The humble rotisserie chicken is seasoned to perfection and delicious right from your Co-op Food Store deli – it’s already the cornerstone of a roast chicken meal.

However, when you’d like other options, or if you have some chicken left over, the possibilities are nearly endless. Here are five ideas for using rotisserie chicken as the base of quick and easy meals:

Chicken with Noodles

Chicken with noodles has endless variations. Choose your country of inspiration and start riffing! Try a baked Italian classic with creamy chicken Alfredo. Chop 2 cups of cooked chicken and toss with 250 g cooked penne and a jar of Co-op GOLD Alfredo sauce, add ½ cup green peas if you like, top with 1 cup Co-op GOLD Shredded Pizza Mozzarella and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Or try an Asian twist by stir-frying sliced cooked chicken with carrots and snap peas (or whatever veggies you have on hand), ramen noodles and your favourite bottled sauce like Co-op Gold Honey Garlic or Sweet Teriyaki Sauce.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas are easy to customize. Place some sliced chicken breast on half a large flour tortilla, top with Co-op GOLD Tex-Mex Shredded Cheese, fold in half, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 °F (177 °C).

If you’ve got smaller kids, allowing one tortilla per person (add more for big or hungry kids) should mean you’ll have leftovers for lunches. Serve with your favourite Co-op GOLD Chunky Salsa. Optional add-ins include Co-op GOLD Refried Beans, Co-op GOLD Hot Pepper Rings.

Chicken Salad

Dress up chicken salad, Waldorf style – chop two cups of a mix of white and dark meat, add a quarter cup of mayonnaise, two tablespoons of sliced green onion, a half cup of your choice of chopped fruit (grapes, apple, pear), and a quarter cup of whatever seeds or chopped, toasted nuts you have available. Walnuts are classic, but pecans or sunflower seeds also work great.

Serve on lettuce leaves, or make a sandwich on a Brioche roll topped with your favourite cheese (Swiss for the kids, Danish blue for the grownups).

Naan Pizza

Co-op GOLD Garlic Naan is a great base for chicken pizza. Go classic with Co-op GOLD Tomato Basil Sauce, topped with Co-op GOLD Shredded Cheese Blend. Or give a nod to Naan’s Indian roots, and toss some shredded chicken with Co-op GOLD Butter Chicken Sauce, and top with Co-op GOLD Crumbled Feta. Bake at 375 °F (191 °C) for 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly.

Chicken Soup

Even when most of the meat is gone, there’s still one more meal left in that deli chicken. Place the chicken carcass in a large pot with a coarsely chopped onion, stick of celery and a bay leaf. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes and then strain, reserving broth and discarding vegetables.

Once the carcass has cooled, pick any remaining meat from the carcass and chop. Put the reserved broth back on the stove, add chopped vegetables like onion, garlic, celery, carrot, peppers, peas or beans, simmer for 15 minutes until they’re cooked, add chopped meat to the broth, and season to taste.