make the same recipe twice 😉