13 Quick & Easy Meals Made With Rotisserie Chicken

Whenever Chef Richard Blais stops by, we always seem to put him to some sort of test. (Sorry about that, Chef!)

Last time, he made 11 easy meals with pantry items in one hour, so we thought we'd give him another one-hour challenge — this time, with rotisserie chicken.

"I just want to remind you guys," Rach says, "[that] you do pay for the courtesy of them rotisserie roasting it for you."

"The cheapest way to make a chicken," she continues, "[is to] throw it in the oven. But time and convenience have made rotisserie chicken one of the most popular items — coast to coast." (To go Rach's route, get her Italian Roasted Chicken recipe here!)

And yes, Richard may be an award-winning chef, but he, too, buys rotisserie chicken from time to time. (Hey, it's convenient!)

Now, even though Richard was skeptical about beating his previous score — spoiler alert — he did!

Get all 13 (!!) of his rotisserie chicken recipe ideas below.

1. Rotisserie Chicken Rillette

Rachael Ray Show

This is a delicious, chicken-y paste that's delicious smeared over some crusty bread.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken
A few tablespoons chicken or bacon fat
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 handful chopped dill
1 squeeze lemon juice

Instructions:

Use a standing mixer or mix by hand chicken and fat to form a paste. Combine the mayonnaise, paprika, dill and lemon juice. Transfer chicken paste to a mason jar and top with the mayonnaise mixture.

2. Rotisserie Chicken Ribollita Soup

Rachael Ray Show

Let the bread sit in the soup to soften and break down, giving it more of a hearty, spoonable texture.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken carcass
Chicken broth
One 15-ounce can chickpeas
A few handfuls chopped kale
1 sliced onion
Crusty bread

Instructions:

Combine the chicken carcass and broth and simmer 30 minutes to an hour. Add chickpeas, chopped kale, and sliced onion, and stew together for 30 minutes. Discard the carcass, and scoop the soup into a bowl and serve with crusty bread.

3. Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

If you happen to be able to make matzo balls, Richard says they would be the perfect addition to this soup.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken carcass
Chicken broth
Chopped celery
Chopped carrots (optional)
Chopped onions
½ cup chopped chicken
Chopped fresh dill
Leftover cooked pasta

Instructions:

Stew the chicken carcass in broth for a few minutes, then add celery and, if using, carrots. Add some onions, and then add chopped chicken and finish with lots of dill. Add pasta.

4. Rotisserie Chicken Omelet

A creamy sauce and creamy center gives this omelet a richness that goes well with a fresh side salad.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 handful chopped rotisserie chicken
¼ cup cream
A few tablespoons grated parmesan
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

Whisk eggs with milk and chicken and then cook in a small skillet in the French-style, which means with a runny middle. (Cook it more, if you'd like.) Make a quick alfredo sauce by heating together cream, parmesan and butter, and pour over the omelet.

5. Rotisserie Chicken Tostada

Rachael Ray Show

Richard says to swap in cilantro, fresh lime juice and enchilada sauce to give this more of a Mexican-style twist.

Ingredients:

1 corn tortilla
Chopped avocados
Chopped dill or cilantro
Fresh lemon or lime juice
Chopped chicken
Bacon
Marinara or enchilada sauce

Instructions:

Crisp up a corn tortilla. Mash avocados with dill and lemon, and spread over the tostada. Cook chicken with some bacon and marinara or enchilada sauce, then add on top of the mashed avocados.

6. Rotisserie Chicken Stew

Rachael Ray Show

Bold flavors come together for a quick and hearty, protein-rich stew.

Ingredients:

¼ cup chickpeas
1 handful black olives
1 handful chopped kale
½ jar marinara sauce
1 handful chopped rotisserie chicken
1 handful feta cheese or salted ricotta, for garnish

Instructions:

Combine chickpeas, olives, kale, marinara sauce and chicken and cook for 30 minutes on the stove. Top with cheese before serving.

7. Bone Broth

This easy tip turns store-bought stock into super flavorful bone broth. "You can charge twice the amount of money for it," Richard jokes.

Ingredients:

Bones from a whole chicken (Richard used the carcass of a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
Chicken stock

Instructions:

Place the chicken bones into a large stock pot, and cover with stock. Reduce stock on the stovetop by half; strain.

8. Rotisserie Chicken Skin Caesar Salad

"If you're not eating bread like myself, these chicken skin croutons are a good alternative," says Richard.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped kale
1 cup chopped kale fried in oil until crisp
1 avocado
2 cloves garlic, minced
Black pepper
Olive oil
Chicken skin

Instructions:

Combine fresh and fried kale. Mix avocado, garlic, fresh black pepper and olive oil for the dressing. Crisp chicken skin in a preheated oven and break up for croutons. Toss kale in dressing and top with chicken skin croutons.

9. Rotisserie Chicken Bolognese

All the comfort of pasta Bolognese in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken
1 jar marinara sauce
1 handful chopped bacon, salami, prosciutto or pancetta
Cooked pasta
1 tablespoon butter
Parmesan cheese
Fresh black pepper

Instructions:

Stew chopped chicken in marinara sauce with bacon on the stove. Toss with cooked pasta, then add butter, parmesan cheese and pepper.

10. Shakshuka

Rachael Ray Show

This is the fast and easy version of a classic Israeli breakfast or brunch dish.

Ingredients:

1 can tomato sauce
1 sliced onion
½ cup chickpeas
A few handfuls kale
Some caraway or cumin seed
Black pepper
Oregano
4 to 5 eggs

Instructions:

Stew together tomato sauce, onion, chickpeas, kale, caraway and/or cumin seed, black pepper and oregano on the stove. Break eggs into the tomato sauce, then pop into a preheated oven to bake until egg whites are set.

11. Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich

Jamaican curry powder is slightly sweeter than Indian curry powder, which gives this chicken salad a nice base. Richard says, "Really toast that bread, guys."

Ingredients:

1 leftover rotisserie chicken
Mayonnaise
Dash Jamaican curry powder
Chopped cilantro, dill, basil, or parsley
Squirt of lemon juice
Chopped celery
2 bread slices, toasted

Instructions:

Take the rotisserie chicken after your meal and pull all the bits off the bone. Mix with mayonnaise seasoned with curry powder, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and celery. Spread on toast.

12. Pasta Carbonara With Rotisserie Chicken

Rachael Ray Show

Any pork product that renders fat will work as a bacon substitute — think pancetta, prosciutto, salami, etc.

Ingredients:

1 handful diced bacon or any pork product
¼ cup cream
Cooked pasta
Black pepper
Grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed

Instructions:

Cook bacon until crisp, then add cream, cooked pasta, a lot of black pepper and pecorino or parmesan, and the chicken.

13. Rotisserie Chicken Risotto

Rachael Ray Show

This is a great option if you have some leftover rice, maybe from a meal you had yesterday.

Ingredients:

Chicken broth
1 cup leftover rice
Chopped rotisserie chicken
Drizzle of cream
Butter
Parmesan
Black pepper
Chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon

Instructions:

Heat the chicken broth on the stove, add leftover rice, chopped rotisserie chicken, then finish with a drizzle of cream, some butter, parmesan, black pepper, parsley and a squeeze of lemon.