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There are endless reasons to love Costco — the plentiful samples, the killer deals, the bakery section that’s filled with treats that taste like they came from a Parisian cafe, the heat-and-serve meals that are lifesavers for busy families, and of course, that $5 rotisserie chicken that you can’t pass up. At just $5, they’re one of the best deals around, and each chicken can be made into multiple meals.
A warm Costco rotisserie chicken is delicious enough to eat on its own, and we’ve been known to open them as soon as we get home so the family can dig right in. But that’s just one meal. The leftover chicken can be turned into all sorts of meals. The bones and carcass can be turned into chicken bone broth to be used in recipes throughout the week, and the meat can be used to make everything from classic chicken salad to chicken chile verde stew to a variety of cozy casseroles.
Our recommendation? Get two rotisserie chickens the next time you’re at Costco, so you can have leftovers to make one (or more) of the chicken recipes below. It’s honestly cheaper than buying raw chicken these days, and it will make preparing dinner loads easier, even on nights when you feel totally exhausted.
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20-Minute Korean BBQ Chicken
Image Credit: Mason Fit. Shred leftover rotisserie chicken, toss with your favorite bottled Korean BBQ sauce (we like Bibigo Korean BBQ Marinade & Sauce), and broil until caramelized and crispy. Use the chicken to make rice bowls topped with kimchi, cucumber salad, pickled carrots, and your other favorites.
Get the recipe from Mason Fit.
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Easy Baked Chicken Empanadas
Image Credit: Jar of Lemons. Thanks to rotisserie chicken and store-bought empanada dough, pie dough, or puff pastry, these flavorful baked empanadas can be made in just 40 minutes.
Get the recipe from Jar of Lemons.
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Sesame Noodles With Chicken
Image Credit: Kalyn's Kitchen. These savory, slurpable sesame noodles are made with spaghetti, which we pretty much always have on hand. Pair with leftover rotisserie chicken, and you’ve got a protein-packed, take-out fake-out dinner.
Get the recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen.
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Spicy Pepper Chicken
Image Credit: Lime Thyme. Rotisserie chicken leftovers won’t taste boring when you use this recipe, which flavors the leftover chicken with spices like black pepper, ginger, garlic, and green chilies, seasons it further with soy sauce, sugar, and lime juice, and gets the chicken crispy in the pan before serving with rice, daal, and naan.
Get the recipe from Lime Thyme.
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Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Image Credit: The Cozy Cook. Chicken parm may not be an ideal recipe for a large crowd or a big family, but chicken parm casserole couldn’t be easier to make and has all of the delicious flavors you know and love.
Get the recipe from The Cozy Cook.
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Chicken Pot Pie With Puff Pastry
Image Credit: Bites With Bri. This is a much less fussy and labor-intensive version of classic chicken pot pie. You can use store-bought puff pastry and as a bonus, you’ll have delicious leftovers all week long.
Get the recipe from Bites With Bri.
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Lemon Chicken Orzo
Image Credit: Salt and Lavender. This comforting pasta dish gets a big dash of freshness from the lemon and spinach. You could also substitute different veggies like broccoli or asparagus if you don’t have spinach on hand.
Get the recipe from Salt and Lavender.
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Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Image Credit: The Cozy Cook. What could possibly be better than Buffalo chicken wings? Buffalo chicken pasta. If you’re a fan of dishes on the spicier side and want a warm, hearty, and ultra-comforting meal that comes together in just one pan, give this one a try.
Get the recipe from The Cozy Cook.
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Chicken Cakes
Image Credit: Natasha's Kitchen. Crab cakes are so 2023. In 2024, we are all about the more wallet-friendly chicken cakes. They’re crispy enough that you can tell your kids they’re basically chicken nuggets and you won’t waste a bit of that delicious rotisserie chicken.
