10 Leftover Grilled Chicken Recipes (2024)

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If you are going to fire up the grill, go ahead and cook extra chicken. I love leftover grilled chicken because there are many ways to use them in different meals for my family. Here are 10 of my favorite Leftover Grilled Chicken Recipes!

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Do you love to grill chicken? My family does!

With the proper planning you can have dinner ready in only a few minutes and your family will never know you are eating leftovers!

These recipes are great to use with leftover grilled chicken but you can also make most of these with a store bought rotisserie chicken too. So if you currently don’t have any leftover chicken, don’t worry you can still make these easy leftover chicken recipes in no time at all!

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My Favorite Ways to Use Leftover Grilled Chicken:

Chicken Tacos:

Chop up the left over grilled chicken, add some taco seasoning and you have yourself chicken tacos!! You can also stir in some of your favorite salsa to give the tacos a slight kick. Everyone loves taco night in my house so this one is always an easy win.

Or you can make these easy Baked Chicken Tacos. They are simple to make and even easier with leftover grilled chicken.

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Chicken Salad with leftover grilled chicken:

Slice it up and add it to a salad – quick lunch or an easy dinner! It would be delicious on this Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, this copycat Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken or over an easy Caesar salad to make a Chicken Caesar salad.

Or place the leftover grilled chicken on a classic salad and top it with our homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. This dressing is easy to make and tastes amazing on any salad recipe!

Make Chicken Pasta!

Add the sliced or chop chicken to any pasta for a quick dinner. Make an easy chicken Alfredo but adding this chicken to pasta topped with homemade Alfredo sauce!

Or make an easy skillet creamy chicken pasta recipe in even less time with the already cooked chicken breasts.

Leftover grilled Chicken for Chicken Wraps:

Slice it and use it in some of your favorite wrap recipes. I love easy buffalo chicken wraps, chicken bacon ranch wraps and chicken caesar wraps.

Wraps are great for lunch or for a quick and easy weekend night dinner for the entire family.

Chicken Stir Fried Rice

Chop it up, and sauté it with your favorite veggies and rice to make easy chicken fried rice! I love using leftovers to make easy fried rice as it’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables as well.

No need to get take out when you can make this fried rice recipe instead! In less than 15 minutes, your family can enjoy authentic chicken fried rice that is packed with flavor!

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Make Quesadillas with leftover grilled chicken:

Chop it up and use it in quesadillas. All you need is cheese, tortillas and some salsa. Quesadillas are a great way to use leftover chicken as you can use whatever you have in your pantry or refrigerate to make them.

Here are a few of my favorite easy quesadilla recipes that can easily be made with leftover grilled chicken:

  • BBQ Chicken Quesadillas Recipe
  • Easy Chicken Quesadillas
  • Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas Recipe

Chicken Sandwiches:

You can use leftover grilled chicken to make easy chicken sandwiches. You can stir the diced leftover chicken with your favorite barbecue sauce and top it on your favorite sliders or buns for an easy lunch idea. I love making these and serving them with this easy coleslaw recipe.

Also, you can dice up the leftover chicken and use it to make easy chicken salad sandwiches. This chicken salad is my favorite and I could eat it for lunch every week.

I also love this cucumber chicken salad sandwich as well that can be made in under 10 minutes!

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Leftover Grilled Chicken is great for Enchiladas!

Shred the leftover chicken and use the shredded chicken in your favorite enchilada recipe. I love enchiladas and leftover chicken can easily be used in most chicken enchilada recipes.

Theses are my favorite easy Chicken Enchilada Recipes that can all be easily made with leftover grilled chicken:

  • The Best Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
  • Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
  • Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Make a Chicken Pot Pie:

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Recipeis one of those meals the kids will go crazy over and everyone will love. It is super easy to make especially with leftover chicken and each bite is amazing with the flaky crescents and delicious chicken and veggies.

Plus you can make this easy and delicious Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie. It is simply amazing and the entire family will love this recipe.. It’s a fun variation from a traditional chicken pot pie recipe.

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Create a Chicken Pizza with Leftover Grilled Chicken:

My entire family loves pizzas so I love making chicken pita pizzas with leftover grilled chicken. The best part about making pita pizzas is that everyone gets to make their own.

I love to top mine with barbecue sauce and red onions and my husband loves making his with cream cheese and buffalo sauce. Everyone is always happy when we make pita pizzas because they get exactly what they want!

