30 Recipes You Can Speed Up With Leftover Chicken
Dinner is basically making itself tonight.
Ever dream of dinner making itself? Well, it's about to become a reality thanks to one unsuspecting ingredient already in your fridge: leftover chicken. Yes, the last bits of rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken from the weekend BBQ are about to make your dinner basically magically appear. Think of that leftover chicken as your weeknight mealtime cheat code, since it allows you to skip to all the good parts and get to digging into all 30 of these clever recipes that all star leftover chicken!
Leftover chicken, as humble as it might seem, is actually the biggest MVP on deck, as far as we're concerned. It adds heft to plenty of casseroles, can fill anything from tortillas to spaghetti squash, and makes our favorite pasta dishes all the more satisfying. When in doubt, add that leftover chicken right to your dinner plans, like we did with our recipes for creamy chicken spanakopita bake, chicken flautas, and BBQ chicken twice-baked sweet potatoes.
If you're in need of last-minute party foods, having leftover chicken at the ready is the easiest way to fast-track your way to a solid snack spread for game-days, birthday parties, or just a movie night in. Making our blooming quesadilla ring, Buffalo chicken and rice casserole, and sheet-pan green chile chicken nachos might be the easiest decisions you make all week.
If you're on the hunt for more winning chicken dinners, be sure to check out all our favorite stuffed chicken recipes, healthy chicken breast recipes, plus all the best side dishes to go with all that chicken.
Creamy Chicken Spanakopita Bake
This easy casserole dish is a fun take on the classic spanakopita. It has a creamy chicken filling with a lot of spinach and feta to make it more dinner-like for those that love the essential Greek dish. The shatteringly crisp phyllo layers make this casserole not only delicious, but beautiful as well.
Tuscan Chicken Wrap
We just can’t get enough Tuscan chicken. This time, it’s in wrap form and quite possibly the easiest and most flavorful lunch you can make. It’s got chopped rotisserie chicken, creamy mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and plenty of fresh spinach, but the real secret to what makes this wrap so delicious is in the sauce.
Get the Tuscan Chicken Wrap recipe.
Chicken Tamale Pie
A lot of tamale pies come with the cornbread layer on top. But we strongly feel that it should be on the bottom, where it can get crispy and absorb all the flavors of the topping. Instead of making a batter from scratch, we upgraded a box of muffin mix with some sour cream and canned corn, and we highly recommend it.
Get the Chicken Tamale Pie recipe.
BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes
These twice-baked potatoes are loaded with the makings of a full BBQ chicken dinner. If you love these, you're going to love these Mexican-inspired twice-baked sweet potatoes!
Get the BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes recipe.
Chicken Flautas
Made with shredded chicken wrapped in flour tortillas and then pan-fried, flautas exist somewhere between taquitos and chimichangas. They come together quickly, making them perfect party appetizers or a great weeknight meal served with Mexican rice and beans.
Get the Chicken Flautas recipe.
CPK Italian Chopped Salad
An exuberant jumble of lettuce, chickpeas, chicken, salami, tomatoes, and cheese, all tossed in a Italian mustard-herb vinaigrette, this is one salad that might actually tempt us to put down the pizza in favor of the greens.
Get the CPK Italian Chopped Salad recipe.
Sheet-Pan Green Chile Chicken Nachos
What’s better than a tray of cheesy chicken nachos? Four cheese chicken nachos! Don’t worry, though, a couple cans of chopped green chiles cut the richness of all that cheese. (Not that we’re complaining.) We’ll leave the toppings up to you, but we suggest The Works, aka red onion, radishes, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and hot sauce.
Best Chicken Salad
Classic chicken salad is a delicious lunch and picnic staple that expertly combines well-seasoned chicken, a rich mayo dressing, plenty of fresh celery, and a touch of acid. We'd argue that our balance of add-ins here is the pinnacle, but once you nail the chicken and the dressing, you can feel free to spread your wings and give it your own personal flair.
Get the Best Chicken Salad recipe.
