So, you’ve come across some leftover roast chicken or cooked chicken breasts in your fridge. Your family is hungry, but you have no idea how to turn it into dinner tonight. My friend, just scroll down to see 33 of the best leftover chicken breast recipes on the internet! Everything from healthy, low-carb recipes to the other end of the dietary spectrum with recipes featuring rice and pasta.
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Why I Love Leftover Chicken Breast Recipes
Almost daily, I get requests for more chicken recipes! I know we all love our chicken meat and that we often have some cooked chicken in our fridge. So, I decided it was time to compile an amazing list of easy leftover chicken recipes as a great all-in-one resource! We all have enough food waste in our kitchens and with high food prices, it’s time to use every bit of that leftover chicken!
In fact, my first cookbook was based on the whole concept of cooking 5 pounds of chicken at the beginning of the week, and then transforming it into a different dinner each night. It’s a time-saving method of cooking dinner and chicken is always a kid-friendly protein option.
Leftover chicken breast recipes are a bit of my specialty! This is how I have been cooking for my big family for a long time. Basically on Instagram and TikTok, I’m well known for being a chicken master, so let’s get leftover chicken ideas to work!
How to Make Leftover Chicken Breast Recipes Almost all chicken recipes can be transformed into leftover chicken breast recipes if you know a few basic steps. Frequently Asked Questions About Leftover Chicken Breast Recipes
Can I use dark meat in
these leftover chicken breast recipes? Yes, all
of
these 33
leftover chicken breast recipes can
be easily made with thigh or thigh meat. In fact, dark meat has much more flavor than white breast meat, so you’ll end up with even better results. However, I know many children who would rebel if their chicken wasn’t white breast meat, so use it with caution 🙂
How to Prevent Chicken from Overcooking in
Leftover Chicken Breast Recipes
Since leftover chicken is already cooked, it’s important to avoid overcooking as you use it in these recipes. Ideally, try adding it to the end of the recipe, giving it time to reheat it without going too far. For example, if you’re making chicken soup or stew, you’ll prepare the recipe as written, but don’t add the cooked chicken until the last few minutes. Once the chicken has warmed, remove it from heat and serve.
What if the recipe doesn’t call for chicken that’s already cooked?
For the most part, in any recipe that calls for raw chicken, leftover chicken breasts can be substituted instead. As mentioned above, it is best to add cooked chicken long enough for it to warm up. For example, if you’re doing a chicken and vegetable stir-fry, first cook the veggies and sauce in the pan. Finally, add the diced chicken breasts to the pan in the last 3-4 minutes of stirring.
Before
jumping into the 33 leftover chicken breast recipes, it’s important to know the following tips for the success of the different ways you can use cooked protein
.
- Leftover chicken can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for three months. Make sure you stay safe by not using cooked chicken that might have gone bad.
- Since the chicken is already fully cooked, be careful when using it in a recipe so that it does not overcook and get hard. A good rule of thumb is to add it towards the end to reheat it when possible.
- While chicken breasts are the white meat portion of the bird, any of these recipes are also a great way to use leftover thigh or thigh meat. Replace them directly one by one in any of the recipes below.
33 leftover chicken breast recipes
1.
Baked BBQ Chicken Sliders The baked BBQ chicken sliders are ready in 20 minutes and are the best sliders you’ve ever had! The leftover shredded chicken is loaded into Hawaiian sweet rolls, then topped with garlic butter and Parmesan cheese before baking to golden perfection. Just look at all the melted cheese there! This is how a quick weekday dinner is made for the whole family.
2. Chicken and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing Poppy
Seed Dressing Chicken strawberry salad is
a favorite summer dinner when it’s too hot to cook! I love the feta cheese and toasted almonds on top of this chicken poppy seed salad. They add the perfect salinity and crunchiness. Seriously, this is one of the easiest things to do on a busy weeknight during the summer.
3. Chicken Enchilada
Casserole
with Green Chili
This layered green chili chicken enchilada casserole only has FIVE ingredients and is very easy to make! It’s an all-time favorite at Casa Jones as we love Mexican food so much. Also, this chicken enchilada baking is kid-friendly because green chili peppers aren’t spicy, but they add great flavor! This is one of our most commonly used leftover chicken breast recipes.
4. Easy Sheet Chicken
Nachos Bread
Nachos are one of my favorite weekday foods, and I’m here to make sure they’re one of yours too. No, I’m not talking about grabbing loaded nachos in happy hour. I’m talking about easy homemade chicken nachos, which will save you money and be ready in minutes. And if you have kids at home, there’s nothing more kid-friendly than nachos for dinner!
