We love making meals from scratch, but we love the time we’re able to spend around the dinner table with our families a bit more. Plus, there’s just something liberating about being able to put together a satisfying dish, without having to labor over it for hours.
9 Recipes That Use Our Favorite Shortcut Ingredient: Rotisserie Chicken
That's why we rely on timesaving ingredients, such as rotisserie chicken, in the test kitchen. Fun Fact: It's cheaper to buy a rotisserie chicken than it is to buy a whole uncooked chicken at many grocery stores. Also, not having to cook your own chicken breasts gives you time back (that you didn’t really have to give out in the first place). We can go on and on about why picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store isn’t a cooking cop-out, but we’ll let the nine recipes below—featuring rotisserie chicken—speak for themselves.
1. Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup
To make weeknight cooking simple—as it should always be—we use shredded, rotisserie chicken to prepare this dish. The use of pre-cooked chicken in this recipe helps us get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, without sacrificing any of those key flavors. We also add egg yolks to the hot broth to help thicken the soup, which in return adds to its richness. (Read “Getting to Know: Thickeners” to see how you can achieve the right consistency in a sauce, custard, pie, soup or jam.) [GET THE RECIPE]
OXO Good Grips 11" Balloon Whisk
With an ergonomic Santoprene rubber handle and a balanced, lightweight feel, this whisk will feel like an extension of your hand.2. Chicken Banh Mi
Our Banh Mi recipe wasn’t born on the streets of Saigon, Vietnam (aka Ho Chi Minh City) but it still contains familiar flavors that you’ll find in this traditional Vietnamese-style sandwich. As always, one of our goal in the test kitchen is to provide home cooks with a convenient ingredient list. That’s why we call for 8-inch sub rolls instead of Vietnamese baguettes and rotisserie chicken instead of pâté or chả lụa (Vietnamese sausage) in this recipe. With easily available ingredients you’re able to get a delicious meal in 30 minutes or less. [GET THE RECIPE]
Anchor Hocking 6-Piece Nesting Prep Bowl Set
Mini prep bowls allow home cooks to measure out, separate, and organize ingredients, making cooking tidier and more efficient.3. Buffalo Chicken Dip
For a more party-friendly appetizer—that can easily serve a crowd—we took the same fiery, vinegary flavors normally found in Buffalo wings and turned it into a dip using rotisserie chicken. Don't worry, this dip tastes just as good as wings but serves as a much easier, tidier option for a gathering. [GET THE RECIPE]
Pyrex Easy Grab 3-Quart Oblong Baking Dish
With the largest handles in our testing, this relatively lightweight baking dish was by far the easiest model to grip and maneuver.4. One-Pot Chicken Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings
We love the way cornbread’s subtle sweetness complements the punchy flavors of white chicken chili. But chili and cornbread for a Tuesday night dinner? Sounds complicated, right? Wrong. With a few timesaving ingredients—like rotisserie chicken, our winning jarred green salsa, and canned beans—you’ll easily be able to create this stress-free dinner. [GET THE RECIPE]
Le Creuset 7¼ Quart Round Dutch Oven
Is there anything you can't do with a Dutch oven? We use these large, heavy-duty pots for boiling, searing, frying, braising, baking food and more.5. Chicken Tetrazzini for Two
Poaching breasts in broth, then shredding them takes too much time and sautéing thin slices of chicken takes too much effort. That’s why we turn to the test kitchen’s favorite convenience product: rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
All you have to do to the already cooked chicken in this recipe is tear it into pieces. In a matter of no time, you’ll have a simple but rich and satisfying chicken Tetrazzini to serve your other half. [GET THE RECIPE]
All-Clad d3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan with Lid
This pan offers everything we want in a 12-inch skillet, such as low flaring sides for good evaporation and ample cooking surface for sautéing.6. Quick Green Chicken Chili
Our delicious green chili recipe gives you a weeknight stew complimented by weekend flavors. You heard correctly . . . our version cuts down on time but not flavor. All you’ll need is a few ready-made supermarket products (such as rotisserie chicken and our winning jarred green salsa) to have this chili meld together quickly. [GET THE RECIPE]
Rösle Hook Ladle with Pouring Rim
With our winning ladle, you’ll feel in control of whatever you’re scooping up.7. Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pie
This recipe is a favorite of many of our Cook’s Country members. The praise it’s gotten over the years is partially due to its simplicity; this dish uses a good amount of already available ingredients, only requires two steps, and can be made in 30 minutes or less. But besides its simplicity and quickness, its glory really comes from its great flavors. [GET THE RECIPE]
Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Pie Dish
Ingredients are important, but the real secret to a perfect pie may very well be the dish you bake it in.8. Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie
It’s hard to imagine anything more comforting than a traditional pot pie: savory chicken and vegetables suspended in a velvety cream gravy and topped with a flaky pie crust. To make the pies filling savory and satisfying—but also just as simple as it was to make the crust—we grabbed a grocery store rotisserie chicken, shredded the already-cooked meat, and stirred it into the filling. Not only will you find this a timesaver (and a dirty dish saver), but your filling will turn out flavorful and moist. (Editor’s Note: This pie is make-ahead friendly and can be frozen for up to 1 month.) [GET THE RECIPE]
Cuisinart Custom 14 Food Processor
Here in the test kitchen, we demand a food processor that can handle lots of chopping, slicing, and shredding. We think home cooks deserve the same.9. Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
For a fresher take of this Southern staple, we use a few simple techniques and ingredients. To begin, we brown the mushrooms to help get rid of any liquid that might dilute the sauce. In the second step, we also add flour to create a creamy, flavorful sauce. Last but not least, instead of cooking our own chicken we use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut ingredient. These simple tricks make this homemade version better than the canned stuff normally called for in this dish any day. [GET THE RECIPE]
Cuisipro Stainless Steel 5-Piece Measuring Spoons
Its simple design allows for a continuous, bump-free sweep, with a ball-chain connector that’s easy to open and close.Try one of our quick recipes if you're looking for meals that use other timesaving ingredients.