24 Recipes To Make With Cooked Chicken

If there’s anything that will make your life 24 times easier, it’s rotisserie chicken. Roasting a chicken isn't too hard, and it makes your house smell amazing, but it takes a long time.

Rotisserie chicken is inexpensive, jam-packed with flavor, and can be used in about a thousand ways. Best of all, it's ready to use immediately. I love buying a few at a time and freezing what I don’t immediately need so that I can pull out a bag of chicken whenever I need to get dinner on the table FAST.

What can you make with this glorious rotisserie chicken? Let’s see, shall we?

1. Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Forget frying and rolling up enchiladas. This quickie casserole has you simply layer everything right in the dish. Use canned enchilada sauce and pre-grated cheese to make especially easy.

2. Rotisserie Chicken Stroganoff

Finished, this Stroganoff is almost like chicken pot pie filling but served over egg noodles. So simple and uncomplicated to make, it’s sure to wiggle its way onto your menu rotation! CC

3. BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Pizza

Of course, we had to go and make a pizza with rotisserie chicken on it! Go ahead and slather the crust with some hickory BBQ, sprinkle on some mozzarella, add the chicken, and toss some red onions and jalapeños on top for an unforgettable experience! CC

4. Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup, filled with chicken, tomatoes, and peppers, is so satisfying. Top with crispy tortillas, avocado, cheese, cilantro, and lime. Since one chicken has enough for two batches of this soup, why not double it? It freezes well, minus the toppings. RS

5. Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This dish usually takes some time, but not with rotisserie chicken! The prep time is cut down significantly with a puff pastry crust. What does this all translate to? You don’t have to just make this on the weekend. It can be made any day of the week. CC

6. BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl

If you're into meal prep, you'll want to add these bowls to your rotation. Prep the BBQ chicken, black beans, lettuce, corn, and cheese on the weekend, and you'll have ingredients for delicious, filling bowls throughout the week. RS

7. Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

Whip this up in about half an hour. Save even more time by chopping all the veggies ahead of time. If you want to take this soup to the next level, add a soft-boiled egg! CC

8. Chicken Freezer Burritos

Rotisserie chicken is a handy ingredient for all sorts of Tex-Mex dishes, including burritos. Make a batch to freeze to have on hand for quick meals with chicken, rice, black beans, veggies, cheese, and salsa. Foil-wrapped burritos go from freezer to plate in under an hour. RS

9. Rotisserie Chicken Alfredo

Kid-friendly chicken Alfredo hits the table in 25 minutes when you use rotisserie chicken. Make an easy, rich, creamy Alfredo sauce and pour it over pasta and chicken. An optional peppery arugula, tomato, and pistachio topping add some extra flavor for grown-ups. RS

10. Quick Chicken Pho

This gluten-free pho is a great introduction if you’ve never had it before. And if you happen to be a pho fan already, it’s a good one to have around when a pho-craving strikes. CC

11. Taquitos de Pollo (Chicken Taquitos)

This recipe is both an easy weeknight meal and also something you can make for a large crowd at a celebration. Fill corn tortillas with chicken, roll them up, and pan-fry them. Serve hot with toppings such as chopped onion, cilantro, lettuce, crema, crumbled queso fresco, or salsa. Leftovers (without toppings) are easy to freeze for a second meal or a quick snack. RS

12. Chicken Caesar Wrap

Toss cubed rotisserie chicken, romaine, Caesar dressing, and croutons. Roll it into a tortilla, and you're done. Assemble this chicken Caesar wrap in the morning, and you'll look forward to lunch all morning. RS

13. Chicken a la King

Contributor Laura Manzano says, "This version is made with cooked chicken and is a great way to use up leftovers. If you don’t have any leftover cooked chicken handy, this is a good opportunity to utilize America’s dinnertime hero, a grocery store rotisserie chicken."

14. Easy Chicken Lo Mein

Get ready to use up all the veggies you have tucked away in the back of your fridge with this recipe. Don’t go out and get any special veggies for this, just use up what you’ve got. Take a walk on the wild side and roast some veggies that have been tossed in sesame oil and sriracha and add them to the top of your noodles! CC

15. Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese

A beloved classic becomes a complete meal thanks to the addition of rotisserie chicken! Serve with a simple side salad or with roasted veggies. CC

16. Chicken Minestrone With Basil Pesto

This basic recipe is flexible. Use whatever beans, pasta, and fresh vegetables you have on hand. Add them to the soup full of tomatoes, chicken broth, and shredded chicken. Don't forget the fresh pesto to add a dollop of flavor. RS

17. Chicken Noodle Casserole

There is no canned soup in this comforting chicken noodle casserole. You can assemble and refrigerate for up to three days before heating and serving this dish which is bound to become a family favorite.

18. Chicken Salad With Tahini Dressing

Contributor Devan Grimsrud says, "While I think of chicken as the ideal protein here, if you have leftover cooked pork loin, cooked shrimp, or even a sliced, grilled steak, you can also swap them in."

19. Smashed Cucumber Chicken Salad

This Chinese-style cucumber salad has bits of shredded chicken and is so easy to prepare. Smash the cucumbers with the back of a knife, break them up, and toss with chicken. Drizzle with a dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and cilantro. Serve on a warm evening for a refreshing, light meal.

20. Buffalo Chicken Dip

When the chicken is already cooked, Buffalo chicken dip comes together in just 30 minutes. This cheesy, creamy, spicy dip is perfect for parties, movie nights, tailgates, or anytime you have a craving for Buffalo dip. RS

21. Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Of all of Olive Garden's classic soups, Chicken & Gnocchi, "a creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings, and spinach" ranks as a favorite for OG fans. Here's a copycat recipe you can make at home for a fraction of the cost and in under 30 minutes.

22. Easy Green Chicken Chili

A small-to-medium rotisserie chicken will give you about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of shredded chicken meat, which is the perfect amount for this recipe. Top with crispy tortilla chips, sliced avocado, and a dollop of sour cream, and dinner is done! CC

23. Classic Chicken Salad

This is definitely a family favorite with lots of crunch and texture. What sets this particular recipe apart from all the others is that we’ve added a secret ingredient that really makes all the difference: a tablespoon of plum preserves. CC

24. 4-Ingredient Chicken Salad

Contributor Sheela Prakash says, "This chicken salad puts the condiment front and center, so you definitely want to use one you love the taste of. There are so many different jars out there, these days but my favorite is the Sichuan Chili Crisp from Fly By Jing. Alternatively, it’s pretty easy and fun to make your own."