5. Southwest Chicken
Chili Southwest Chicken
Soup is one of my favorite easy dinners that are loaded with all my favorite Mexican flavors: black beans, chicken, corn, and green chiles. If you love chicken omelette soup as much as I do, scroll down to print this recipe. Oh, and did I mention that your dinner will be ready in 15 minutes? Add a tablespoon of sour cream, fresh avocado and some tortilla chips on top for the perfect meal!
6. Thai Chicken Salad
with Hot Peanut Sauce
Thai chicken salad is hands down the best
salad I’ve ever made and one of the best recipes of my 600+ on this site. Fresh, healthy vegetables are paired with grilled and marinated chicken, vegetables, peanuts, a spicy Thai peanut sauce, and sweet chili dressing. This is a Thai salad recipe is one you can’t stop eating and super kid friendly too.
7. Cordon
Bleu
Easy Chicken Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is perfect for a busy weekday meal. This amazing dinner combines all your favorite flavors of chicken, ham, and Swiss cheese, but makes it quick to prepare. Although this recipe calls for a roast chicken, you can use any leftover form of chicken you have hanging in your refrigerator.
8. High Protein Vegetable Sauce
with Chicken and
Bacon A delicious high-volume, low-calorie lunch and this high-protein vegetable sauce with chicken and bacon! It’s addictive, low-calorie insaneness and it’s a complete meal when served with your favorite vegetables for volume. Plus, it’s an easy way to prepare a meal in 5 minutes, so you can’t beat that. Make a batch on Monday and it’s enough to feast all week.
9. Chicken cake
Learn how to make chicken pie with this delicious crazy dinner. This is one of my son’s favorite leftover chicken breast recipes! You can make your cake dough from scratch or buy one in the store for the easiest way. My homemade pot cake recipe will convince you to step away forever from the selection of freezers in your grocery store.
10. Classic Chicken Enchiladas
Making enchiladas is, without a doubt, my favorite way to transform leftovers into an easy and tasty dinner. The tender roast chicken is dressed in spicy and spicy enchilada sauce, topped with grated cheese, then wrapped in tender tortillas and baked until hot. What is not loving? Serve with an easy green salad for the perfect weekday dinner.
11. Creamy chicken and
wild rice soup
This my friend is my famous creamy chicken and wild rice soup. Leave behind chicken soup with noodles in a can and go for this! It’s loaded with vegetables, wild rice, and chicken, plus the creamy, decadent chicken broth that does your heart good when the weather is a little cold. It makes a large enough pot for the whole family.
12. Sweet potatoes stuffed with buffalo chicken
You don’t have to wait for game day to enjoy the hot heat of Buffalo sauce. This weeknight dinner features boneless chicken breasts with hot sauce stuffed in a bright, baked sweet potato. A drizzle of creamy ranch dressing cools the fire, long enough for you to refill your fork.
13. Chicken
and Potato Soup This amazing
soup is loaded with all your favorite simple ingredients: vegetables, chicken, and an amazing creamy broth. It’s that creaminess that takes you from chicken soup to chicken soup! It’s perfect on a cool evening for an easy dinner or to take to a friend who needs a little more love.
14. White chicken
lasagna
Love lasagna AND Fettuccine Alfredo? We sure do it in our house! So we made a bit of a mix of our two favorite leftover chicken breast recipes and boy is it AMAZING!! This creamy Alfredo chicken lasagna is literally the best thing that has come to our house in a long time.
15. Asian Ramen Chicken Salad
This Asian ramen salad recipe is so amazing with fresh Napa cabbage, chicken, green onions, toasted almonds and ramen noodles. Plus, it comes together in just a few minutes and uses only a few ingredients! If you’ve never eaten a Napa cabbage salad before, a gift awaits you because you just think you don’t like cabbage. Napa cabbage will change your mind instantly! Think of it as if cabbage and romaine lettuce have a perfect baby.
16.
Fried rice recipe with chicken and fried chicken that will turn out better than takeaway from your favorite Chinese restaurant! It’s full of vegetables and chicken, and yet it’s still a super kid-friendly dinner idea. I also have the best tips and tricks to make sure this great meal comes out perfectly every time. So really, we have leftover chicken breast recipes and leftover rice recipes in one!
17. Thai Chicken Curry and Coconut Soup Thai Chicken
Curry Soup
with Coconut is a hearty vegetable, chicken and noodle soup with vibrant fresh Thai flavors. And you’ll love the addition of crispy peanuts to finish. It is the perfect soup recipe to make all year round.
18. California Grilled Chicken Wraps
Looking for a quick meal your kids can prepare for the family? These wraps are a fun twist on a classic lunch wrap. Just a little fancier and grilled to make them a little more satisfying for dinner. Feel free to play with the recipe to make it your own! Spread some cream cheese over the tortilla before loading it. Or how about a splash of olive oil and vinegar especially before rolling it?
