leftovers

37 Leftover Chicken Recipes to Try This Year

Dinner comes together fast with these recipes. 
Chicken pasta bake on a red sheet pan next to two blue plates.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

Wondering what to do with leftover chicken? Maybe you roasted a bird last night, but just couldn't finish it. These leftover chicken recipes will turn last night's roast chicken into an exciting new dinner. Below, you'll find 37 of our favorite ways to use up that extra meat, including easy, weeknight-friendly soups, salads, pastas, tacos, bowls, and more.

  • Chicken pasta bake on a red sheet pan next to two blue plates.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    1/37

    Sheet-Pan Pasta Bake With Chicken and Kale

    This sheet-pan dinner is quicker, easier, and has more crispy topping per bite than your standard pasta casserole. It's filled with kale, sweet cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, creamy mozzarella, and more. 

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  • A nocook meal crunchy salad with shredded chicken miso dressing sesame seeds on a marble surface
    Photo by Alex Lau
    2/37

    Shredded Chicken Salad With Creamy Miso Dressing

    We love the creamy, savory miso dressing on this crunchy salad. Combine your leftover chicken with shredded lettuce, smoky bacon, scallions, and sesame seeds, and you've got a winner.

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  • A black castiron skillet with chicken enchiladas and bowls of halved cherry tomatoes cilantro leaves and sour cream next...
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    3/37

    Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Skillet

    This Mexican-inspired meal offers all the goodness of cheesy chicken enchiladas with half the effort. Medium red salsa and pickled jalapeños bring just the right amount of sweet heat. 

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  • Looking for easy chicken breast recipes Quick dishes like this chicken and broccolini dinner make delicious weeknight meals.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
    4/37

    Easy Fried Rice With Chicken and Broccolini

    Fried rice is one of the fastest, easiest meals you can make. This vegetable-packed recipe calls for broccolini, snow peas, and edamame. The orange-soy sauce adds sweetness, acidity, and a punch of umami. 

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  • Bacon recipes Salad with halved boiled eggs large pieces of crisp bacon shredded chicken avocado and more on a bed of...
    Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    13/37

    Chicken Cobb Salad

    Here's another one of our favorite main-dish salads. This one features crispy bacon, beefsteak tomatoes, avocado slices, eggs, and leftover cooked chicken over a bed of torn frisée or endive. 

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  • Bibb lettuce chicken and cherry salad with creamy horseradish dressing on a white platter.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell
    14/37

    Bibb Lettuce, Chicken, and Cherry Salad With Creamy Horseradish Dressing

    This completely cravable dinner salad is filled with cherries, radishes, chives, and chicken, seasoned with a touch of cayenne pepper. It hits all the right spots of creamy, crunchy, sweet, and spicy.

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Read More
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Nuoc Cham Chicken Salad
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A spicy-funky upgrade for lettuce cups, sandwiches, and more.
Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried Shallots
Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried Shallots
Elegant enough for a dinner party centerpiece, sturdy enough to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
No-Mayo Tuna Salad
No-Mayo Tuna Salad
Riff on the lunchbox staple. Mayo-haters deserve tuna, too.
Korean Street Toast Breakfast Sandwich
Korean Street Toast Breakfast Sandwich
Veggie-packed eggs, gooey cheese, and don't skip the sprinkle of sugar.
Green Goddess Harvest Salad
Green Goddess Harvest Salad
So much more affordable than ordering from those fast casual salad chains.
Cheeseburger Fried Rice
Cheeseburger Fried Rice
An immediately familiar and comforting dish from Agnes and Sherman in Houston.
Giant Garlic Knot
Giant Garlic Knot
This savory babka is braided with a whole head of garlic, fresh parsley, and salty Parmesan.
Glazed Apple Pie Fritters
Glazed Apple Pie Fritters
Apple pie in doughnut hole form? We’re in love.
Buckwheat Crepes With Banana-Sesame Jam
Buckwheat Crepes With Banana-Sesame Jam
Practical to make and feels like a total flex.