3 Brilliant Uses For Rotisserie Chicken, As Told By Home Cooks

For Bon Appetit , by Alex Delany.

A rotisserie chicken is like Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas . Stay with me. When it’s on TV (which it always is), you stop and watch, because it’s a safe bet. You can pick up at any point in the story, and it doesn’t require mental strain or devout attention — just like a pre-cooked chicken. One happens to involve slightly more murdering and Joe Pesci. But do you want to watch GoodFellas every time you turn on your TV, for the rest of your life?

Rotisserie chickens can get boring too. What we need is variety. That’s why we asked you, the food lovers that read this website, how you use a rotisserie chicken. Here’s what you said.

Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Reader Anne Phillips sautés Thai chiles, garlic, green onion, and ginger in a frying pan, before adding shredded rotisserie chicken. She then mixes in a sauce made with corn starch, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sambal oelek . Don’t forget a garnish though. Phillips says crushed peanuts and shredded carrots do the trick. We might get some cilantro or basil involved as well.

White Chicken Chili

Reader Aly Jay sautés jalapeños, garlic, white onion, and poblanos, and adds lots of cumin, coriander, and ancho chili powder. She adds shredded rotisserie chicken, some white beans, and store-bought chicken stock. Which means that the whole thing comes together pretty damn quick. To brighten it up even more, hit it with freshly squeezed lime juice and cilantro.

Weeknight Gumbo

Weeknight gumbo. Those are two words that sound very good next to each other. Reader Jeannie Thompson Givens starts an oven roux (for which we assume she uses equal parts oil and flour) as a base for her gumbo. While that’s getting some color, she pulls the rotisserie chicken, browns some Andouille sausage, cooks some rice, and chops the holy trinity (peppers, onions, and celery). Once the roux has darkened, she sautés the vegetables in it, before adding some boxed stock, pulled chicken, and the browned sausage. Introduce that to a bowl of rice and impress every Cajun cooking enthusiast for miles.

Related: How to Buy the Best Rotisserie Chicken at the Store

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