The Best Ways To Use Leftover Costco Rotisserie Chicken

If you have any leftover Costco rotisserie chicken, then you likely have more restraint than I do. It’s been a minute since I’ve been to my local Costco (which is a considerable drive away, being in London), but whenever I get home with one of its chickens, they tend to last approximately 24 hours before my constant, vaguely canine-like chomping has fully consumed it. What can I say? It’s delicious, and I like to convince myself I need the protein (I don’t, my diet’s totally fine). 

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If, though, you find yourself with meat that’s slowly but surely drying out, or feels too scrappy to be satisfying, then there’s plenty you can do with it. And I mean plenty. Recipes? We’ve got them. 

Chicken “Crab” Cakes

This first one comes courtesy of Allrecipes, and it finds a canny use for all those little pieces of rotisserie chicken without suggesting you just dump them in a soup or stew. Use your leftover chicken in place of crab to make a meat-based version of crab cakes. Chicken, like crab, is very mild, and the flavor difference here will be minimal – although you might find that they’re slightly more savory and less sweet.

The best thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to adapt it that much to accommodate the chicken: You can use pretty much the same ingredients, seasonings, and flavors that you would in crab cakes. An excellent one for kids who won’t eat seafood (I was one of those kids). 

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Now, there’s a combination of words that sounds good. Amp up your regular mac and cheese recipe with some Frank’s hot sauce and a couple of cups of leftover Costco rotisserie chicken. This recipe from Serious Eats also includes a sprinkle of blue cheese to top the dish with at the end. 

You don’t have to lean into Buffalo flavors, though. If you want, you can just put your leftover rotisserie chicken in your normal mac and cheese – or any pasta dish, really. It’s a quick way to add protein, yes, but the chicken will also add seasoning and flavor.

Pesto Chicken Salad

A very user-friendly recipe here from the good people of Reddit, one of whom recommends making a pesto chicken salad, which comes together in a matter of moments. You just take your leftover Costco chicken and put it in a food processor, “mayo, pesto, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.” Pulse it a few times, and you’ve got a salad, ready to go. Dollop it onto lettuce, put it in a sandwich, add it to a wrap, or eat it straight from the processing jug. I won’t judge. 

Of course, you could just chop up the chicken and mix it with the ingredients. But this method is way quicker (provided that you don’t turn it into a paste). Oh, and add in any vegetables that you like, too.

Mini BBQ Chicken Naan Pizzas

A final delight here from This Simple Balance, who combines leftover rotisserie chicken, onion, cilantro, and cheese, piling them up on mini naans and topping them with BBQ sauce. Then, they go in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted, and the naan has crisped up slightly. Great as an appetizer, a light dinner, or a snack. Great for anything, really.