The Top 5 Sandwiches You Can Make Using Rotisserie Chicken

Simply picking up a rotisserie chicken at the store has been among the easiest weeknight dinner hacks a person can employ since before the word took on its modern usage. Depending on how you slice it, you can even get a couple of dinners out of a single chicken, or further fraction it into a few lunches. There are myriad ways to use leftover rotisserie chicken once it’s served its primary purpose. Sandwiches are among the most convenient, portable, and versatile vehicles for all that extra roasted bird.

Rotisserie chicken is heartier than your everyday lunchmeat, so it can stand up to equally substantial supporting ingredients. That same heft, however, can make it a little more challenging to pack between two slices of bread for maximum handheld ease. These five ideas take both factors into consideration to create delicious and structurally sound rotisserie chicken sandwiches so unique that you’ll forget they came from the same source. And remember to use the poultry bones for an easy broth to get the most out of your chicken.

This rotisserie chicken sandwich borrows elements from the classic Cobb salad for similarly vibrant flavors without the fork. Even eschewing a few of the Cobb classics, namely the greens and hard boiled eggs, you’re still piling a lot on, so slicing everything thin is key. Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over the bottom half of a sturdy baguette before layering the chicken, tomato, and avocado. Chopped bacon is also more manageable than crispy strips in this case, and a coat of mayo on the top half of the baguette will help it adhere.

The not-so-secret is out: You can sandwich a lot of your favorite salads. Like a Caprese, chef, and the aforementioned Cobb salad, a Caesar is just particularly conducive to the form. Toasted Italian bread approximates a Caesar salad’s croutons while a bed of romaine cradles the rotisserie chicken and shaved Parmesan. Caesar dressing is compulsory, but you can make it taste like it came from a restaurant whether it actually came from a bottle or you eyeballed it from scratch.

Extra turkey typically gets all the leftover love, particularly around that big November holiday, but you can capture some of those seasonal flavors with a Thanksgiving-inspired rotisserie chicken sandwich, too. This is also a way to use up any unrelated leftovers kicking around your refrigerator. Start with a sturdy bread like sourdough and slather it with whatever fruit compote you have handy; cranberry is not required. Then arrange the chicken and cover it with the remaining mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner, unfinished greens, or almost anything else you’re looking to use up. A bit of mayo and a mild cheese make it complete.

You can easily make a basic chicken salad with little more than the titular protein, mayonnaise, and a few seasonings. You can also scale it up with a touch of sweetness from fresh or dried fruit, a spicy chili crisp crick, or crunchy items like celery, nuts, or toasted pepitas. The perfect filling to prep for multiple sandwiches, you can store chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, provided your rotisserie chicken leftovers weren’t already sitting around for too long before being repurposed.

The age-old chicken versus turkey club sandwich debate may never abate, but simply adding a rotisserie bird to your grocery rotation sure makes a strong argument for the former. That plus the bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo of the original sandwich turn this hotel poolside staple into a dinner-worthy entrée. Three slices of bread is the standard for a club either way, so eschew the extra middle layer of dubious repute at your sandwich’s own aesthetic and textural peril.