Buffalo Chicken & Rice Casserole
If you can’t get enough of Buffalo chicken wings, then this easy casserole is for you. This spicy, creamy chicken and rice casserole makes the easiest weeknight dinner and can serve a crowd. You can poach your own chicken or use a rotisserie chicken to make your life easier. The Ritz crackers add a buttery crunch that’s iconic to the casserole too.
Crunchy Mandarin Orange-Chicken Salad
This recipe was semi-inspired by the Chinese Chicken Salad at The Cheesecake Factory, where they use wonton strips and crispy rice noodles. Instead, we sub in a block of dried ramen—broken up, the crunchy, wavy noodles act as croutons just as well. Feel free to sub the almonds for cashews or peanuts too!
Best-Ever Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Got some leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken? This pizza is the PERFECT way to use it! Buffalo sauce is one of our favorite ways to doctor our leftovers, and if you've still got some leftover rotisserie chicken, you've got to try this combo in our Buffalo baked ziti recipe.
Chicken Pot Pie Poutine
Poutine is Canada's national dish for a very good reason. The dish is made up of three components: crispy fries, luscious gravy, and squeaky, salty cheese curds. We American-sized this version topping it with all the creamy fillings you love in a chicken pot pie.
Get the Chicken Pot Pie Poutine recipe.
Chicken Primavera Spaghetti Squash Boats
Spaghetti squash turns one of favorite pasta dishes into a gluten-free, low-carb treat! The perfect dinner to keep things fresh. If you love this, you have to try our primavera stuffed chicken next.
Blooming Quesadilla Ring
A quesadilla ring is the best way to make quesadillas for a crowd. The ring makes for a fun, cheesy, pull-apart game-day app. Buffalo chicken is a must for the Super Bowl, and this creamy, spicy filling is one of our favorite ways to serve it. Assemble the ring ahead of time and bake it off when you’re just about to serve it so that it’s hot and ready to go!
Get the Blooming Quesadilla Ring recipe.
Copycat Panera Green Goddess Cobb Salad With Chicken
Panera’s Cobb salad is like no other Cobb salad. Their creamy green goddess dressing is what makes it so popular. It’s bright and fresh with a little nuttiness from the Parmesan that sets it apart. The rest of the salad has all of your classic Cobb toppings, like, hard-boiled eggs and crispy bacon. This salad always hits the spots when you need something hearty and filling, but still want to get your greens in.
Get the Copycat Panera Green Goddess Cobb Salad With Chicken recipe.
Chicken Chowder Stuffed Zucchini
Using cooked rotisserie chicken, frozen corn, and sweet cherry tomatoes, you can have a summer chowder-stuffed zucchini boat in under an hour. While bacon isn’t totally crucial here, rendering it provides a salty, flavorful fat you can, then brush onto your roasted zucchini and use to start your savory chowder with.
Air Fryer Chimichanga
Chimichangas are essentially fried burritos, which, don't get us wrong, we absolutely love. Sometimes we don't love the excess oil or simply the act of deep frying. It's messy. Make your chicken chimichangas in the air fryer instead for an exceptionally crispy burrito.
Get the Air Fryer Chimichanga recipe.
Garlic Bread-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
Nothing is more comforting than chicken pot pie topped with a buttery crust. Swap out the crust for garlic bread, though, and now we are really talking. The tops get golden and crunchy, while underneath, the texture comes out more like dumplings. The creamy, rich filling is loaded with veggies and just as good as ever. Perfect dinner on a cold night and so easy to make.
Bruschetta Chicken Stuffed Avocados
Avocados make the perfect snack bowls. Therefore, stuffing them full of bruschetta chicken was one of easiest decisions we've ever made. You don't need to take off the skin completely—we just think it's super pretty that way. Plus, it make it's easier to to attack with a fork and knife.
Shredded Chicken Parm Sliders
Served on soft, toasted mini potato rolls, these party-sized chicken Parmesan sandwiches are quick, easy, and perfect for a half-dozen friends or one hungry fan.
Get the Shredded Chicken Parm Sliders recipe.
