Bird's the Word
When you pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local deli, what you're really getting is an endless array of dinnertime options. Even better? Most chickens have enough meat to make two of these quick and delicious recipes! Talk about getting the most bang for your buck.
First on the menu, Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos!
These skillet-grilled burritos come together in a flash thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken. Keep this meal light by serving with a fresh green salad.
Kale Caesar Quinoa Salad with Roasted Chicken
We skip the croutons and add toasted walnuts for a bit of heart-healthy crunch.
Caprese Wraps with Chicken
Assemble this hearty sandwich for a quick and easy weeknight meal. The fresh mozzarella and tomato lend a bright and summery taste.
Mediterranean Chicken and Couscous Bowls
These quick chicken-and-veggie bowls are endlessly adaptable depending on what you have on hand. Beyond cucumber and tomato, you could try thinly sliced carrots, steamed broccoli florets and zucchini, or roasted cauliflower. You could also sub flaked salmon or sliced cooked lamb for the chicken. Treat the couscous like pasta, simmering until tender and then draining. Unlike most pastas, you'll want to rinse and drain the couscous so the grains don't clump together.
Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken
The classic delight of Thai curry paste and coconut milk meet with tender rotisserie chicken and fresh vegetables in this soup to make delicious Thai cuisine an easy, healthy weeknight option.
15-Minute Chicken Shawarma Bowls
This Middle Eastern-inspired bowl is all about big flavor with minimal effort. A garlicky, tahini-spiked yogurt brings all the elements together and takes just minutes to make. Assemble a few bowls at the beginnings of the week for easy make-ahead lunches.
Shortcut Ingredients: rotisserie chicken, canned chickpeas, precooked farro
Thai Green Curry Chicken
The perfect dinner with some leftover rotisserie chicken you have in the fridge.
Cauliflower Puree with Barbecue Rotisserie Chicken
Don’t rush processing the cauliflower; it’s key to giving the puree the consistency of grits. You can also use purchased riced cauliflower. If it’s frozen, you can toss it right into the saucepan unthawed.
Broccoli and Rice Casseroles
Hearty and oh-so-tasty, this is a great choice for a weeknight family dinner.
Mom's Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Traditional creamy chicken casserole can have more than 800 calories per serving, but we’re serving up this classic comfort dish with a fraction of the calories.
Avocado Chicken Salad
Fresh, tasty, and delicious is how this 5-star Avocado Chicken Salad is commonly described. Mrs. Hartzell raves, “So delicious and easy! I could seriously eat this every day!” You’re not alone. We could, too. This particular recipe uses vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise but doesn’t lose its creamy texture, thanks to avocado. Salsa and fresh cilantro give this chicken salad its south-of-the-border flavors. So, instead of layering over a bed of greens, serve with tortilla chips for scooping and an added crunch.
Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Cucumbers
Dig into a simple end-of-summer pasta toss loaded with chicken, cucumbers, and peanuts. We use dried udon noodles; if using fresh noodles, you'll need about 11 ounces.
BBQ Chicken and Blue Cheese Pizza
The texture and flavors of this pie are sure to impress. Substitute fresh mozzarella for blue cheese to make a kid-friendly option.
Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas
Give average chicken quesadillas new life with sweet peaches and spicy cheese. For the kids, try fontina or Monterey Jack instead.
Chicken and Strawberry Salad
Pair this simple, no-cook meal with toasted buttery baguette slices.
Herbed Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Tarragon and rye bread make a classic chicken salad sandwich extra special. You can make the chicken salad ahead. If you're packing it to go, keep the salad cold, and make your sandwich right before you're ready to eat to keep the bread from getting soggy.
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Let this simple soup warm you up during the chillier months. You can also use this recipe as a template for other chicken and veggie soups.
Chicken and White BBQ Potatoes
Baked potatoes get dressed up in this cozy-warm recipe. We scale down this comfort-food favorite by using Yukon gold potatoes which tend to be smaller than larger russet potatoes.
Tzatziki Chicken Salad
We made a classic Greek sauce of creamy yogurt and cucumber for the base of this tangy salad. Serve with Mixed Greens Salad.
Cheesy Chicken Bagel Pizzas
Bagel halves are a quick, kid-friendly stand-in for traditional pizza crust.
Chicken, Rice, and Tropical Fruit Salad
You can serve this salad chilled or at room temperature, depending on your preference. You can also substitute lime juice for lemon.
Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas
Smoked paprika gives these chicken tostadas rich, grill-like flavor with no cooking. Look for tostada shells (fried, flat corn tortillas) near the flour and corn tortillas or in the Mexican food section of your grocery store. Make sure to serve with lime wedges for the final, perfect touch.
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a classic Creole dish that combines rice with a variety of other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, peppers and some type of meat or shellfish. This easy one-dish meals features both smoked sausage and shredded rotisserie chicken.
Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese
This delicious salad is ready in a snap thanks to rotisserie chicken and a four-ingredient vinaigrette. Leftover salad is also good the next day for lunch; stir in a handful of arugula to add a fresh touch, if you have extra on hand. Serve with pita wedges.
Quick Chicken Noodle Soup
Heat the broth mixture in the microwave to jump-start the cooking. Meanwhile, sauté the aromatic ingredients in your soup pot to get this dish under way. Though we like the shape of fusilli, you can also make this soup with wide egg noodles, rotini, or even orzo.
