14 Best Ways To Use Leftover Fried Chicken

There's nothing better than leftovers. They can cut down on your prep time for future meals and they especially come in handy on busy weeknights when you need to quickly get dinner on the table. And there is perhaps nothing as versatile as leftover chicken. But what if the chicken you have leftover is fried? Does that change the rules? According to Healthline, cooked chicken of any kind will last three to four days in the fridge if stored properly in an airtight container. If you want or need to keep your fried chicken longer than that, you should freeze it. Either wrap it in heavy-duty foil, freezer-safe plastic wrap, or plastic freezer bags, and it will stay fresh and high-quality in the freezer for up to three months, according to the USDA. 

If you're a meal prepper, you may want to fry some up and stow it away in your fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you think you'll use it, for your next make-ahead batch of lunches and dinners. But what if you just have some leftover fried chicken from a weekend get-together with the family, or last night's bucket of KFC? Luckily, there are so many creative and tasty ways to repurpose that leftover meat and save some time in the process. And one of them is sure to satisfy everyone's tastes.

There are so many ways to incorporate leftover fried chicken in salads. While it may not make for the perfect complement to all your garden salad varietals, it works beautifully in a Cobb Salad or a Mexican-inspired salad. And it makes a perfect partner for your pasta salads. The best thing about using your leftovers this way is that you don't have to figure out how to reheat your fried chicken to crispy perfection, a task that has vexed many non-professional chefs and even some pros.

But if you do want to warm up your protein, there are some suggestions for reheating your fried chicken to make it a bit crispier before adding it to your salads. If it's been in the fridge, you'll want to bring the chicken to room temperature first, no matter what method you're using, to help keep your chicken from drying out. If you're reheating in the oven, Country Living says to use a wire rack and bake it at 400 F for 15 minutes. If you want to reheat on the stove, you'll need a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron since it heats evenly, along with a small splash of oil to crisp up your chicken without burning it. If you're using an air fryer, it should only take a minute or two on each side, according to The Shortcut Kitchen. Be sure to arrange the chicken in a single layer and avoid overfilling the basket. Reheating in the microwave is not recommended.

Casseroles are an excellent way to reuse leftover chicken of any variety. And since leftover fried chicken tends to dry out pretty quickly, a creamy, saucy, or cheesy casserole would be the perfect way to use it. In fact, The Cold Wire recommends using overcooked or dried-out chicken in casseroles because you can add other things to it to counteract those effects. Fortunately, chicken casserole recipes abound. And you can usually throw together a casserole with your leftover chicken in little time with items you almost certainly already have in your kitchen cabinets.

Simply add in your creamy or oil-based mix of sauces to the chicken to add in some moisture and combine with your choice of starch before baking covered in a casserole dish. While any recipe will do, consider a casserole variety made with chicken that is traditionally fried or breaded, like a chicken parmesan casserole. These types of recipes will explain how to bread and cook your chicken as part of the instructions, but you can skip that step and just use your leftover chicken. 

If you're looking for a dish that's hot, tasty, and ready relatively quickly, using your leftover fried chicken to make pot pies is a simple solution. And it helps clear out your cupboards, too. Have a bag of peas in the freezer, or some extra carrots or potatoes that need to get used? Use them to make an easy pot pie recipe with some store-bought puff pastry for the crust.

Pot pies are a one pot dish that can be made and baked start to finish in a cast iron skillet. But we'd also suggest you consider cooking pot pies in smaller, individual portions, which makes serving and storing them even easier. Whatever you choose, you'll want to shred your leftover chicken first. While there are several ways you can do this, using your hands to shred the chicken will allow you to remove all of the extra little pieces of chicken skin or cartilage you don't want to eat, and is probably easier than using two forks since the chicken wasn't slow-cooked to begin with. 

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to use up your leftover fried chicken that can lean on the healthier side, consider grain bowls. It doesn't get much simpler than a bowl because there's typically no recipe to follow. Plus, whole grains have loads of health benefits, like lowering blood sugar and increasing fiber intake, on top of being filling and delicious (via Mayo Clinic).

There are some simple steps to the construction of a delicious grain bowl. You'll obviously want to start with a cooked grain, like rice or quinoa. Then add a protein – this is where your leftover fried chicken comes in. Next, come the vegetables. Use as few or as many as you want. Finish with some sauce, whether its homemade or store-bought, and your favorite garnishes, such as sliced avocado, fresh herbs, or microgreens, and that's all there is to it. How you serve these types of dishes is entirely up to you. Fill your bowl with everything you love and mix and match with spices and ingredients. You can go with any flavor profile you like, from Asian-inspired with soy sauce, ginger, and Sriracha; a taco bowl with salsa and guac; Italian-themed with fresh pesto or balsamic vinegar. The options are endless.

Maybe you don't have enough leftover chicken to create a whole meal, but you don't want to just throw it away. Not to worry — you can make plenty of dips or spreads using smaller quantities of chicken with a few added ingredients for creaminess and flavor. 

For example, if you have leftover wings, try shredding them to put in a buffalo chicken dip. To create this recipe, you'll also need cream cheese, ranch or blue cheese dressing, and buffalo wing sauce. It's everything you love about buffalo chicken, melted together into a cheesy, spicy dip served hot and bubbly with chips and sliced vegetables. Consider carrots and celery, as these typically accompany your buffalo chicken wings. You could also use pieces of bread or crackers as a vessel for this dip. Na'an would even work particularly well. However you choose to serve it, this genius use for your leftover chicken won't last long.

A slightly more time-consuming, but delicious and elevated way to use up your leftover fried chicken is to add it to risotto. This may be best suited for the fall and winter since you will have to spend considerable time standing over a hot stovetop. But like so many options to use your leftover chicken, this one can also be customized.

You can make basic risotto with chicken stock or water, depending on what you have on hand. You'll need to bring it to a simmer and add it to rice that's been browned in butter or oil in small doses, stirring continuously as your risotto cooks. The whole process should take about 20 minutes in total. The stock or water should be fully absorbed, and the rice should be soft but not mushy. Typical additional ingredients that really amp up the flavor of risotto include onions and garlic (added at the beginning), white wine (splashed in before the stock is added), and vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, and peas. 

Add your leftover chicken at the end of the cooking process, stirring it into your risotto for just a few minutes to reheat and incorporate its flavor into your meal. Finish by adding butter and Parmesan, stirring until the ingredients are fully melted and creamy. Garnish with more cheese and some fresh herbs as desired.

Fried rice is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Not only can you use leftover fried chicken to make fried rice, but leftover rice can also be used. In fact, fried rice was actually invented as a way to use up leftovers (per Eating China). And leftover rice is actually the best thing to use when making fried rice, as fresh rice has too much moisture to fry to the consistency most people associate with this dish. 

Day-old rice that has been refrigerated overnight is ideal. You can also cook it in the morning and refrigerate it if you have time. However, if you don't have any premade and you need to make dinner on the spot, not to worry. You can still use your leftover fried chicken for some delicious homemade fried rice using a simple trick from America's Test Kitchen. Cook some rice, spread it on a baking sheet and let it cool down, then put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will give you the day-old texture your rice needs.