A rotisserie chicken is the perfect multi-tasking ingredient. Not only is it delicious on its own, but it can be transformed into so many different delicious meals that take half the time to cook because you don’t actually have to cook the chicken. If your New Year’s resolutions included eating healthier, spending less money, and cooking at home more, then these rotisserie chicken meals will be perfect for you. They are quick, easy, delicious and fairly healthy.
1. Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Grab your rotisserie chicken and either dice or shred part of it. Only a few other ingredients are needed for this recipe like a flatbread or pizza crust, barbecue sauce, shredded cheese and red onion.
Cook the flatbread or pizza crust according to instructions; throw the barbecue sauce on the base; then top it with cheese, chopped red onion, and the shredded or diced rotisserie chicken. Throw it back in the oven until the cheese melts to your liking, and it’s done! A simple yet delicious barbecue chicken pizza is ready to be eaten for either lunch or dinner. (Maybe even breakfast, I’m not judging.)
2. Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is one of my favorite lunches to have, and it’s simple to make as well. Dice up some rotisserie chicken, and mix it in a bowl with some onion, celery, mayonnaise, pickle relish, salt and pepper. You can eat it straight from the bowl; put it on some bread and have a chicken salad sandwich; or even lay a bed of lettuce underneath and have a chicken-salad salad.
If you like to spice things up a bit, you can add blackening spice to your chicken salad, as well as jalapenos and/or chipotle mayo instead of regular mayo. I love spicing up my chicken salad for a more flavorful meal.
3. Chicken Caesar Salad
The classic chicken Caesar salad is never the wrong way to go. Chop or shred up your rotisserie chicken again, and toss it in a bowl with some romaine lettuce. Add croutons, Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing, and it’s complete.
This can be a great lunch, but also a simple dinner as well. If you make a large salad for lunch and have some leftover for dinner, you can add in blackening spice again to transform the taste of the meal.
4. Burrito Bowl
Dice up some of your rotisserie chicken and warm it up in a pan adding lime juice and taco seasoning. The next ingredients depend on your tastes, so pick and choose which you wish to add to your bowl. Add white or brown rice, beans, the chicken, some sauteed peppers and onions, hot queso, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, jalapenos and anything else you like. Instead of spending money on a burrito bowl, make your own in the comfort of your own home.
5. Chicken and Gravy (+ Bonus Recipe)
This meal is one of my favorites to eat for dinner. Gravy can be a little challenging to make from scratch (although I think it’s worth it if you can make it from scratch), so you could just purchase a can of gravy if preferred. If you want to attempt to make it from scratch, I have attached my homemade recipe below.
Otherwise, heat up your gravy in a sauce pan, and cut a breast or leg off your rotisserie chicken in the meantime. Once the gravy is hot, add your chicken to the pan with the gravy and wait for your chicken to heat up. When it’s hot, add the chicken with some gravy on top to a plate and enjoy a comforting, home-cooked meal. You can even make some mashed potatoes, rice, or macaroni and cheese as a side dish.
Gravy
Ingredients
Instructions
Make chicken broth by boiling a cup of water and adding a chicken bouillon cube. Wait until the cube it dissolved to turn the heat off.
In a small saucepan, melt the stick of butter over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the 1/2 cup of flour. Stir until the mixture is thick.
Add the heavy whipping cream and another chicken bouillon cube to the saucepan. Stir until combined.
Slowly add in the chicken broth to the gravy, stirring. Add in the white pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring and adding chicken broth until the gravy reaches a desired thickness. (You may have to add in some water to thin it out, too.)
Let the gravy simmer on low heat until the rest of your meal is ready.
On top of these five meals, there are many more delicious meals to make with a rotisserie chicken. They are not only convenient and delicious, but also inexpensive. Next time you’re grocery shopping, don’t pass up the opportunity to grab a rotisserie chicken and use it for dinners all week long.