When you need a simple meal in a hurry, don’t get takeout. Grab a rotisserie chicken and use these 28 Easy Shortcut Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas instead for a tasty meal your whole family will enjoy.
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We all have them. Those crazy busy nights when all you want to do is skip cooking and grab some takeout because a meeting ran long at work, the kids had activities or you just forgot to take something out.
But, takeout is costly and can definitely wreak havoc on your budget if you’re not careful. A better option, when faced with these hectic evenings, is to find frugal meal ideas for your family that can be made quickly and easily.
The best shortcut I have found when it comes to cooking easy and delicious meals is rotisserie chicken. It’s the perfect solution when you have forgotten to plan dinner or you have no idea what you are going to make. The fact that it’s inexpensive and so versatile is a huge bonus especially if you are trying to stretch your food budget.
Looking for ways to save on groceries:
- 30 Easy Ways to Save Money on Groceries
- 15 Supermarket Spending Traps to Avoid
- 4 Best Grocery Shopping Apps to Save Money
Helpful tip: Check your grocery store in the early morning or late night to see if you can find markdowns on rotisserie chicken. Our local Walmart marks down the rotisserie chicken to $5.
This is a great opportunity to grab a few to bring home and freeze. When you get home, simply pull off the meat and divide about 2 cups (or more depending on your family size) into freezer bags to use at a later time.
When you are ready to use the chicken, just pull it out the night before and stick it in the refrigerator to thaw. Alternatively, you can defrost it in the microwave if you forget to take it out.
What to have with your rotisserie chicken?
There is no doubt about it, a rotisserie chicken can be tasty on its own. Just add a few easy side dishes and you have a quick meal the whole family will enjoy. Here are a few of my family favorites:
- Garlic mashed potatoes (Dinner at the Zoo)
- Salad (Gimme Some Oven)
- Parmesan rice (Spicy Southern Kitchen)
- Glazed carrots (Lil’Luna)
Slow cooker sides for Rotisserie Chicken
Slow cookers are perfect when you don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen.
- Sweet potatoes (Dinner then Dessert)
- Stuffing (Rachel Cooks)
- Scalloped potatoes (Family Fresh Meals)
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash (Low Carb Yum)
Looking for a new slow cooker? Here is a cute and affordable option that works great.
Check out these 27 Easy Dump and Go Crockpot Meals for more easy and delicious recipes to make in your slow cooker.
Instant Pot sides for Rotisserie Chicken
Do you have an Instant Pot? I am in love with my instant pot. Here are some of the side dishes we really enjoy that would go well with rotisserie chicken.
- Macaroni and cheese (The Salty Marshmallow)
- Baked Potatoes (A Mind Full Mom)
- Corn on the cob (Domestic Superhero)
- Potato salad (Meatloaf and Melodrama)
Related:
- 25 Easy Instant Pot Recipes for the Beginner– simple and quick instant pot recipes that will make cooking dinner a breeze.
Air Fryer sides for Rotisserie Chicken
Looking for a side that you can cook in your air fryer? An air fryer is perfect for getting that crispiness you crave from traditional frying but without all the fat that comes with it. Here are some great side dishes to make in your air fryer.
- Sweet potato fries (Eazy Peazy Mealz)
- Green beans (Best Recipe Box)
- Roasted potatoes ( A Pinch of Healthy)
- Broccoli– (Chew Out Loud)
You may like:
- 25 Must-Have Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners– easy recipes and helpful tips for using your air fryer.
- 20 Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes- you can find simple and healthy recipes that go beyond cooking prepackaged frozen foods.
- 21 Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes– try these deliciously healthy air fryer chicken recipes that are easy to make and good for you.
Don’t have a rotisserie chicken on hand?
If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken handy or would prefer to use shredded chicken instead, here are a few simple options you can try.
- Roast a whole chicken at home- learn how to roast a chicken with the Stay at Home Chef.
- Cook a boneless chicken tenderloin or chicken breast in the slow cooker. Place chicken in the slow cooker and cover with 1 cup of water or 1 cup of chicken broth. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low or until cooked through. (165° F) Take out and shred the chicken.
- You can cook chicken breasts or tenderloins in an Instant Pot. (recipe from Margin Making Mom)
- Bake chicken breast or tenderloin in the oven. Put the chicken in a baking dish, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings, and bake at 400° F for 20-30 minutes. Cool, then shred.
- Use an air fryer to cook your chicken breast. Learn how to cook your chicken in the air fryer here. (recipe from A Pinch of Healthy)
While rotisserie chicken is a tasty main dish, there are times when you are looking for inspiration for your weekly meal plan or you just want to use up leftovers. Here are 28 Shortcut Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas that you can make on busy weeknights or plan for a Sunday dinner.
You may like:
- Free Family Favorite Meals Printable– to write down all of your must-have family recipes to make meal planning quick and easy.
- How to Monthly Meal Plan to Save Time and Money– learn how easy it is to plan your meals for an entire month in 30 minutes or less.
28 Shortcut Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas
You can find 10, 20, and 30-minute Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas depending on how much time you have to spend in the kitchen. A simple shortcut to have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Enjoy!
