Cooked, Shredded Chicken Ideas & Recipes

These ideas and recipes for cooked, shredded chicken will give you new, fun, delicious ideas for using leftover cooked chicken. Includes everything from tacos and casseroles to sliders, soups, salads, curries and more.

Today, we are showering some love on that beloved kitchen staple - cooked, shredded chicken.

We all have it (whether ALL the time like me or just on occasion) and sometimes, we need a little help with how to use it.

I know I've looked at a container of chicken in the fridge and thought, "Well yes, it's cooked and ready to use, but what on earth do I want to make with it?"

So today I'm here to help.

Below I've got a list of ways to use shredded chicken. And below that I've also included links to specific recipes, in case you need some.

These are ideas and recipes you can use for ANY kind of cooked, shredded chicken, whether that's homemade rotisserie style roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie. These also work great for Instant Pot shredded chicken or crockpot shredded chicken, which are so easy and affordable to make a batch of and store.

I almost always have at least a couple of bags of leftover shredded chicken in my freezer. It's so easy to pull out for meals. And it's super helpful on crazy weeks to have some protein cooked and ready to go.

This is a list I actually started a decade before I even had this blog. I have a binder of resources like this that I refer to when I need some inspiration. Cause we all get stuck in a rut sometimes, right?

Anyway, I came across that old list recently, pulled it out and updated it, and I'm so excited to share it with you all, too!

Here are my top 12 ways to use leftover chicken. Keep reading below for specific recipes you might want to check out as well.

Ways to use cooked, shredded chicken:

1. Make chicken enchiladas, nachos, tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc.
2. Mix with BBQ sauce for BBQ chicken sandwiches, sliders, wraps or salads
3. Use for a quick chicken skillet with veggies and seasonings (such as a southwest chicken skillet or chicken hash)
4. Make a casserole, like King Ranch chicken casserole, chicken and rice casserole, chicken divan, chicken pot pie or another favorite
5. Use as the protein for grain bowls
6. Mix with a dressing and add to a salad or use to layer into a mason jar salad
7. Combine with your favorite pasta salad or quinoa salad to make it a main dish
8. Use in soups, stews or chili, such as chicken noodle soup, chicken tortilla soup or white chicken chili
9. Use for chicken fried rice or a quick chicken curry
10. Add to pizza for a protein boost
11. Use for stuffed pitas with some hummus or tzatziki
12. Make chicken salad for sandwiches, wraps, etc.

And in case you are need of some specific recipes, I've got you covered with tons of recipes below. I've broken them up into smaller sections with labels, to make it easier to find what you're looking for.

Some of them call for chopped cooked chicken, but it's fine to substitute shredded. (Or if you haven't cut it up yet, feel free to chop it instead.)

Cooked, Shredded Chicken Recipes

Tacos, Enchiladas, Nachos and More:

• Baked shredded chicken tacos
• Chicken enchiladas
• Cream cheese chicken enchiladas
• Chicken enchilada skillet
• Chicken quesadillas (9 ways!)
• Loaded chicken nachos
• Baked BBQ chicken sliders

Skillets with Shredded Chicken:

• Southwest chicken skillet
• One pot chicken with spinach and beans
• 15 minute BBQ chicken skillet
• Chicken a la King
• Chicken, black bean and spinach skillet

Casseroles with Shredded Chicken:

• King Ranch chicken casserole
• Chicken and rice casserole
• Chicken divan
• Cheesy Mexican chicken quinoa casserole
• Healthy chicken taco casserole
• Healthy chicken and broccoli mac and cheese
• Easy healthy chicken pot pie

Pastas and Soups:

• One pot creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with peas
• Healthier chicken and pasta bake
• Healthy chicken tetrazzini
• Chicken penne pasta with broccoli
• Easy chicken noodle soup
• Easy chicken tortilla soup
• White chicken chili
• Lemony chicken orzo soup
• Quick and easy chicken and black bean soup

Bowls and Salads:

• Greek chicken bowls
• Salsa chicken grain bowls
• 5 minute chicken and rice bowls
• 5 minute chicken and mashed potato bowls
• Healthy chicken salad

Fried Rice, Curry, Pizza and Others:

• Easy chicken fried rice
• Quick and easy cauliflower fried rice with chicken
• Quick chicken curry
• Easy BBQ chicken pizza
• Southwestern chicken and veggie frittata
• Baked southwestern egg rolls
• Buffalo chicken dip
• Chicken hash baked potatoes
• Cheesy chicken and broccoli twice-baked potatoes

I hope you've found some new fun ways to use your leftover chicken. There are definitely plenty of ways to keep it from being boring.

And if you've got other ideas or recipes you want to share, please leave a comment below! We'd all love to hear from you!

Or if you share something on Instagram, tag me there. I love to see your creations!

Happy cooking!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. You can sign up for my free e-newsletter so you never miss a thing! And I'll send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!