What should I make with my leftover chicken?
Leftover chicken recipes aren’t anything new, but finding ones you actually want to make is the challenge. We can only make so many sandwiches or casseroles before it all starts tasting the same, but these leftover chicken recipes are easy, delicious and will have you wanting to make sure you have leftover chicken available!
You’ll probably find millions of recipes and ideas for using leftover chicken on the internet, but I would argue these 5 ideas are the best leftover chicken recipes. Chicken salad, chicken avocado soup, chicken nachos, chicken as a salad topping and making homemade bone broth, are the best and most creative ways to use leftover chicken. Plus, you can personalize all the leftover chicken recipes below if you like your salads or soups just a little different!
How long does leftover chicken stay good?
Leftover chicken, if kept in a sealed container in the fridge, will keep for 3-4 days (per the USDA). There’s really not much more to add about this- keeping chicken longer than this increases your chance for foodborne illness and ain’t nobody got time for that. If you’re nearing that 4 day mark, I’d suggest freezing your leftover chicken in a freezer safe container until you’re ready to make one of these leftover chicken recipes!
How many times can I reheat cooked chicken?
You’ll find mixed information on the world wide web about this one, but ideally you really only want to reheat leftover chicken one time (i.e. it was cooked, you let it cool and the next time you reheat should be the first and only). The good news is the below recipes help you work within those guidelines! If you must reheat (maybe you have leftover chicken avocado soup), make sure it’s reheated to at least 165 degrees.
Should I use white meat or dark meat for recipes?
It’s personal preference! Nutritionally there isn’t a huge difference between the two. White meat is generally leaner and therefore slightly less calories, while dark meat has a slightly higher fat content and richer flavor. There are some other nutritional differences between the two but for most of us, it comes down to just personal preference and whatever we have on hand. If you find this topic particularly fascinating, this article from the Kitchn breaks it all down nicely!
5 Leftover Chicken Recipes You Can't Live Without
Chicken salad is one of the most common and also most worthwhile ways to use leftover chicken. I’m not a big fan of the mushy chicken salads that have all one texture (mush!), but give me a hearty chunky salad with crunchy celery and almonds, sweet grapes and fresh dill- now that’s a salad worthy of leftover chicken! If you dig the sweet and savory action I’m talking about, definitely check out these Curried Chicken Salad Cups as well.
Get the recipe here.
Leftover chicken recipes sound a lot more exciting when you hear the word “nachos”! These Buffalo Hummus Chicken Nachos are one of the most creative uses of leftover chicken and you can make them any way you’d like. If you’re a big nacho fan, make sure to check out these Sheet Pan Blended Nachos also!
Get the recipe here.
Grab your Instant Pot or pressure cooker for this one and get ready for the most flavorful chicken soup you’ve ever had. This Chicken Avocado soup calls for leftover chicken and is a fast and delicious way to get dinner on the table in a flash. Plus, you can strain off the broth and use the soup ingredients for a delicious soft taco filling.
Get the recipe here.
Caesar salads are a brilliant way to use leftover chicken! Many of us tend to just order Caesar salads when we eat out, but an at-home Caesar is one of my favs. I love to add sautéed mushrooms for some added flavor and Vitamin too!
Get the recipe here.
Homemade Bone Broth
This idea for leftover chicken may be last, but it’s certainly not least. Check out my Instagram highlights or this Step by Step Easy Homemade Bone Broth recipe for a simple tutorial on how to make homemade bone broth from your bones and vegetables scraps.
Get the video tutorial here.
I’d love to hear your favorite leftover chicken recipes or if you give any of these a try! I hope these ideas help you make your meals stretch ever further. Make sure to check out my Easy Whole Roasted Chicken if you want to give cooking a whole bird a whirl- it is SUPER easy (promise!) and will definitely provide you with plenty of leftover chicken!
Pin for later:
