Articicle by Raechel Conover for Cheapism©
© Juanmonino/istockphoto
Get a Leg Up
Between work, school schedules, and household chores, there’s often little time to make dinner. One way to put a satisfying meal on the table fast: Start with a super-cheap rotisserie chicken. Warehouse clubs such as Costco typically sell them at a loss; Costco prices a 3-pound chicken at just $5. While it’s tasty on its own, with minimal effort you can make several dishes out of one to save time and money. Buy a chicken at the beginning of the week to have a simple meal base for several days, and freeze the excess for later. Here are some ideas to get you started (really, almost any recipe calling for chicken can use rotisserie chicken).
Buffalo Chicken Flatbread
The blogger behind Katie’s Cucina knows her way around a rotisserie chicken. She stretched a Costco rotisserie chicken to four meals: chicken pot pie, chicken soup, and two days of buffalo chicken flatbread. One day she made a flatbread for dinner, and the next day she served one as an appetizer when entertaining guests. Here, a Greek-yogurt Buffalo sauce drizzle over top makes a perfect complement.
Recipe: Katie’s Cucina
© TraceyAPhotos/istockphoto
Chicken, Avocado, and Tomato Grilled Cheese
What’s better than a grilled cheese sandwich on a chilly evening? A grilled-cheese sandwich with a twist. This chicken, avocado, and tomato grilled-cheese delight is delicious and easy. Just heat up leftover rotisserie chicken, mash up an avocado with spices, slice a tomato, and put it together with cheese slices, mayo, and bread. Grill it up in a skillet and dig in.
Recipe: Marla Meridith
One-Pot Cheesy Chicken With Broccoli and Rice
It doesn’t get much easier than throwing all the ingredients — even uncooked rice — into one pot, and that’s exactly what this wonder recipe does. With minimal prep time and even less cleanup time (remember, just one pot), this recipe is simple as well as satisfying.
Recipe: Cakescottage
Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
Do you like making takeout recipes at home? Fans of chicken fried rice will love this easy dish. It combines rice, vegetables, egg, and rotisserie chicken with the traditional sesame oil and soy sauce to make an authentic chicken fried rice dish that is healthier and better than takeout.
Recipe: Rachel Schultz on Homemaking
High-Protein Chicken Salad
Pack on the protein with this fun chicken salad recipe. Easy and delectable, the tangy combo of creamy yogurt, apples, and grapes is perfect for lunch or dinner on the go. Keep it low-carb by using a bed of lettuce instead of bread, or go the more traditional route and serve it on croissants.
Recipe: MyFitnessPal
Chicken Tacos
No recipe needed here. Simply heat up some rotisserie chicken, toss it with a packet of taco seasoning, and serve it on a warm tortilla shell. Add any other fillings of your choice, such as rice, black beans, green chilies, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and taco sauce.
Related: 21 Delicious and Inexpensive Mexican Dishes
© alisafarov/istockphoto
Chicken Chickpea Chopped Salad
Salad is a perfect complement to rotisserie chicken, and this scrumptious chickpea chopped salad is no exception. The five-minute prep time makes this good-for-you salad even more desirable. You may have many of the ingredients already on hand: rotisserie chicken and chickpeas, of course, plus romaine lettuce, corn, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a dressing of choice, such as barbecue.
Recipe: Ambitious Kitchen
Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Comfort food at its finest, a hearty and good-for-you pot pie is a classic chicken recipe made much easier with shredded rotisserie chicken. This version uses refrigerated pie crusts, and although the recipe calls for fresh vegetables, you can take the easier route of using frozen.
Recipe: Spicy Southern Kitchen
Baked Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
It doesn’t get much easier than these hearty baked barbecue chicken sandwiches. Just shred some leftover rotisserie chicken, mix with barbecue sauce to taste, load up hoagie buns, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake them in the oven and voila. Be sure to serve the sandwiches with a pickle.
Recipe: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ditch the canned chicken noodle soup and go with an easy, home-cooked soup. Vegetables, noodles, and leftover rotisserie chicken combine to make a hearty soup that leaves everyone feeling satisfied and is said to boost the immune system. The recipe tells how to make the stock from scratch, but that’s not necessary. Just substitute low-sodium chicken broth from the store to save time.
Recipe: Chowhound
