30 Recipes That Start With Shredded Chicken

"A great way to use leftover chicken," says teppij. "Even kids love these!" There's no tomato-based enchilada sauce in this chicken enchiladas recipe, just a satisfying cheese, and shredded chicken filling, all topped with a creamy sauce. It's always a family favorite."

"Serve warmed as a substitute for ground beef in tacos," says Holiday Baker, "in a taco shell, with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, or other favorite toppings."

A traditional Venezuelan recipe with shredded chicken, capers, garlic, tomato, and a snap of sherry. "This was great," says Roz. "I put them on arepas. The sherry really gives it an awesome flavor."

"If you like sweet and spicy together, this is a great dinner idea," says Stephy. "Fill shells with chicken, lettuce, tomato, fresh cilantro, and your choice of hot sauce. Enjoy!"

Here's a simple and spicy Asian salad with rice noodles and chicken, plus carrots, green onions, and fresh herbs — basil, cilantro, and mint — tossed with a super-easy dressing.

"This is one of our favorite quick meals," says Sarah Jo. "If I have it on hand, I'll use leftover chicken taco filling or even leftover chicken fajita filling from the night before. I like to use homemade salsa and sometimes, I'll add a layer of homemade refried beans. Pure comfort food."

For a super-easy weeknight meal, simply combine shredded chicken with quinoa, coconut oil, and sage. "This was the BEST quinoa recipe I've tried so far," says Kris. "It could be easily used for a couple made up of a vegetarian and a carnivore, as the chicken can be thrown in at the last minute."

"Quick, easy burrito/taco filling that is delicious and freezes great," says JUBEEFISH. "I serve this with tortillas, shredded Cheddar cheese, and little sour cream. You could fill the tortillas and put them all in a baking dish and then cover with salsa and cheese and bake for about 10 minutes if you don't want a mess at the table."

"My Vietnamese mother inlaw makes it just like this and it's delicious. She always adds mint and I would definitely not go without it," writes rumtum05. "Don't be afraid of the fish sauce. If you're concerned about it, add extra lime and extra sugar. I often serve this as a party appetizer scooped on top of tortilla chips. Everyone loves it."

Another great way to use up cooked chicken. We served ours with fresh tomatoes, radishes, and cilantro for an extra pop of color and flavor. Instead of Monterey Jack, you can also use queso fresco.

Enjoy this quick-and-easy chicken chili plain or over rice. "Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, and/or green onions," says Vicki. "Could also be served over tortilla chips for a great nacho dish."

Combine cubes of leftover cooked chicken with chopped broccoli, shredded Cheddar, a creamy broccoli soup mixture, and dried bread crumbs. Then bake until bubbly and delicious.

"Easy and great alternative to all the work of hand-wrapping chicken tamales, with no masa," says laidback. "Leftover cooked turkey works great, too!"

"This is the best chicken pie recipe I have ever tried. I substitute Bisquick for the topping for time's sake. I have also topped it with a pie crust instead of the biscuits. It tastes great both ways," Jaime says.

"I had chicken breasts left over from a barbeque I had and decided to make a chicken salad," Jo Stinnett-Junkins says. "I played around and came up with this. It is delicious!"

"This is an especially good recipe," Ruthy Stapleton says. "I like to make my own peanut sauce out of a mixture of creamy peanut butter (hydrogenated), soy sauce, Asian chili oil, and honey. The chili oil gives it a little extra kick that you won't find in store-bought Thai peanut sauce."

"I've made this twice, and it's been a hit both times. Did it with penne pasta and added garlic and oregano. Love the penne," Connie says. "Heartier!"

"This is an excellent way to use up leftover chicken. This is served up at our house at least once a month. We like it with mashed potatoes or rice and a green vegetable." — SHONDA93

"I made this as is, and it was awesome. I also made another batch and added fresh cilantro, chopped poblano, shredded cheddar, and garlic. It was so tasty and delicious! And so quick and easy. I used the leftover stuffing to make quesadillas." — ViperGirl

"This is an awesome dish. The entire family loved it. I used wide egg noodles and cooked them in the chicken broth as suggested. It tasted great. I have already made it twice and will be making it again." — mdhendrick6

Shredded chicken is seasoned in a spicy mixture, rolled up into flour tortillas, and baked. "This was such a great recipe to make with a leftover roasted chicken," says reviewer RENA21.

"This is an easy to make recipe that is great for potlucks, church gatherings, holidays, or outside gatherings," says recipe creator SILVER SHADOWWOLF. 

Consider this a lighter take on a restaurant classic. "This was an excellent dish and made easier when I prepared the ingredients ahead of time for a large gathering," says reviewer SandyS. "I shredded the meat from a rotisserie chicken and made Mexican rice and beans from scratch earlier in the day then assembled and baked the chimichangas later."

This unique dish gets its name from its ingredients: cooked chicken, tomatillo sauce, and fresh cilantro. "This recipe was a good meal to throw together when you are low on groceries because it didn't have a lot of ingredients," says reviewer Nicki Crain.

This hearty, tomato-based gumbo is loaded with shredded chicken, Italian sausage, and shrimp. "I liked that the recipe was straightforward and didn't have 40 ingredients," says reviewer Lisa Taylor.

Tacos are great and all but they can be a real mess to eat. Enter flautas — which are basically, rolled, soft tacos. "With a family of 7, I'm always on the lookout for new Taco Tuesday ideas (you know, I don't want to keep repeating the same meal every week!)," says reviewer tmhonor. "Everyone LOVED these flautas!"

"Green beans, chicken, herbs, a creamy sauce, and mashed potatoes are the foundation of this variation of a classic comfort food," says recipe creator Catman-do. "I have made this my wife and for her family and all have enjoyed it."

Quesadillas always make for a fast, throw-it-together, weeknight dinner. This simple recipe is no exception. "Everyone loved it," says reviewer EspressoDave. "A fast meal to put together."

These four-ingredient appetizers are the perfect party starter. Shredded chicken, barbeque sauce, cheddar cheese squares, and bacon are stacked on top of a flat pretzel. Reviewer Elizabeth says, "Really easy to throw together and a good way to use up some leftover BBQ chicken. I used an aged white cheddar and some cherry wood thick smoked bacon and it turned out great!"

Skip the mayonnaise — Greek yogurt not only lightens-up traditional chicken salad, but it also gives a pleasant tang.