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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Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

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 do you reuse dry grilled chicken? ›

Now here's a few ideas on what to do to try to save it, but there's no guarantee here.
  1. Cut it into small pieces, toss it into a pot of water and make it into a soup; or put it into an EXISTING soup .
  2. Cut it into small pieces and put it into a sauce.
  3. Shread it or dice it and then cook it into a slow cooker in a stew;
Nov 13, 2020

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 reheat cooked chicken without drying it out? ›

Add a little bit of water or chicken broth to a medium or large skillet, add the chicken breasts and heat over medium to medium-high. Cover with a lid and heat until warmed through, turning, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165˚F, about 10 minutes.

How do you make leftover grilled chicken moist? ›

add chicken broth or water. again to the bottom of the dish, add your chicken damp paper towel, cook for about 2 minutes, flipping halfway through, and this gives a great result. also keep in mind that these methods only work for. grilled or baked chicken.

Can I eat 10 day old chicken? ›

Raw chicken lasts in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cooked chicken lasts 3–4 days. To detect if chicken has gone bad, check the “best if used by” date and look for signs of spoilage like changes in smell, texture, and color. Avoid eating spoiled chicken, as it can cause food poisoning — even if you cook it thoroughly.

Can you freeze cooked chicken after 3 days? ›

It's not advised to freeze cooked chicken after four days in the fridge due to possible bacteria growth. Why can't you freeze chicken hot? Hot chicken may lead to temperature changes in your freezer, which could lead to the growth of harmful bacteria. Let the chicken cool to room temperature before freezing.

Can I eat chicken 5 days after sell by date? ›

You can keep raw chicken in the fridge for one to two days at most, according to FoodSafety.gov. The “best if used by” date printed on the package is for quality assurance purposes, so you should only eat raw chicken within a day or two, even if its printed expiration date hasn't passed yet.

Why does it say not to reheat chicken? ›

You can reheat the chicken, but it's essential to do so safely. chicken is a poultry product and, as such, contains bacteria that can cause foodborne illness.

How do you reheat chicken and make it moist again? ›

Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and a teaspoon or two of water over the chicken. This will help keep the meat moist. (You can also use water and salsa or chicken broth for extra flavor.)

How do you reheat grilled 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.

Can I just put BBQ sauce on chicken? ›

While you can put some BBQ sauce on the chicken before it touches the grill, be sure that you don't slather it on. Barbecue sauce typically contains sugar that will brown faster than the meat. This can make it difficult to tell when the chicken is done.

Why is there blood coming out of my chicken drumsticks when I cook them? ›

Those that are processed for meat are often just 6 to 8 weeks old. At that age, according to the USDA, the bones have not completely hardened, so “pigment from the bone marrow seeps through the bones and into the surrounding area.” This can lead to a dark or bloody-looking appearance.

Do you put BBQ sauce on before or after? ›

Focus on searing the meat and then cooking it until it reaches a safe inside temperature at the thickest part. Sauces are best applied near the end of cooking to prevent burning. Only baste it with sauce during the final five minutes of cooking. The taste will blow you away without any burned mess on your grill.

How do you rehydrate dehydrated chicken? ›

Re-hydrate food fastest with boiling water

Re-hydrating food goes fastest in boiling water. Place your dehydrated vegetables and meats in your cooking pot, add enough water to completely cover the food, then bring the water to a boil. Keep adding water as necessary to keep the food covered.

Can you air fry leftover grilled chicken? ›

Air frying is an excellent tool for reheating Chicken. It has several advantages over other methods, such as using a pan, microwaving, or oven heating. It's not only quicker than another method, but also it will taste the same as the newly cooked one.

How do you moisten chicken breast? ›

Brine. Like a marinade, a brine helps chicken breast soak up as much moisture as possible before cooking. It only requires three ingredients: water, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

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