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Grill Additional Chicken!

So… the next time you are grilling, make extra – plan ahead for a second easy weeknight meal. Remember, convenience doesn’t always have to be expensive.

With these amazing leftover grilled chicken recipes, you’ll want to make sure you always have leftover grilled chicken in your refrigerator so you can make a quick and easy lunch or dinner in even less time!

If you enjoy this tip, make sure to check out all of our Kitchen Hacks.

More leftover ideas:

  • Leftover Turkey Recipes
  • 10 Ways to Use Leftover Baked Potatoes
  • 6 Clever Ways to Use Leftover Hamburger Buns
  • Ways to Use Leftover Rice
  • 7 Ways to Use Leftover Grilled Corn
  • How to Use Leftover Pasta


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About the Author

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I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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10 Leftover Grilled Chicken Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long does grilled chicken last in the fridge? ›

USDA recommends using cooked chicken within three to four days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within three to four days.

How do you keep leftover grilled chicken moist? ›

Add water, broth, or sauce before reheating to keep the chicken from drying out. Add fresh herbs or spices when reheating to mask off-flavors and enhance the taste. Eat leftover chicken within a day or two.

How to reheat chicken breasts without drying it out? ›

Add water or chicken broth to a baking dish — just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken breasts in the baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, at least 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165˚F.

How do you add flavor to leftover chicken? ›

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.

Is 2 year old frozen chicken still good? ›

If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely. Chicken may be frozen in its original packaging or repackaged. If freezing longer than two months, over wrap the porous store plastic packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or place the package inside a freezer bag.

Does chicken go bad after 4 days in fridge? ›

Storing Chicken in the Fridge

Storing chicken to use in the immediate future? No need to stash it in the freezer — it's OK to store raw chicken (whole or in pieces) for 1–2 days in the fridge. If you have leftovers that include cooked chicken, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

Can I freeze grilled chicken? ›

Yes, you can freeze almost any kind of cooked chicken! Whether it's roasted, grilled, poached, or sautéed, as long as it's cooked thoroughly, you can preserve its flavour in the freezer. You can freeze the whole bird – chicken thighs, breasts, wings and drumsticks.

How to make leftover chicken juicy? ›

To keep the chicken moist, pour a cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Let the chicken roast for approximately 25 minutes. Remove the foil and let roast for an additional 5 minutes to crisp up the skin.

How do you freshen leftover chicken? ›

Microwave. Heating it up in your microwave might be the easiest method of reheating chicken. Cut the chicken into pieces on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel and start by cooking for about two minutes, pausing in between to check to see if its done and, if not, stir or flip it to ensure even reheating.

How do you moisten dry chicken when reheating? ›

Sprinkle a few teaspoons of water over the top of the chicken, then add a drizzle of olive oil—we've found that this combination will help keep the chicken moist and improve its next-day flavor. Step 3: Cover and heat.

Why can you only reheat chicken once? ›

If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.

How do you keep chicken tender when reheating? ›

Place a paper towel over the plate to help the chicken avoid getting too soggy; the towel will absorb some of the moisture. Microwave the fried chicken in 30-second intervals until warm, flipping it intermittently. Be careful not to overdo it or the chicken will dry out.

What's the best way to cook chicken breast so it doesn't dry out? ›

Her suggestion: Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pan in a single layer, cover with a few inches of liquid (water, broth, etc.), add flavorings (spices, salt, herbs, soy sauce, etc.), then bring the liquid just barely to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers.

Can you make cooked dry chicken moist again? ›

Return moisture to parched poultry by combining it with liquids like stocks or soups, and make it delicious again by mixing it with creamy or oil-based sauces and dips. Following a few simple tips will ensure that dry chicken still has a place at the table.

How do you add moisture to reheated chicken? ›

Add liquid or sauce: To prevent the chicken from drying out, you can add a small amount of liquid or sauce to the pan. This can be chicken broth, a splash of water, or even a marinade of your choice. Reheating time: Place the chicken in the skillet or pan and cook it for approximately 3-5 minutes on each side.

Why does grilled chicken get dry? ›

As the chicken heats, these fibers contract, squeezing out the juices like a sponge being wrung out. Imagine this on a cellular level—hundreds of thousands of tiny muscle fibers all contracting and forcing out precious moisture. And just like that, your juicy chicken dries out.

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