Wonder what to do with leftover chicken? Make yourself a tasty chicken dinner in 10-20 minutes using rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken. These super easy leftover chicken recipes are absolutely delicious, most of them also quite healthy and you’ll want to make them again and again and again for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
Easy Leftover chicken recipes
Chicken recipes like these are the very reason I love having rotisserie chicken leftovers at home. Last year, we went through a period where we were buying rotisserie chicken quite often. While it’s super delicious with some hummus, tzatziki, bread, and salad on the first day, the day after, you just crave something else.
What? I cannot possibly tell you, right now. It all depends on what you’re in the mood for. Chicken soup, chicken pasta, chicken salad, chicken wraps, chicken quesadillas…there are many many many options to use up leftover chicken.
1. Greek chicken wraps
This Mediterranean recipe is made with leftover rotisserie chicken, tzatziki, fresh and roasted vegetables. All done in 20 minutes. The recipe is here.
- Nutrition: 462 kcal, 27g fat, 34g carbs, 11g fiber, 28g protein
- Serves: 4
2. Chickpea, Feta and Chicken Salad
The easiest way to use chicken leftovers: make a quick and healthy chicken salad! This one is super filling and a great flavorful healthy lunch idea that you can make in 10 minutes. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 419 kcal, 23g fat, 29g carbs, 9g fiber, 26g protein
- Serves: 2
3. 15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla
The ingredients for this amazing cheesy quesadilla include leftover shredded chicken (or any kind of cooked chicken you have), cream cheese, garlic and jalapenos. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 462 kcal, 22g fat, 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 30g protein
- Serves: 2
4. 10-Minute Chicken Pasta
The ingredients for this healthy chicken pasta recipe include quick-cooking macaroni, cooked chicken, dill, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. This is a kid-friendly pasta recipe. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 444 kcal, 27g fat, 16g carbs, 3g fiber, 35g protein
- Serves: 2
5. 15-Minute Quinoa Fried Rice With Chicken
This quick dinner recipe is made with cooked quinoa, leftover chicken, soy or tamari sauce and whatever vegetables you have at home – cabbage, onion, garlic, carrots are all a good choice here. If you’re not a fan of quinoa, you can also use cooked rice or cauliflower rice for a low carb option. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 443 kcal, 27g fat, 27g carbs, 5g fiber, 25g protein
- Serves: 3
6. Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad
Mash one avocado with garlic, add some shredded chicken, onion, herbs and some more chopped veggies for texture and serve on a slice of bread. Ready in 10 minutes, healthy and delicious! Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 294 kcal, 22g fat, 14g carbs, 8g fiber, 14g protein
- Serves: 2
7. 10-Minute Spicy Feta and Chicken Quesadilla
Combine feta cheese, garlic, rotisserie chicken, herbs and tomato paste to make this different, but absolutely delicious spicy chicken quesadilla. The recipe is here.
- Nutrition: 479 kcal, 23g fat, 40g carbs, 7g fiber, 29g protein.
- Serves: 2
8. Anti-Inflammatory Cauliflower Chicken Soup
Cook this healing chicken soup in 30 minutes by using already cooked and shredded chicken! Rotisserie will work too! This is a great healthy and comforting chicken soup recipe that is perfect for weeknights too! Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 400 kcal, 19g fat, 15g carbs, 6g fiber, 43g protein
- Serves: 2
9. 10-Minute Beans and Chicken
If you’ve got a can of beans and some cooked chicken, you can make this healthy meal in about 10 minutes. Serve with a salad and enjoy! Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 343 kcal, 12g fat, 32g carbs, 7g fiber, 27g protein
- Serves: 2
10. Parmesan Pesto Chicken Wraps
Having some chicken leftovers in the fridge is great if you love wraps! These are ready in about 10-15 minutes and made with pesto, garlic, chicken, vegetables and mozzarella. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 525 kcal, 29g fat, 37g carbs, 4g fiber, 31g protein
- Serves: 2
11. Chicken Salad Sandwich Melt
Not your typical chicken salad, but so good! You’ll make the chicken salad with cream cheese, herbs, garlic and chicken. Then you’re going to put it between two slices of bread and toast both sides until golden brown on the stove. It’s really tasty. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 523 kcal, 24g fat, 46g carbs, 4g fiber, 30g protein
- Serves: 2
12. Pesto Chicken Cauliflower Rice
If you’ve never had cauliflower rice before, the time has come! This recipe is so delicious and super easy to put together using some pesto, tomatoes, cheese, chicken and cauliflower. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 488 kcal, 32g fat, 19g carbs, 4g fiber, 35g protein
- Serves: 2
13. 15-minute Quinoa and Chicken
This is another option if you already have some leftover chicken and some leftover quinoa – a more Mediterranean-style quick dinner idea with mozzarella cheese and lots of vegetables. Recipe here.
- Nutrition: 439 kcal, 26g fat, 32g carbs, 7g fiber, 23g protein
- Serves: 3
14. Spicy Avocado Chicken Wraps
If you love spicy food and avocado, you need to make these delicious spicy chicken wraps. They’re filled with vegetables like spinach, basil and zucchini, so also make a healthier recipe that is ready in 15 minutes. You can find the recipe here.
- Nutrition: 554 kcal, 31g fat, 40g carbs, 8g fiber, 31g protein
- Serves: 2
15. Chicken Breakfast Egg Bake
Yes, you can even have leftover chicken at breakfast too. This is a very easy meal prep breakfast recipe with eggs, chicken and vegetables that is lower in carbs and higher in protein. It stores well in the fridge and tastes really good! Recipe here.
How To Store Leftover Chicken
As with almost any other food, store your cooked chicken in the fridge in an airtight container. If you do have cooked chicken that you do not want to eat in the next 3 days, you can also portion the leftovers out in containers and freeze.
The chicken will stay good for about a month and can be used in the chicken recipes after defrosting for about 5-10 minutes. I always like to heat up chicken leftovers before using in salads, that’s just a personal preference. I do this on the stove, microwave or in the oven.
More Easy Chicken Recipes:
- Healthy Rice And Chicken Dinner Skillet
- 15-Minute High-Protein Spicy Chicken & Chickpeas
- One-Pan Rice, Chicken And Spinach
I hope you got some new ideas and inspiration on what to do with rotisserie chicken or any kind of leftover chicken in your fridge!
Easy Leftover Chicken Recipes To Make For Dinner Or Lunch
14 easy leftover chicken recipes to make for lunch or dinner! You can make most of these tasty chicken recipes in under 20 minutes using rotisserie or any type of cooked chicken you have available!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken, cooked, chopped*
- 2 Tbsp sour cream or cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 Tbsp basil, chopped
- 2 Tbsp arugula chopped
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
- black pepper
- salt to taste
- 4 olives, pitted, chopped
- 1 tomato, sliced (optional)
- 4-5 slices of bread
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the chicken with the sour cream (or cream cheese), basil, arugula, scallion, garlic, black pepper, olives and mozzarella. Add salt to taste.
- Spread the salad on 2 slices of your favorite bread, add a slice of tomato (optional) on one of the slices and press both slices together.
- To toast: Toast the sandwich on the stove in a non-stick pan with some olive oil until golden brown.
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 523Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 99mgSodium 976mgCarbohydrates 46gFiber 4gSugar 8gProtein 30g