10-Minute Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas
Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
It doesn’t get any easier than rotisserie barbecue chicken sandwiches. All you need is your favorite barbecue sauce, buns, and some rotisserie or shredded chicken. You can have a quick meal in under 10 minutes.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Combine 1/2 cup Frank’s buffalo sauce with 1/2 ranch dressing and 3 cups of shredded chicken and warm. Serve over toasty buns. We also like to add a slice of cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese. It’s like having buffalo chicken dip on a bun.
Shredded Chicken parm sandwiches
Combine shredded or rotisserie chicken with your favorite marinara sauce and warm on the stovetop. Serve on a toasty bun with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Pizza is definitely our go-to meal when our night is super busy. If you want to make it as quick as possible, you can purchase a premade crust. However, we like to use frozen bread dough. If taken out in the morning, it’s usually ready by dinnertime.
When making buffalo chicken pizza, I keep it very simple. All you do is mix together a 1/2 cup Frank’s buffalo sauce, 1/2 cup of ranch dressing, 2 tablespoons of butter and divide it in half.
I spread half of the mixture on the dough and then combine the remaining mixture with about 2 cups of shredded or rotisserie chicken. Add it to the dough and then sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and bake at 425° for 10-12 minutes.
Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Combine your rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups )with your go-to barbecue sauce and spread generously on a prepared or uncooked pizza dough, top with your favorite cheese. (we enjoy Colby Monterey jack)
Bake 425° 10-12 minutes. Ovens vary so make sure you are checking after 10 minutes so the crust doesn’t get too brown.
You May Like:34 Delicious Homemade Pizza Recipes
Chicken wraps
Chicken wraps are perfect to grab on a busy night or even for lunch. Spread mayo or ranch dressing on a wrap, and add the rotisserie chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, or anything else you enjoy. Serve with some fruit on the side and you have a quick and easy meal.
Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Looking for something light for dinner? How about a rotisserie chicken salad? Toss some romaine lettuce in a bowl with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, shredded or rotisserie chicken, sprinkle in some cheese, and top with your favorite dressing.
Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken Caesar Salad is simple and delicious with only a few ingredients. Cut up some romaine lettuce, top with rotisserie chicken, parmesan cheese, and croutons. Top with caesar dressing.
Chicken Salad
We enjoy our chicken salad with rotisserie chicken, mayonnaise, onions, and celery served on a croissant roll. But, if you would like to try a fun variation then check out this recipe from Add a Pinch.
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20-Minute Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas
Chicken quesadillas
Chicken quesadillas take very little time to make and they are so customizable. All you need is some flour tortilla shells (we get the fajita size) Simply add your favorite ingredients.
We like to add mushrooms, onions, and peppers along with shredded cheddar cheese and cut up a rotisserie chicken. Place your ingredients on one half of the shell and fold over. Put in a skillet and brown on both sides.
You can top it with sour cream and salsa or whatever you like.
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken fajitas are a healthy, quick meal that can be prepared in less than 20 minutes with rotisserie chicken.
Slice up an onion and 2 peppers, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and saute in a pan until tender. Add the rotisserie chicken and a packet of fajita mix (follow the directions on the package).
Once warmed and combined. Add to a tortilla shell with shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.
Spicy Chicken Tacos
This spicy baked chicken taco recipe has quickly become one of our favorite meals and has been put on our meal plan rotation. (recipe from The Cookie Rookie) I highly recommend checking it out for a quick weeknight dinner.
Skillet chicken enchiladas
We enjoy this skillet chicken enchiladas from Kraft as a change from our regular chicken enchilada recipe. It uses very few ingredients and is really tasty. The rotisserie chicken makes it quick and easy by cutting down on the cooking time since you are just warming the flavors through.
Chicken and biscuits
Chicken and biscuits are classic comfort foods that most people enjoy. If you have spent a whole Sunday afternoon enjoying time with the family but still want to cook a nice Sunday supper this would be the perfect solution.
Grab some rotisserie chicken, combine with 2 cans of cream of chicken soup or you can use 1 can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of celery whatever you prefer. Add in a bag of frozen vegetables and warm over medium heat on the stovetop.
Prepare biscuits (homemade or store-bought) Pour chicken mixture over biscuits and you can also serve with mashed potatoes on the side.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
It doesn’t get any simpler than my sweet and sour chicken, especially when using rotisserie chicken. The chicken is mixed with onions, peppers, and pineapples in a tasty homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Ingredients:
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1/3 cup of vinegar
- 1½ cups of sugar
- 1/3 cup of Worcestershire sauce
- Juice from a can of pineapples (save pineapples to add later)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
Start by combining vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sugar, and the juice from a can of pineapples in a saucepan. Cook on medium until it comes to a boil then turn down to low and let it simmer.
Then add:
- 1/2 sweet onion in 1″ chunks
- 1-2 bell green bell peppers in 1″ chunks
- 1 can pineapple chunks
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken
Cut up onions and peppers and set aside. Once the sweet and sour sauce has thickened (you can add a small amount of cornstarch 1-2 tablespoons if needed) add rotisserie chicken, onions, and peppers and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in reserved pineapple chunks. Serve over cooked rice.
