Skip to main content

All recipes

Rotisserie Chicken, Two Ways

When your Surprise Bag hands you a whole chicken, here’s what you can make.

Good for using up
  • Poultry
  • Vegetables
  • Herbs
  • Grains
  • Rice
  • Pasta

This is less of a recipe and more of a general guideline.

…as soup!

When I buy a rotisserie chicken, I eat the choice bits first (legs/thighs) and then reserve the leftover meat and carcass for making soup in the winter.

Ingredients

  • Rotisserie chicken
  • Vegetables (any!)
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Pasta

Method

  1. Remove the meat from the chicken, shred and reserve. Place the chicken carcass, skin, and any leftover juices into an Instant Pot, cover with water and cook for 40 min at high pressure.
  2. Let the Instant Pot do a natural release. While that is releasing, start your soup. In a large pot or dutch oven, brown a chopped onion. Then, add chopped garlic and any additional seasonings depending on what type of soup you’re going for.
  3. You can also add any other vegetables you have that need to be used up. Root/firmer vegetables (i.e., carrot, celery, potatoes) should go in first. Softer vegetables (i.e., squash) need less cook time and leafy greens (i.e., spinach or baby kale) should be added just before serving.
  4. Strain the stock from the Instant Pot, and add it into the dutch oven with your vegetables. Let it come to a simmer and then add the reserved shredded chicken. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve!
Notes
  • Optional: Add bay leaves, onions, garlic, vegetable scraps to the Instant Pot with the chicken bones for extra flavor.
  • For example, if making a chicken noodle soup, you can add rosemary, thyme, marjoram, etc. If making more of a hearty chili soup, you can add paprika, black pepper, cayenne, cumin.
  • For an extra hearty stew, you can add a can of beans (drained!) in with the chicken.

…as salad!

Again, this is less of a recipe than a guideline. During the summer, I like to turn my rotisserie chicken into a refreshing herby salad. There are no measurements for the ingredients — use what you have!

Ingredients

  • Rotisserie chicken
  • Cooked rice (day old preferable)
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Chili oil
  • Cucumbers
  • Herbs (mint, cilantro, green onion)
  • Red onion
  • Cherry tomato
  • Bell peppers
  • Dressing (see note below)

Method

  1. Pull the chicken breast meat, shred and set aside.
  2. Mix your day old rice with soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil to taste. Spread on a parchment lined sheet pan and roast at 400°F for about 30 minutes.
  3. While the rice is roasting, chop and combine the veggies and herbs for the salad. Anything goes! I like to add cucumbers, leafy herbs, red onion, tomatoes and bell peppers, and anything else that needs to be used up (i.e., leafy greens, shredded cabbage, lettuce, carrots).
  4. Once the crispy rice is cool, break up and then toss with shredded chicken, veggies, and dressing. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve!
Notes
  • Dressing is versatile and can be adapted based on the components of your salad or what you’re feeling that day!
  • Southeast Asian dressing: fish sauce, sugar/honey, garlic, lime, chilis, oil.
  • Sesame dressing: ground sesame seeds, mayo, sugar, rice vinegar, soy, sesame oil.
  • Spicy garlic: black vinegar, garlic, chili oil, soy.