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A store-bought rotisserie chicken might be the single best shortcut in a busy kitchen. It’s already cooked, already seasoned, and one bird usually gives you enough meat for two or three separate dinners. The trick is having a few go-to ways to use it so it doesn’t just turn into the same plain chicken-and-a-side every time. Here are six different directions to take it, from a 10-minute lunch to a full dinner that reheats well the next day.
1. Rotisserie Chicken Quesadillas
Shredded chicken, cheese, and a tortilla folded in half is about as fast as dinner gets, and it’s an easy one to let everyone build their own. It’s also a good way to use up small amounts of leftover chicken that aren’t quite enough for a full recipe on their own.
Get the recipe at Laura Fuentes
2. Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Starting with a chicken that’s already cooked cuts a real chicken noodle soup down to about 20 minutes instead of an hour. The carcass can even go back into the pot to simmer for extra flavor while the noodles cook, so almost nothing about the bird goes to waste.
Get the recipe at Garnish & Glaze
3. Rotisserie Chicken Salad
No cooking required here at all, just shredding, chopping, and mixing. It works as a sandwich filling, scooped over greens, or eaten straight out of the bowl with crackers, and it keeps well in the fridge for a few days, which makes it a good one to prep at the start of the week.
Get the recipe at Easy Family Recipes
4. Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice
Fried rice is one of the best uses for leftovers in general, and rotisserie chicken slots right in alongside day-old rice and whatever vegetables need using up. The whole thing comes together in one pan in about 15 minutes, and it’s a solid way to stretch a small amount of chicken into a full meal.
Get the recipe at Simply Delicious
5. Easy Enchiladas with Rotisserie Chicken
Skipping the step of cooking and shredding chicken from scratch turns enchiladas from a weekend project into a genuine weeknight option. Roll the shredded chicken into tortillas, cover with sauce and cheese, and bake just long enough to melt everything together.
Get the recipe at The Fitnessista
6. Rotisserie Chicken Alfredo Pasta
A creamy alfredo sauce comes together on the stovetop in the time it takes the pasta to boil, and the shredded chicken just needs to be warmed through at the end. It’s a good option for a night when something a little richer and more comforting sounds better than another salad or soup.
Get the recipe at Laura Fuentes
Kitchen Pick: Somewhere to Put the Extra Chicken
Since the whole point here is stretching one chicken across several meals, it helps to have somewhere to actually store the shredded, portioned leftovers. A set like the Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass Food Storage Containers seals tightly enough to keep chicken fresh in the fridge for a few days, and the glass means it can go straight from the fridge into the oven or microwave without switching containers. It also makes portioning out exactly what a recipe like the fried rice or the soup needs a lot less messy.
One rotisserie chicken, six different directions. Pick up an extra one on a grocery run and half the week’s dinners are already halfway done.
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