30 leftover chicken or roast chicken ideas for dinner that your family will love.
Do you have any leftover chicken in your refrigerator? Need a recipe to use all that leftover chicken? Well, fear not. You’ve come to the right place! I’m sharing our family’s favorite ways to use chicken that’s already cooked. Whether you’ve cooked it yourself or bought a roast chicken and need dinner ideas, this post is full of easy, familiar, and delicious chicken recipes that work well with precooked chicken.
How long can cooked chicken be kept in the fridge?
You can safely store leftover chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days before you need to throw it away. If you think you won’t be able to eat leftover chicken in that amount of time, put it in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer. Cooked and frozen chicken will last up to four months in the freezer.
Now let’s get to the list. Here are all the best pre-cooked or roasted chicken recipes!
1. Chicken tacosMix salsa, cumin and chili powder with shredded chicken to taste. Serve in soft or hard taco shells with all bindings. We love using the little street taco tortillas. They are so soft and delicious!
2.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Make your favorite pizza crust, slathered with barbecue sauce, shredded chicken, red onions, and any other ingredient you want. (I like bacon and pineapple.) Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake until dough is well cooked and cheese is bubbly and golden.
3. Hot grilled sandwiches
I make a variety of hot sandwiches. I basically put sauce, meat, vegetables and cheese on a delicious bread and roast everything until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted. Try THIS rosemary bread recipe… It’s to die for covered with mayonnaise, chicken, spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
4. Chicken enchiladas with sour creamMy favorite recipe is HERE.
5. Chicken manicotti 2 tablespoons butter1/4 cup onions, chopped6 mushrooms, chopped (optional)1 cup
cooked chicken, chopped1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (don’t leave this out… Make the recipe!) 1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese (or substitute small curd cottage cheese)1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese1 tablespoon chopped parsley14 manicottipeels1/4 cup water1 jar (26 oz) sauce Spaghetti
Sauté onion and champagne in butter. Add chicken, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, half of the mozzarella cheese and the parsley. Add the cooled chicken mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into the raw manicotti peels. Spread half of the spaghetti sauce in a 9×13 skillet. Place the stuffed manicotti over the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle the remaining cheese. Pour the water around the edges of the pan. Top well with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the noodles are tender.
6. Chicken, broccoli and rice casseroleI don’t really follow a recipe, but HERE’s one that’s basically how I make it.
7. Four Ingredient Pasta Dinner Sofast and delicious! Recipe HERE.
8. Chicken and vegetable soup 2
cooked chicken breasts1 frozen bag 7 mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, celery, potato, onion, carrot, beans)2 cans diced tomato broth or chickenbroth, pepper, spices to taste
Add everything to a large, hot pot. Use enough broth or broth to make the soup have the right liquid-to-solid ratio. Season with bay leaves, parsley, garlic, onion or red pepper flakes to taste.
9. BBQ chicken sandwichesCrush the cooked chicken, add the barbecue sauce and serve on soft rolls. Such a quick dinner when the chicken is already cooked and tender!
10. White Chicken ChiliThere are many similar recipes, but THIS is my favorite version.
11. Chicken soup with noodlesDo I need to add a recipe for this? Onions, carrots, celery, noodles, broth, chicken. If you saved the broth from cooking your chicken, this is the food I would save it for. Homemade broth makes it taste like you’ve had your soup simmering all day.
12. Thai chicken fettuccineI originally found this recipe in a food magazine at my mother’s house. It had such an intriguing combination of ingredients that I had to try it. We loved it, and I bet you will too!
12 ounces fettuccine noodles1 cup
sauce1/4 peanut butter2 tablespoons orange juice2 tablespoons honey1 teaspoon soy sauce2 chicken breasts1 red bell pepper, chopped1/4 cup cilantro, chopped Cook fettuccine noodles
according to package directions. Sauté the red pepper in a little oil. Mix all sauce ingredients and microwave to heat. Combine the noodles, peppers, chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.
13. Oriental dinner saladChicken, tangerines, green onions, water chestnuts (if you like them), chow mein noodles, sliced almonds and red peppers on a bed of lettuce served with Kraft’s Asian toasted sesame dressing. Make this easy-to-serve toast aside.
14. Crispy chicken wraps It’s like a hot chicken salad wrapped in a crispy omelet. Recipe found HERE.
15. White Chicken PizzaTop your favorite homemade crust with Alfredo sauce, chicken, green onions, and lots of mozzarella cheese. Or make the sauce from scratch and add the tomatoes and spinach. This recipe looks fabulous.
