Who doesn’t love an easy recipe? A handful of ingredients, no muss, no fuss. And VY-OH-LAY. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Leftover roast chicken has so much potential for your next great recipe.
Use up the whole bird by making easy leftover chicken recipes, or even put leftover chicken breasts to good use.
I hate wasting food, so even if I have to rinse off chicken breasts from last night and chop them into a classic chicken salad, an easy casserole or chicken tacos, I’ll do it.
We have put together a list of our favorite recipes from around the web that the whole family can enjoy (or even make themselves on busy weeknights).
Transform your leftover chicken into this spicy and filling dip for a fun game day!
This recipe is easier to put together thanks to the magic of the slow cooker.
Simply add cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, chicken, cheese, and green onion in the sleep device, stir, and then slow cook!
Dunk your celery sticks, tortilla chips, carrot sticks, or Ritz crackers into this spicy chicken dip and expect a burst of savory flavors!
What to do with leftover chicken? Turn it into a delicious salad!
This leftover rotisserie chicken salad recipe is so versatile–you can add ingredients and condiments to your liking!
Get a bit fancier by including nuts, grapes, and sour cream into the mix or you can also stick to the simpler version with mayo, garlic, onion, and paprika.
Pro tip: Chill the chicken salad overnight before serving to meld its flavors.
These spinach wraps use cooked chicken breasts along with Romaine lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella, provolone, and ranch dressing.
They’re easy to create and a great way to use up all your leftover chicken from last night’s dinner.
This recipe uses spinach wraps, you can also rely on your whole wheat or corn tortillas.
Just make sure to heat the chicken and bacon before placing them inside the wrap so the cheese melts beautifully.
From entreé-sized salads to gourmet sandwiches, here’s an epic list of recipes from around the web that spotlight shredded leftover chicken!
Our list will be a great use for your chicken leftovers.
Take a look at Puff Pastry Chicken Bites, Cheesy Chicken Taco Dip, Chicken Marinara Casserole for your next weeknight dinner inspiration!
Repurpose last night’s chicken as a comforting, delicious meal with this chicken pot pie recipe loaded with vegetables.
This main dish is my best way of using a Sunday roast for meal prep. Speed things up with store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies, leftover white wine, and we are SET. I can make enough to put in lunches for a couple of days.
The best part about chicken pot pies is that it’s made from simple ingredients: double pie crust, leftover chicken, butter, flour, vegetables, cream, and herbs and lots of cracked black pepper.
It’s a great meal in itself, but you can also serve this pie alongside mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, Caesar salad, and roasted veggies.
Here are a few other ideas for what to serve alongside this easy meal.
Imagine your leftover chicken, green chilies, and Jack cheese are rolled in flour tortillas then smothered in a creamy sour cream-based sauce. Yum!
Packed with creamy goodness and leftover meat, you won’t believe that this dish only comes together in 40 minutes.
Make sure to double the recipe though as these enchiladas are sure to disappear when the entire family wants seconds.
The recipe is a perfect way to transform your leftover chicken into a whole new and satisfying meal!
It combines rice, butter, chicken (leftover), onion, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, Ritz crackers, and spices for additional flavor.
It has a nice textural nuance from the crackers and creamy mouthfeel from the blend of cream cheese and cream of chicken soup into the mix.
If you have leftover chicken on hand, you shouldn’t miss this cream cheese ritz cracker casserole!
If you’re still struggling with what to make with leftover chicken, this next recipe might be the one to clear your mind!
It’s layered with chicken cheese mixture, Doritos, and some shredded cheese and chopped green onions before being baked for up to 20 minutes.
The result? A dinner meal full of nice crunch and creamy indulgence!
This rich and cozy casserole will be your new quick weeknight dinner favorite. It’s warm, cheesy, and of course, savory!
What’s more, you just need 10 minutes to prepare the dish and let your oven do all the work!
To make it extraordinary, serve this king ranch chicken casserole with corn muffins, roasted broccoli, and crunchy tortilla chips.