Get the recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Image Credit: Salt and Lavender. Want a quick and easy pasta recipe that your kids will devour? This creamy lemon chicken pasta is the recipe for you. It makes a great weeknight meal because it only takes 30 minutes to make.
Get the recipe from Salt and Lavender.
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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Image Credit: The Cozy Cook. Want a Taco Tuesday-inspired meal with a twist? How does a big bowl of warm, creamy chicken tortilla soup sound? You can make this as spicy or as mild as you want and it can also be made in a slow cooker.
Get the recipe from The Cozy Cook.
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps With Peanut Sauce
Image Credit: The Defined Dish. This mouthwatering recipe from The Defined Dish comes together in just 15 minutes! And even though they’re called lettuce wraps, you can substitute the lettuce for your favorite leafy vegetable (radicchio is used here). The best part of this recipe is the tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy peanut sauce that is so good, you’ll want to put it on everything.
Get the recipe from The Defined Dish.
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Crack chicken roll ups
Image Credit: Plain Chicken. With only a few ingredients, these delicious and easy rollups come together in no time.
Get the recipe from Plain Chicken.
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Creamy Chicken Gnocchi With Spinach
Image Credit: Sprinkles and Sprouts. If you have large pieces of rotisserie chicken leftover (an entire breast), the creator of this recipe, Sprinkles and Sprouts suggests tossing it in your stand mixer and using the paddle attachment to shred it quickly! You can also try making this with Trader Joe’s famous cauliflower gnocchi if you’re trying to cut back on carbs.
Get the recipe from Sprinkles and Sprouts.
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Rotisserie Chicken Skillet
Image Credit: A Family Feast. There are few things we love more than a good skillet meal! A Family Feast recommends using rotisserie chicken for both its flavor and convenience, which in this dish is deliciously combined with lightly toasted orzo and veggies.
Get the recipe from A Family Feast.
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Chicken Stuffed Alfredo Shells
Image Credit: Like Mother, Like Daughter. Looking for a fun way to use your leftover rotisserie? Stuff it in oversized shells and smother it with alfredo sauce and cheese! Like Mother, Like Daughter has the right idea with this crowd-pleaser.
Get the recipe from Like Mother, Like Daughter.
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Image Credit: The Creativity Exchange. Tossing leftover rotisserie in a salad is a wildly easy idea and yet one that never seemed to occur to us before. The Creativity Exchange combines the chicken with the dressing and other ingredient, but stores the romaine separate to keep it fresh and crunchy. All it takes is a quick toss and it’s ready to devour!
Get the recipe from The Creativity Exchange.
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Better Than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
Image Credit: The Recipe Critic. DIY fried rice is already a dream come true. But according to The Recipe Critic, adding chicken really amps up the flavor of this fun dish. And since Costco’s rotisserie is so flavorful already, it’s the perfect chicken for the job.
Get the recipe from The Recipe Critic.
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Cheesy Caprese Chicken & Quinoa Casserole
Image Credit: Eat Yourself Skinny. Rotisserie chicken, cheese, quinoa, fresh tomatoes and basil. What’s not to love about Eat Yourself Skinny’s cheesy caprese casserole recipe?
Get the recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny.
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Baked BBQ Chicken Roll-Up
Image Credit: Old House to New Home. It’s a well-known fact that kids will eat basically anything that comes in roll-up form, especially if a dipping sauce is involved. Give them something both tasty and irresistible when you serve up Old House to New Home’s super-simple BBQ chicken roll-up using rotisserie leftovers.
Get the recipe from Old House to New Home.
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Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne
Image Credit: Whitney Bond. Whitney Bond’s buffalo chicken cheesy penne looks (and tastes!) like a dish you spent hours preparing. But thanks partially to the fact that she uses leftover rotisserie in the recipe, this dreamy meal takes less than half an hour to whip up.
Get the recipe from Whitney Bond.