19. Chicken and barley
soup and cabbage
Cooked cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables, which is why I love this soup/stew! This is a very filling and filling soup with whole grain barley and amazing cooked cabbage. Leftovers freeze beautifully for up to three months, so don’t be afraid to make some pot.
20. Chicken Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of my favorite easy meals for leftover chicken because it creates that perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour and spices. The recipe calls for raw chicken, but you can easily use already cooked chicken and throw it away at the end to heat it with the finished Thai noodles.
21. Buffalo Chicken Dip is
my favorite holiday party sauce recipe! Loaded with chicken, Franks hot sauce, and ranchero or blue cheese dressing for the perfect protein-packed salsa for bread, vegetables, crackers or chips. Definitely a surprising option on the list of leftover chicken breast recipes, but one you shouldn’t miss!
22. Ranch Mac and Cheese
Two of the South’s favorite casseroles came together for the best pan dinner. If you haven’t met yet, let us introduce you to King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese. It has the richness and creaminess you expect from your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe, combined with the robust flavor of the classic King Ranch chicken casserole. What is not loving?
23. White Chicken Chili
Use your leftover chicken for this big, easy white chili! I also use this recipe with chicken leftovers after Thanksgiving. If you have time, you can also use dried beans instead of those from a can, but be sure to cook them first according to the package directions. Unsurprisingly, this is the perfect recipe for when it’s cold outside.
24. Roast Chicken Salad Roast
chicken salad is always one of the best ways to eat healthy without feeling deprived! Most chicken salads use too much mayonnaise as one of their main ingredients, but this recipe has just enough, while the calorie count is only 163 per half-cup serving. The recipe calls for cooking chicken breasts to make the salad, but you’ve already done that, so skip that part of 25 instructions 🙂
. Believe it
or
not, this beautiful comfort food will be ready in 30 minutes or less! It’s one of my favorite easy recipes from my cookbook! You’ll love this recipe because it’s the perfect fusion of chicken pie with cookies and gravy. So, there won’t be an ounce of leftovers in the pan once you’re done, so maybe you should make two with your 26 leftover roast chicken 🙂
. Chicken gnocchi
soup
This chicken gnocchi soup recipe is quick, easy to make in your own kitchen, and comforting. Padded gnocchi melts in the mouth, there are tender vegetables, and the creamy broth is addictive! This one you definitely need to try from all these leftover chicken breast recipes. Take chicken soup to a whole new level.
27. Southwest
Chicken
Quesadillas Southwest Chicken Quesadillas… The perfect excuse to stuff all your favorite foods between two flour tortillas, along with plenty of melted cheese: chicken, corn, black beans and green chiles. This quesadilla recipe will be your new favorite food when time is short and you need a really satisfying meal. If you’ve ever wondered how to make quesadillas, this is the recipe you want to try first because you’ll never need another! Interestingly, we just had these last night 🙂
28. Gluten-free white chicken lasagna
Loaded with cheddar cheese, gluten-free pasta, and chicken, this recipe came from a member of my family years ago and is simply delicious. Consequently, if you’re not gluten-free, feel free to use regular lasagna noodles instead!
29. Chicken Paninis and Fontina
Need something super quick for dinner tonight? Crispy on the outside and sticky on the inside, this sandwich requires little effort and is a satisfying lunch or light dinner. If you don’t have a panini press, you can cook these hot sandwiches in a pan on the stove. You will only have to put something heavy on top to press them a little while they are cooking. This is how you make quick leftover chicken breast recipes the right way!
30. Creamy Avocado
Chicken Enchilada Creamy Chicken Casserole Enchilada The
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole comes together super fast and is crazy delicious! This casserole is super kid-friendly because it’s loaded with leftover meat, avocados, green chilies, and cheese. If you love chicken enchiladas with white sauce, this is even better because you don’t have to waste all that time rolling each individual enchilada!
31. Chicken pasta,
avocado and bacon
salad
During the hot summer months, this pasta salad is a staple in our home. It’s full of so many amazing flavors and honestly, it’s hard to stop eating. Interestingly, we love it best at room temperature, so if you have leftovers from the salad, just put it in the microwave for a few seconds to take the cold out of the fridge.
32. Chicken salad with candied nuts
I created this recipe in 2008 after eating the most amazing salad like this on TGIFridays. After a few bites, I knew I was going to have to make mine at home. Loaded with chicken, blueberries, tangerines, candied nuts and blue cheese! This salad looks difficult but it’s pretty easy to make and crazy good.
33. Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Chicken Take your classic
strawberry and spinach salad
to the next level by adding chicken, tangerines, toasted almonds, and a homemade poppy seed dressing. Consequently, this one is perfect for a hot summer night because you don’t have to turn on the stove at all if you have the leftover chicken
in your fridge.
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