16. Chicken and spicypasta 2 chicken breasts, diced1/2 cup Italian dressing2 cups broccoli1 small onion, chopped1 red bell pepper, chopped1 tablespoon parsley1 8-ounce packet fettuccine1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Boil pasta. Sauté vegetables in 1/4 cup of dressing until tender. Mix with cooked pasta and remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with cheese.
17. Southwest Egg RollsInstead of using wonton wrappers, all your favorite Southwest ingredients are wrapped in an omelet and fried. I prefer to bake them in the oven… Still crunchy and delicious without all the extra calories. Recipe HERE.
18. BBQ Chicken Dinner Salad A perfect dinnerwhen you want something refreshing. We eat this often in the summer. Recipe HERE.
19. Chicken salad sandwichesYou can make it however you want, but I love recipes with nuts and some kind of fruit in them. THIS recipe looks amazing. With the pre-cooked chicken, this would be such a quick dinner to prepare. Cut a melon, prepare the sandwich filling, pack some drinks and voila! Perfect for a summer picnic!
20. Southwest Chicken and Rice Bake2 cups water2 cups rice3 chicken breasts, cooked, diced or shredded1 small onion, diced1 cup thick sauce1 packet taco seasoning (or substitute garlic powder, chili powder, salt and cumin to taste)1 can black beans, drained1 cup shredded cheddar cheesesscream
Cook rice in water until tender (20 minutes). Meanwhile, sauté the onion until tender. Add chicken, salsa, taco seasoning and beans. Stir along with cooked rice. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and everything is hot. Serve with a tablespoon of sour cream.
21. Tortellini
with summer vegetables Tortellinicheese mixed with chicken, zucchini and tomatoes mixed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Simple and delicious, and a perfect way to use your garden vegetables. Recipe HERE.
22.
Baked chicken filling Stuffed withvegetables, chicken and a creamy sauce. A simple casserole. Recipe HERE.
23. Chicken bow tiesalad This makes a large batch of pasta salad perfect to take to a baby shower or barbecue. It devours! Recipe HERE.
24. Chicken in potato baskets4 1/2 cups grated hashbrowns6 tablespoons butter salt and pepper to tasteFilling: 1/2 cup chopped onion1/4 cup butter1/4 cup flour2 teaspoons chicken broth1 teaspoon worcestershire1/2 teaspoon dried basil2 cups milk3 cups diced chicken1 cup frozen peas, Thawed
Combine potatoes and butter. Press into six cups of greased 10-ounce cream. Sauté onion in butter. Add flour, broth, Worcestershire and basil. Add the milk. Boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Add the chicken and peas. Pour with a spoon into the prepared crusts. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
25. Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread Pizza1 French bread leftover French bread roast chicken4-6 slices cooked bacon, shredded1 bunch of green onions, chopped dressing mozzarella cheese dressing
Cut French bread in half lengthwise. Spread each side of the bread with ranch dressing. Then add cheese, chicken, bacon and green onions. Roast until the cheese melts and the bread browns around the edges.
26. PumpsBread dough stuffed with meat, cheese and vegetables. One of our family favorites. Recipe HERE.
27. Cream Cheese Chicken Zesty Italian spicesare mixed in a creamy, cheesey sauce. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes. Recipe HERE.
28. Half MoonChicken 1 8 oz brick cream cheese2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded2 cans of crescent rolls seasonings to taste (try garlic powder, sage and rosemary) Mix chicken
and seasoning in softened cream cheese. Unroll the crescent dough and add a tablespoon of filling to the large end of the triangle. Roll the dough around the filling and bake according to the growing roll packaging.
29. Chicken with spinach Linguinidiced chicken16 oz linguini1 cup chicken broth1 onion, chopped2 garlic cloves, chopped1 packet chopped spinach, frozen, thawed and drained1/3 cup milk2 tablespoons cream cheese1 cup parmesan cheese1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Boil noodles. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Add milk, cream cheese, salt/pepper. Add the spinach. Mix with noodles and chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses and serve immediately.
30. Fettuccine Alfredo with ChickenBuy a jar of prepared Alfredo sauce or make your own (recipe HERE). Add chicken and serve over fettuccine noodles with vegetables on the side. It’s that simple!
Video of chicken dinner
ideas
We hope this list will help you find ways to use leftover chicken or give you ideas of how you might use a roast chicken.