This white chicken chili is a must-try dish that’s quick and easy to prepare at home, especially when you use leftover chicken.
Instead of wasting your time marinating the meat and stir-frying it, you just need to add cooked chicken directly to the cooking pot along with other ingredients then serve it with avocado slices, tortilla chips, and cheese!
Plus, you can also prepare this dish in a crockpot!
When it comes to crowd-pleasing recipes for leftover chicken, this BBQ chicken quesadilla is on my top list!
It’s loaded with saucy BBQ chicken, melty cheese, and Tex-Mex favorites such as black beans, corn, and black beans. Trust, the dish is truly a winner!
This quesadilla is delicious on its own, but partnering it with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole makes the dish more enjoyable to eat!
This chicken tetrazzini is made from a blend of leftover chicken, sauteed mushrooms, peas, and creamy sauce.
It’s topped with lots of cheese (yes, please!) then baked until golden.
Another good thing about this recipe is that it has endless possibilities when it comes to variations.
Feel free to swap your veggies, noodles, or add a little crunch to your final product by topping melted butter and Panko bread crumbs.
Bring new life to that leftover chicken by combining it with pasta, marinara, cheese, and Panko bread crumbs.
Serve the casserole alongside Caesar salad, breadsticks, or any veggie-based side to create a hearty meal the easy way that your family can’t forget!
This recipe only serves six so I recommend creating a second batch for the whole crowd.
Pro Tip: Remember not to leave chicken out at room temperature for too long.
Once you try this casserole, you’ll want to eat it over and over again!
Easy to prepare, it’s flavored with a blend of savory seasonings and packed with tender egg noodles, fresh vegetables, and cream.
It looks tasty and aesthetically pleasing!
This crispy chicken casserole is prepared in 15 minutes and made from six basic ingredients. What more could you want?
Ideal for any meal, serving this recipe is sure to leave your family wanting more!
And the best part is you can tweak the ingredients for different variations.
For mild and light flavor, you can opt for mozzarella. But in case you want it a little more savory, choose cheddar!
Or how about you’ll add a bit of Italian flair with parmesan cheese? Buon appetito!
Beware, these enchiladas are loaded with Monterey Jack cheese, leftover chicken, salsa verde, and green chiles, leaving you a good impression until the last bite!
Inarguably the hallmark of this recipe is that it’s so easy to make!
Just combine green chile mixture, chicken salsa verde, cilantro, and cheese. Assemble the enchiladas, lay them on a flat surface, and top with remaining salsa verde, cheese, and bake!
Make sure to top with dollops of sour cream and serve it immediately.
17. Chicken Ala King
Serve this leftover chicken recipe for dinner and expect to wow your family with its creamy and luscious flavor!
It has the right creaminess coming from the blend of butter, all-purpose flour, and chicken broth. The inclusion of colorful vegetables like peas, carrots, onions, and bell pepper gives this dish a nice presentation.
This cozy entree is truly delicious on its own, but it also works great with rice, flaky homemade biscuits, and pasta.
Simple to make? Check! A crowd-pleaser? Oh yes!
This fiesta chicken casserole is sure to be a new hit in your family dinner.
It combines basic ingredients and condiments such as chicken, pasta, black beans, corn, seasons, and cheese.
But if you want to add a spicy flare, then add jalapeños, cayenne pepper, or a can of diced green chilies into the mix!
Leave your leftover worries and make this chicken cordon bleu casserole for dinner.
Believe it or not, the making process is quite simple too.
The recipe starts by sauteing onions, garlic, and seasonings in butter. Then simmer the rice in chicken broth and olive oil.
After that, you need to combine cream of chicken soup, simmered rice, sour cream, milk, Dijon mustard, cheddar, parmesan, and your leftover or cooked chicken!
Top the mixture with Swiss cheese, breadcrumbs, or melted butter, then bake for several minutes. You’re welcome!
