Rotisserie chicken is the beginning of many effortless recipes. You can cut it up and shred the meat as part of your meal prep early in the week, then turn it into a myriad of dishes.
It’s great for weeknight meals, like soups and pastas, but also office lunches. And don’t toss out the carcass! It doubles as the base to a delicious stock, a task you can do while crossing off other cooking tasks.
At the beginning of the week buying a rotisserie chicken to use for multiple meals seemed like a great idea, but by Wednesday you’re thinking, “not chicken, again.”
Vibrant homemade sauces can inject a lot of flavor with little effort, making the same chicken taste like something new.
You can wake the flavor up with smaller batches of sauces to keep things exciting during the week, like a vinegary barbecue sauce, a spicy ranch, or a more adventurous tahini dressing
The bulk bins at your local grocery store are a great place to find crunch factor, with ingredients like pepitas, sunflower seeds, nuts, and crackers.
The air-fryer is another quick way to make crunchy toppings, like quick croutons for a rotisserie chicken soup, spicy pecans for chicken salad, or crispy chickpeas for a chicken rice bowl.
From Pickled Red Onions to crunchy pickled carrots, even a short soak in a vinegar brine can turn veggies into an interesting topping for rotisserie chicken,
whether on a salad or sandwich, as part of a taco night, or on a simple chicken soup.
Just because the chicken is already cooked doesn't mean it can't benefit from a rub.
Before reheating, make a custom blend of your favorite spices like paprika, cayenne, onion or garlic powder. Mix in dried herbs or a bit of sugar for beautiful caramelization, then sprinkle it evenly over the skin.
Much like a glaze, stay away from adding too much salt, as most rotisserie chickens are already seasoned with plenty.
Reheat the chicken in the oven or air fryer, to both re-crisp the skin and let the seasoning form a savory crust.