What's The Best Way To Use Up Leftover Rotisserie Chicken?

Is there anything better than a nicely roasted rotisserie chicken from the store? Just pick one of those bad boys up, and you've got dinner already halfway made. Depending on the size of your family, though, you might end up with a few pieces of leftover bird. In honor of our rotisserie chicken smackdown (and we've got a lot of chicken in our fridge), we asked our staff and chef experts: What's your favorite way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken?

Toss together your own pie crust (or cheat and get some frozen dough), make a sauce or even just use a can of cream of mushroom soup, and then add some shredded chicken and a few veggies for an easy take on the dinner no one can resist.—Gwen Ihnat, Deputy Managing Editor, The Takeout

As a taco junky I always have corn tortillas, fresh pico de gallo, and pickled red onions in the fridge at home. I love to take left over rotisserie chicken, shred it, crisp it up in a griddle or cast iron pan and make some tasty tacos. —Drew Watson, owner/chef, Hops & Pie, Denver

I've been making this forever. First I pull the meat off. I make a sauce of minced garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, a little bit of ginger, rice wine vinegar (fish sauce if you have it!). Reduce that to a syrup. Then toss the chicken in to warm it up, and add a bit chicken stock and reduce everything down a bit more. I'll serve this with rice, cilantro, and lime. —Ross Henke, executive chef, Quiote, Chicago

I often start with a starch—pasta, rice, potatoes, tortillas—and build off of what I have. Fresh vegetables? I often sauté up any vegetables I have with the chicken and mix in pasta—finish with either nice olive oil or tomato sauce depending what's in my pantry. Sometimes I even crisp up potatoes, add the chicken and mix in some eggs for a very easy breakfast skillet. Rotisserie chicken also makes great leftover quesadillas! Cheese, tortillas, chicken and anything else you want to use up. —Julie Warpinski, executive chef, Big Star, Chicago

A friend just gave me a Ronco Rotisserie a couple weeks ago and I'm using the shit out of it. I rarely have rotisserie chicken leftovers, but when I do I've used it mostly for Singapore noodles [stir-fried vermicelli], switching out the shrimp for chicken. In a wok, saute peppers, onions, scallions and snow peas and chicken with boiled and cooled rice noodles. Hit it with a mix of fish sauce, minced garlic, pepper, Shaoxing wine, sugar and yellow curry powder. P.S. This recipe also doubles as a hangover helper.—Matt Troost, chef, Good Measure, Chicago

If I had leftover rotisserie chicken, I would pull or shred it and heat it in a pan with a little tomato sauce, Greek yogurt and a curry spice blend. Make some rice and dig in with a pita or piece of naan. —Evy Swoboda, executive chef, The Last Hotel, St. Louis

What looks like a paltry few bits of leftover rotisserie chicken can stretch to an entire chicken-salad sandwich if you use substantial mix-ins. I usually use a combo of equal parts mayo and dijon mustard for the "sauce" part, plus whichever of the following I have around: diced celery, shredded carrots, dried cranberries, chopped apples, cubed-up tomatoes, chopped walnuts, etc. —Kate Bernot, associate editor, The Takeout