Open-Faced Apricot-Chipotle Chicken Club
Serve with a snap pea and radish sauté for a filling and delicious meal.
Chicken and Green Bean Salad
Crunchy green beans and juicy tomatoes create a beautiful salad. Serve with Roasted Red Potatoes.
Chicken and Prosciutto Salad with Arugula and Asiago
A weekday dinner gets very easy and very tasty with this standout 20-minute salad.
Peanut Chicken Noodle Soup
Try a lighter taste of Thailand for tonight's dinner. If you can't find udon, substitute 6 ounces uncooked spaghetti.
Cobb Salad Tacos
Adding a tortilla transforms this American salad into a fun, portable meal. Choose a pungent blue cheese, like Roquefort, for a strong hit of flavor, or go with milder Gorgonzola for just a touch.
Chicken and Mushroom Panini
Gooey cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and earthy mushrooms join chicken for a tasty sandwich you can quickly prepare in a grill pan or panini press.
Chicken, Red Grape, and Pesto Pizza
The grapes are a sweet contrast to the tangy Romano cheese, herby pesto, and juicy chicken. Grapes are said to slow the aging process, so here is a case where eating another slice of pizza definitely has its benefits.
Roasted Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Using rotisserie chicken from the deli makes this such a quick pasta salad dish. Serve it for dinner tonight, and then pack the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Chicken with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip
This pungent dip is, as the name suggests, salty. Use it in small amounts. Traditionally, the Vietnamese boil chicken with the skin on and chop the bird into bite-sized pieces through the bones. The chicken is then dipped into this fragrant condiment and eaten with rice on the side. Steamed, roasted, or grilled chicken also will work. Here, shredded rotisserie chicken breast makes this a quick and easy dish. You can also drizzle some of the dip over the chicken and serve the rest in a small bowl.
Asian Chicken Salad
Dinner prep for this delicious, Asian-inspired main-dish chicken salad is an absolute breeze.
Muffulettas
These sandwiches can be prepared the day before and brown-bagged for lunch. The olive salad—which some consider the best part—will moisten the bread overnight.
Chicken Enchilada Stack
Think outside the "dish." You can enjoy the flavor and texture of enchiladas in a slow cooker; just stack the tortillas instead of rolling them. We suggest lining your slow cooker with a slow-cooker bag so you can easily remove the stack from the cooker.
Pizza Provençal
Upgrade pizza night by topping a loaf of Italian bread with fresh basil, rotisserie chicken, and all the best of Italian-inspired ingredients. A food processor makes quick work of the homemade sauce. Serve with artichoke–green bean salad.
Pita Salad with Cucumber, Fennel, and Chicken
This unique salad is an easy and filling weeknight option.
Chicken Chilaquiles
Make this Southwestern chicken favorite for a festive dinner. For even more heat, add 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper to the tomatillo mixture.
Peanut-Sauced Chicken Pitas
Dark meat stands up to the intense flavors in the dressing. For a different take, try using a wrap or naan instead of a pita.
Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Coconut milk tames the heat and combines deliciously with shredded chicken breast in this spicy soup.
Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad
A combo of yogurt and mayo gives a traditional chicken salad more zip. We like the richness of white and dark meat, but you can use all one type. Serve with Steamed Sugar Snap Peas.
Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
Good barbecue chicken sandwiches don't have to result from hours over the grill. Our chicken sandwich starts with a rotisserie chicken and super easy homemade barbecue sauce. This sandwich is the perfect solution for those busy weeknights.
Quick Chicken and Dumplings
Tortilla strips sub in for traditional dumplings to create a lighter, quicker version of this Southern classic.
Spicy Chicken Quesadillas
To make these quesadillas kid-friendly, omit the pickled jalapeño peppers.
Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken
This colorful orzo and chicken main-dish salad is packed with an assortment of chopped fresh vegetables and tossed with a tangy lemon dressing.
Chicken, Arugula, and Radish Pizza
If you don't have white wine vinegar on hand, substitute red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
Chicken Salad Melts
For a touch more sweetness, substitute halved grapes for the apple. You can also chop the apple and add it to the salad mixture.
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
You'll only use the breast meat of the chicken for this recipe, so you'll have more left over for another meal during the week. If you can't find baby portobello mushrooms, use cremini mushrooms. Look for packaged crepes in the produce aisle.
Superfast Chicken Posole
Quick, easy, and oh-so-yummy, this traditional Mexican soup will warm you right up.
Superfast Chef Salad
Start with a bag of prechopped romaine lettuce and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for an easy, healthy dinner any night of the week. Serve with a crusty multigrain baguette and a glass of wine.
Rosemary Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Fresh rosemary and smoked almonds set this chicken salad apart from all the others, and rotisserie chicken breasts make it quick and easy.
Crisp-Crust Chicken Potpie
Turn to rotisserie chicken and frozen puff pastry dough to shave time from this deconstructed version of a comfort classic. Cooking the crust separately keeps it crisp and crunchy.
Quick BBQ Chicken Pizzas
Baking the pizzas directly on the oven rack gives you a crisp crust in less time. You can substitute shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese for fresh.
Spicy-Sweet Chicken Lettuce Cups
A quick vinegar soak keeps the chicken moist and intensely flavorful in this light dish.
Chicken Taco Salad
Add a little variation to taco night and throw your favorite taco fillings on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. Ready in just 25 minutes, you’ll have a flavorful, fresh taco salad that is sure to satisfy your Southwestern craving.
