It’s a Wednesday night after work and you swing by the grocery store to pick up dinner. It’s late and you’re tired but you’re willing yourself not to get pizza again tonight (unless the crust is chicken, of course).
A comforting, umami-rich smell hits your nostrils – it’s the classic standby for single men and women across America…
The grocery store rotisserie chicken.
The rotisserie chicken has a bad rap. Sure, it comes in a bag. But you avoid having to handle slimy raw chicken, it’s made fresh every day, and it’s a guaranteed way to get super moist, flavorful chicken. It's frustratingly easy to overcook your chicken until its dry. Plus, how many times have you thrown away spoiled raw chicken because you kept opting for something faster rather than cooking it? Your supermarket Bachelor Bird solves both problems.
It’s also packed with protein. A modest four ounces of chicken contains a whopping 36 grams of protein, along with all of the essential amino acids you require to build proteins yourself.
Add to that an almost unbeatable per-pound value for the dollar and the humble rotisserie chicken is the perfect protein to anchor a variety of delicious, nutritious, and super easy meals to throw together on a weeknight.
So we’ve compiled 5 simple, tasty recipes for your inspiration.
1. No-Cooking Southwestern Chicken Wraps
No cooking is required! Cube or shred your rotisserie chicken, add veggies and cheese, and chow down.
If you want something warmer, try these Buffalo Chicken Tacos. The shell is a quesadilla, and you can load them up with healthy beans, veggies, and squeezed lime.
2. Homemade Burrito Bowl
No one dies wishing they’d eaten more Chipotle. Make your own with whatever you have in the house.
3. Chicken Parm Casserole
This recipe makes use of the old box of pasta sitting in your cabinet and the jar of marinara in your fridge. Add cheese, seasoning, and some olive oil (we skipped the breadcrumbs/panko) and you’ve got super easy comfort food for a few days.
4. Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
This recipe is definitely more for inspiration. Ignore the fancy mac & cheese if you’re in a hurry, grab a box of Annie’s, and add some steam-in-bag broccoli for a hearty, quick, and cheap meal.
5. Chicken and Feta Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh that famous mid-eastern salad of bulgur, tomato, onion, parsley, and mint. Add in your rotisserie chicken and some rich feta cheese and you have a meal ready to eat – and put in the fridge for later.
Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list for this recipe. Pick up the basics for your tabbouleh and it’ll be flavor aplenty – or easier yet pick up a tub from the deli when you get your bird.
Jamie McLaughlin
I love rotisserie chicken for quick and easy meals, as long as you go really easy on the salt when you prep the dish.
My favorites are –
Throw together an omelette with onion, bacon, red pepper and cheese, then throw in some shredded chicken right before it sets up. Eat it as is with some salsa/hot sauce or wrap it in a (preferably corn) tortilla for a delicious breakfast burrito.
Similar to the above, but grab a frozen pie crust and add some cream to the omelette mix and instead of frying it up pour it into the pie crust and bake it in the oven – Sprinkle some cheese on top as it finishes up and it’s really amazing with some salad and feta.
Depending on the spices on the bird, sometimes it is great to shred it up and mix it with some BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s), serve it up on toasted hamburger bread with some red onion and lettuce.
Shred/Cube it and throw it into any salad to add some protein and flavor. It goes REALLY well with bacon and avocado.
Stillman Brown
These sound great, thanks for sharing!
Jeremy D.
I have been to know to take that frozen pie crust, a bag of mixed frozen veggies, and the picked-off bird and make chicken pot pie with it. Love your suggestions, too!
Marc
Similar to item 1 and your suggestion of BBQ sauce above, you quickly throw together some BBQ wraps with the chicken, some of your favorite veggies and chilies/jalapenos, cheese, and BBQ sauce.
Chris Moore
Cobb Salad. Toss some bacon in the toaster oven and boil some eggs while you shred the chicken and whip together some bbq ranch.
Stillman Brown
Done and done.