Updated 2025-12-22T15:06:06.425Z
- I'm a chef. I turned Costco's $5 rotisserie chicken into five easy meals for two people.
- The rotisserie chicken can be used to make tasty quesadillas, burrito bowls, and pasta dishes.
- I like adding the chicken to baked potatoes and using the bones to make a flavorful broth.
Grocery prices have been feeling high, but one deal I can still count on is the big and juicy $5 rotisserie chicken at Costco.
Although I'm a chef, I still appreciate a shortcut — and I know I can put together dozens of easy meals with cooked chicken.
Here's how I turn a Costco five-buck-cluck into easy meals to feed two throughout the week.
Chilled chicken-salad sandwiches are an easy lunch.
The white meat from the Costco rotisserie chicken is easy to chop into cubes for a classic creamy chicken salad.
I toss the meat with mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt and add any salty or crunchy bits I have in the fridge, such as diced pickles or pepperoncini, celery, or bell peppers. I also like to add something sweet, like sliced grapes or chopped dried fruit.
Then, I serve the salad on toasted sandwich bread, crackers, or sturdy romaine-lettuce cups.
The chicken can dress up a creamy, cheesy pasta dish.
I'm still on the baked feta pasta trend from a few years ago.
I prefer using a block of Lifeway Farmer soft cheese instead of feta because it's got a milder flavor and softer texture. Plus, it gets even meltier and creamier in the oven.
After preheating my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I cook my cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes in a small baking dish.
I leave them in the oven until the tomatoes burst and become sweet and saucy, and the cheese is just turning golden on top. Then, I toss in cooked pasta and my diced or shredded rotisserie chicken.
I toss the chicken in salsa, then add it to burrito bowls.
There's nothing like a build-your-own-bowl dinner for a low-lift meal that makes everyone happy.
First, I'll make a batch of rice or another grain. If I'm short on time, I'll heat a packet of Somos Mexican street-corn rice in the microwave.
Then, I toss diced rotisserie chicken in salsa to dress it up and lay out assorted toppings. Everyone can add their own beans, guacamole, cheese, veggies, and cilantro to their bowls for a Chipotle-style experience right at home.
I also stuff baked potatoes with chicken.
A loaded baked potato is super easy and cheap to make.
I stick a potato (or sweet potato) in a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes to an hour until it's easy to pierce with a fork.
If you're in a pinch, you can skip the oven and microwave the potato for a few minutes — just be sure to pierce it all over with a fork beforehand.
Then I slice the potato down the center, fluff up its insides, and season it with softened butter, salt, and pepper.
From there, I add my favorite toppings — usually diced rotisserie chicken, sour cream, hot sauce, and any herbs I have on hand.
Chicken quesadillas are another great meal.
A quesadilla is one of my favorite three-ingredient lunches: tortilla, cheese, and hot sauce. Sometimes, I use bread instead of tortillas and make a grilled cheese.
If I have a rotisserie chicken on hand, I'll dice it up and add it as a filling for extra protein.
I also use the chicken's bones and skin.
At the end of the week, instead of tossing the chicken bones and skin, use them to make a homemade stock.
Place the chicken carcass in a large pot with a halved onion, a few carrots, and celery stalks.
Cover everything with water and simmer for about four hours. Strain out the bits, and you have delicious stock to sip or turn into soup.
This story was originally published on July 23, 2024, and most recently updated on December 22, 2025.