Chicken stirfry
An easy and quick way to make chicken stir fry is to combine cooked broccoli with rotisserie chicken (you can also add some frozen stir fry vegetables) add soy sauce and garlic powder and serve over rice.
Related: Best 20 Minute Meals for Busy Weeknights
30-Minute Rotisserie Chicken Dinner Ideas
Chicken enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas are easy to prepare especially when using rotisserie chicken. I like to make it as simple as possible and use a can of enchilada sauce. However, you can always use a homemade version if you prefer.
Cut up the rotisserie chicken into smaller pieces and combine it with the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle cheddar cheese (we also like Colby Monterey jack cheese) and roll up.
Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place the enchiladas in the dish and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle more cheese over the dish and bake in a 350° F oven for about 20-30 minutes until it’s bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Chicken Parmesan Bake
Chicken parmesan is a favorite in our household and we make it many different ways but this is one of the easiest ways. Prepare your pasta according to the directions on the box, then combine it with your favorite jarred sauce (if you prefer homemade, you can always make a huge batch and freeze it so it’s available whenever you need it. Just take it out the night before, or toss in the microwave to defrost.)
Combine the rotisserie or shredded chicken with the pasta and sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, parmesan, and Italian seasoning over the top then bake 350° F for 20-30 minutes until it’s cooked through and the cheese has melted.
Chicken alfredo bake
We make our chicken alfredo bake exactly the same as our chicken parmesan we just substitute the marinara sauce for alfredo sauce. Of course, you can always use a homemade alfredo sauce to control the ingredients if you prefer.
Chicken lasagna rollups
A fun variation on traditional lasagna. These chicken lasagna rollups from Hip2Save are a must-try casserole for those nights when you don’t know what to cook.
Buffalo chicken pasta bake
In our house, we love anything buffalo chicken so this is a huge hit in our household. Using rotisserie chicken makes it even easier. If you enjoy buffalo chicken then this dish from Inside Bru Crew Life should be on your list of recipes to make.
Related: 38 Easy Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Chicken stuffing bake
Chicken stuffing bake is on our favorite meal list. We make it often because it’s so simple and easy. Since the chicken and stuffing are already cooked, it’s just a matter of melting the cheese and warming up the soup/sour cream mixture in the oven.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups of rotisserie or shredded chicken
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup shredded Colby jack or mild cheddar cheese
- 2 boxes of stuffing mix (12 oz)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×13 pan, prepare the stuffing as directed, and set aside. Then combine the rotisserie or shredded chicken with the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, and garlic powder.
Spread in pan and top with shredded cheese Add the stuffing on top and bake for 20-30 minutes until it’s brown and bubbly. (You can cover it with foil if you would like- however, we prefer the top to be a little crunchy)
Options- Add cooked broccoli and try different types of cheese or different flavors of condensed soup (mushroom or celery).
You May Also Like: Rotisserie Chicken and Stuffing Casserole with Broccoli and Cheese
Chicken rice casserole
I threw this together one night when I had all the ingredients for the chicken stuffing bake except the stuffing. I precooked the rice in my Instant Pot (my very favorite way to cook rice now)
Then, combine it with the chicken, cooked broccoli, a can of cream of chicken soup (we use low sodium), and 1/4 cup of sour cream. Lastly, I sprinkled cheddar cheese over top and then baked it at 350° for 20-30 minutes just to melt the cheese and warm the mixture.
White chicken chili
Chicken Chili is a hearty and satisfying dish. This white chicken chili from Cooking Classy is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken.
Chicken noodle soup
Chicken noodle soup is so comforting on a chilly day. But it’s even better if you can prepare it yourself and instead of buying it in a can. Plus, it’s so simple to make especially if you have rotisserie or shredded chicken on hand.
This recipe from Averie Cooks has great flavor and is simple and quick to prepare. Serve with a toasty roll or warm bread.
Chicken taco soup
A simple soup recipe that is nutritious and delicious. This chicken taco soup is perfect to warm you up when it’s cold outside. We usually serve the soup with cornbread or tortilla chips on the side. (recipe from The girl who ate everything)
Chicken and rice soup
Chicken and rice soup is a classic and this recipe is easy and has a delicious flavor. (recipe from Spend with Pennies)
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Chicken pot pie
If you are looking for a hearty meal that you can make in minutes then chicken pot pie definitely fits the bill.
The quickest option is to purchase ready-made pie crusts (of course you can always make your own). Combine rotisserie chicken with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of cream of chicken soup (low sodium), and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Spread in pie crusts and bake 400° for 30 minutes or until brown.
Looking for more easy chicken dinner ideas?
- 10 Hearty Chicken Casserole Recipes
- 20 Best Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner Recipes
- 30 Cozy Crockpot Chicken Dinners
- 18 No Fuss One Pot Chicken Recipes
- Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Bake
Rotisserie chicken is an affordable, simple dinner option that will save you time in the kitchen and save on your grocery budget. I hope you’ve been inspired to try one of these family-friendly and delicious rotisserie chicken dinner ideas.
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