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Chicken Chile Verde Stew
Image Credit: Good + Simple. There is nothing better on a cold day than a bowl of hot soup. Unless, that is, you’re talking about a bowl of hot soup that’s as quick and easy to make as Good + Simple’s chicken chile verde stew. Time-saving rotisserie leftovers FTW, once again!
Get the recipe from Good + Simple.
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Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Image Credit: Home Made Interest. We know what you’re thinking: Dear god in culinary heaven, this looks amazing. But also maybe, This looks complicated. Good news? Home Made Interest’s recipe is actually pretty easy to pull off. Even better news? Your tasty rotisserie chicken leftovers will become party of an even tastier dish.
Get the recipe from Home Made Interest.
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Easy Greek Tzatziki Chicken Salad
Image Credit: Host the Toast. Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with tzatziki sauce (*raises both hands and waves them around enthusiastically*). So, we probably don’t have to tell you that coating leftover rotisserie in this Greek condiment and then combing it with chicken salad ingredients is a good idea. This recipe from Host the Toast is simple, healthful and, best of all, heavy on the tzatziki.
Get the recipe from Host the Toast.
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Chicken Olivia
Image Credit: Bunny's Warm Oven. You know what your rotisserie chicken needs? To be doused in a creamy, dreamy sauce made using ingredients like sour cream and cheddar cheese. Bunny’s Warm Oven has the 4-1-1 on this mouth-watering meal, also known as “Chicken Olivia.”
Get the recipe from Bunny’s Warm Oven.
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Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Image Credit: Spicy Southern Kitchen. You had to know this was coming, right? Because you can’t have a round-up of chicken recipes without including the most quintessential chicken comfort food. Spicy Southern Kitchen will help guide you from leftover rotisserie to picture-perfect chicken pot pie.
Get the recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen.
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Coconut Chicken Curry
Image Credit: Taste & Tell. Bring on the flavor! For major impact without a major time commitment, consider Taste & Tell’s coconut chicken curry. You can even shave more time off your meal prepping by just using whatever store-bought curry you have on hand (as opposed to making a trip to the market for the fresh stuff).
Get the recipe from Taste & Tell.
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Crack Chicken Casserole
Image Credit: Plain Chicken. What do you get when you combine rotisserie chicken, cheddar, bacon, ranch seasoning, sour cream and cream of chicken soup? Well, for starters, Plain Chicken’s crack chicken casserole. But more importantly, a dish your family will demolish… and then ask for more.
Get the recipe from Plain Chicken.
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Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Image Credit: Nibble and Dine. If you want to elevate your leftover rotisserie a little, take a cue from Nibble and Dine. Kate’s recipe is creamy, beautiful and sneaks in an impressive two pounds of vegetables!
Get the recipe from Nibble and Dine.
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Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Image Credit: A Family Feast. You can never — we repeat, never — go wrong with tacos. So, the next time you have leftover Costco rotisserie, you should turn to this simple recipe from A Family Feast. You can even set out a toppings bar so your family can dress up their rotisserie tacos however they’d like.
Get the recipe from A Family Feast.
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Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake
Image Credit: Chef Not Required. Listen, it doesn’t get much easier than Chef Not Required’s easy creamy chicken pasta bake. The sauce literally only has two ingredients, and then you just toss in bacon, your rotisserie and pasta before baking to perfection.
Get the recipe from Chef Not Required.
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Veggie Loaded Rotisserie Chicken Casserole
Image Credit: Project Meal Plan. Rotisserie chicken and veggies are a match made in heaven. And when you add cheese? Well, that just tips the scales toward taste nirvana. Project Meal Plan does just that in a comforting dish that boasts broccoli, cauliflower, baby spinach and other healthy ingredients.
Get the recipe from Project Meal Plan.
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French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole
Image Credit: Yummi Haus. TBH, this recipe should come with a warning label — because it’s highly addictive. But what else can you expect from a dish that marries egg noodles, cheese, rotisserie chicken and crispy fried onions?!
Get the recipe from Yummi Haus.
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