Barbecue chicken is a crowd-pleasing dish that often leaves leftovers behind. Rather than tossing that delicious chicken, get creative with these easy recipes to transform leftovers into tasty new meals. With a little imagination, you can stretch your BBQ chicken into several more delicious family dinners.
Enjoy BBQ Chicken in New Ways
Leftover barbecue chicken provides a fantastic base to build more mouthwatering recipes. Shred or chop the chicken to stir into soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, casseroles, pastas, and much more. You can also use leftover BBQ sauce or make easy homemade BBQ sauce to add tangy flavor. With a couple fresh ingredients, you can reinvent BBQ chicken into something new.
Transform Leftovers into Easy New Dishes
One of the easiest ways to repurpose leftover BBQ chicken is to shred it and add it to canned or cooked rice. Stir in veggies like corn, black beans, peppers or sautéed onion and you have an easy chicken BBQ rice bowl.
You can also shred chicken and toss it with greens, tomatoes, avocado and ranch dressing for a flavorful BBQ chicken salad. Add leftover chicken to pasta or mac and cheese to make it more filling. Shredded BBQ chicken also makes excellent quesadillas, omelets, pizza topping or slider filling.
Get creative with sandwiches and wraps stuffed with BBQ chicken. Try BBQ chicken wraps with lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing or BBQ chicken sandwiches with peppery arugula and herbed mayo. Melted cheese and crispy bacon are tasty additions.
BBQ Chicken Soups, Chowders and Chilis
Homemade soups and chilis are a savory way to use up leftover chicken. Try an easy BBQ chicken tortilla soup with canned beans, corn and peppers. You can also make a creamy BBQ chicken chowder with veggies and potatoes.
For a zesty chili, brown some ground beef, sauté onion and peppers, add spices and beans, then stir in shredded BBQ chicken. Garnish with avocado, cheese, sour cream and cilantro.
Bake Up BBQ Chicken Casseroles
Casseroles are a comforting way to transform leftover chicken, veggies, pasta or rice into an easy baked meal. Make a cheesy BBQ chicken and broccoli pasta casserole or BBQ chicken mac and cheese with bacon.
For a hearty meal, make a BBQ chicken pot pie with biscuit topping or shepherd’s pie with BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes and cheese. You can also assemble a BBQ chicken lasagna with spinach and melty mozzarella.
Tips for Repurposing Leftover BBQ Chicken
Follow these simple tips for getting the most out of leftover BBQ chicken:
- Store chicken safely in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. You can also freeze chicken for later use.
- Shred, chop or dice chicken into bite-size pieces for easy addition into recipes.
- Moisten dried out chicken with olive oil, chicken broth or extra BBQ sauce.
- Make quick homemade BBQ sauce to toss chicken in for extra flavor.
- Use BBQ chicken in breakfast recipes like sandwiches, wraps, scrambles or burritos.
- Mix flavors by pairing chicken with Mexican, Italian, Asian or American-style ingredients.
- Bake, sauté or air-fry chicken to reheat and crisp it up before using in recipes.
FAQs About Using Leftover BBQ Chicken
How long does leftover BBQ chicken last in the fridge?
Cooked BBQ chicken will generally keep for 3-4 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Make sure to store it within 2 hours of cooking. You can also freeze chicken for 2-3 months.
Can you reheat leftover BBQ chicken?
Yes, absolutely! The safest way is to reheat chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F. You can reheat chicken in the microwave, on the stovetop, or by baking or air-frying. Adding a bit of liquid helps keep chicken moist.
What’s the easiest recipe with leftover BBQ chicken?
One of the simplest ways to use leftover chicken is tossing it with rice and veggies like broccoli, sweet corn or black beans for a quick rice bowl. You can also shred chicken and add it to pasta, salads, wraps, sandwiches or omelets.
How can you use leftover BBQ chicken sauce?
Leftover BBQ sauce keeps about 1 week in the fridge. You can drizzle it on shredded chicken or wings before baking. Use it as a sandwich spread, dipping sauce, marinade, or to jazz up canned beans, coleslaw, baked potatoes or veggie kebabs.
What leftovers pair well with BBQ chicken?
Some tasty leftovers to combine with shredded BBQ chicken include cooked rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, corn, peppers, greens, cheese, bacon, salsa, and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Get Creative with Leftover BBQ Chicken
With a little creativity, leftover BBQ chicken can become several easy, delicious new meals for your family. Transform it into hearty soups, zesty chilis, comforting casseroles, quick sandwiches and more. With flavorful ingredients like cheese, bacon, beans and veggies, you can reinvent leftovers into crave-worthy dinners. Soon your family will be looking forward to leftovers!