Another good way to make use of your leftover chicken is turning them into savory pasta. Behold, the leftover BBQ chicken pasta!
Ready in about 30 minutes, this recipe mixes bacon, onion, red bell pepper, chicken broth, BBQ sauce, Rotel tomatoes, cheese, pasta, and the highlight–your leftover chicken!
If you’re not fond of spicy food, it’s best to replace Rotel tomatoes with regular ones.
21. Chicken Nachos
Nacho lovers, assemble!
This leftover chicken recipe has everything you love about classic nachos, including cheese, nacho seasoning, and tortilla chips.
Perfect to serve on movie night, this fun snack is more enjoyable to eat when served along with sour cream, jalapeno, and guacamole.
Whip up this salad filled with mayo, almonds, eggs, cheddar cheese, potato chips in less than an hour.
It’s suitable to serve alone or alongside roasted vegetables like green beans and broccoli. Or you can go with your favorite rice dish.
You can prepare the mixture the night before and bake it when it’s ready to serve. I recommend using leftover chicken for easy cooking.
Leftover chicken, pinto beans, and tomatoes join forces to create a comforting soup bound to impress your family and friends.
It’s creamy and flavorful!
And the secret? The combination of cream cheese and dried seasonings!
Once your soup is done, garnish it with fresh chopped onion, avocado, cilantro, and chips!
This warm and scrumptious soup is one of those easiest cooked chicken recipes that you will want to make again and again.
The recipe starts by cooking the bacon and sauteing onion and garlic with the bacon fat.
Then the chicken broth, cream, Italian seasoning, and gnocchi are added into the mix and simmered for several minutes.
Add the chicken and spinach and wait for the soup to thicken up. That’s it!
Don’t limit your creativity. Adapt your own version by trying different veggie combinations.
You can substitute spinach with kale or any vegetable that can add a touch of color and texture to the soup.
These buffalo chicken wraps are straightforward to put together, thanks for the leftover chicken you had last dinner.
You don’t need to marinate and cook the chicken.
Simply coat the leftovers with buffalo sauce, warm up tortillas, assemble with toppings like lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and ranch dressing, then wrap!
Or you can try changing up the garnishes with cucumbers, celery, bell pepper, and avocado.
Leftover chicken can be added to stuffed peppers and turn into a savory and mouth- watering dish.
When making the stuffed peppers, though, it’s advisable to remove the chicken skin and use only the meat.
You also need to bake the peppers for up to 20 minutes until they’re fork-tender.
Serve these stuffed peppers with a little green onion and extra buffalo sauce on top. Or add some blue cheese or serve them over rice if desired.
This chicken stuffing bake recipe calls for leftover chicken, stuffing mix, cream of chicken soup, and steamed broccoli.
I’ve learned how to cook broccoli in a microwave and guess what? It tastes good! Not to mention it saves time and stovetop space.
This tasty dish requires 45 minutes to create in the oven.
All you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a greased baking dish, cover with foil, then cook for 30 minutes.
Once done, top the mix with grated cheese and bake it again until golden and cooked through.
The bottom line
What are some of your favorite ways to use up a whole chicken the next day?
We encourage picky eaters to go through this list and find different ways to make good on these leftover recipes.
Let us know if you found a new favorite or a twist on a classic!
27 BEST Ways To Use Leftover Chicken
Repurpose last night's cooked chicken into a comforting meal with these 27 tasty leftover chicken recipes.
Ingredients
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Chicken Spinach Wraps
- 55 Recipes That Use Shredded Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Cream Cheese Ritz Cracker Casserole
- Doritos Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- White Chicken Chili
- BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Crispy Chicken Shells Casserole
- Green Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Ala King
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole
- BBQ Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Nachos
- Hot Chicken Salad
- Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Bacon Gnocchi Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Wraps
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Stuffing Bake
Instructions
- Pull out your leftover chicken from your fridge.
- Select one recipe above to use up your leftovers.
- Prepare other ingredients and start makin’ or bakin'.
- Enjoy your meal with complementary sides.