When those rotisserie chicken leftovers aren't enough on their own, this rotisserie chicken pasta turns them into a quick dinner my whole family devours.
This Pasta Recipe Brings My Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Back to Life
I always hope there’s leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge because I can turn it into this pasta without going through the trouble of making a full sauce. It’s lighter than my rotisserie chicken Alfredo, but still has plenty of flavor from garlic, butter, olive oil, and herbs.
My favorite trick is adding the cold chicken to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking. It warms the chicken and helps bring back some of that moisture it loses in the fridge. Meanwhile, the garlic and herb sauce comes together in about 2 minutes. Toss it all together with Parmesan, and dinner is done!
What You’ll Need
Pasta of any shape and about half a rotisserie chicken are all you need to get started. The simple sauce combines olive oil, butter, and garlic for plenty of flavor without cream. For the herbs, I usually mix dried oregano and parsley, but Italian seasoning works too. Fresh parsley, basil, or thyme are also great options. A pinch of red pepper flakes adds a little heat, and Parmesan cheese finishes everything off.
Olive Oil and Butter Pasta Sauce
I use both because the olive oil pairs beautifully with the garlic and herbs, while the butter adds richness without needing cream. Keep the heat medium-low and stir the garlic until fragrant (about 2 minutes). If the garlic starts browning too quickly, lower the heat so it doesn’t burn.
More Recipes to Make with Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
Use half of a rotisserie in this recipe and the other half to make chicken taco soup, rotisserie chicken chili, pita wraps, or easy chicken tacos.
Garlic & Herb Rotisserie Chicken Pasta
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped, about ½ rotisserie
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, reduce by half if butter is salted
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, or ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, basil)
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
- A couple of minutes before draining the water, when the pasta is nearly done but a little tough, add the chopped chicken to the pasta. This will heat up the chopped chicken and make it moist again.
- Drain the water and return the pasta and chicken to the pot.
Make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil, butter, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes or ground black pepper. Cook the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is toasted to a golden color and fragrant but not burned. If you're using Italian seasoning, add it to the sauce to soften the seasonings. Turn off the heat.
Combine:
- Pour the garlic sauce over the pasta, and add the fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Toss to combine, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.
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Mary says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I have to admit that I was skeptical about adding ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil to create the sauce however I love the homemade sauce.
Thank you Laura Fuentes for sharing.
Judi says
I love everything except the parmesan cheese topping. We keep kosher and do not mix meat and dairy. Have you any suggesstions for a substitute for the parmesan cheese?
Laura Fuentes says
You can omit the parmesan cheese if necessary. If you make this without chicken, do add the parm, you’ll love the added flavor.
Ashley Schmidt says
Holy Moly was this delicious! I didn’t have Italian seasoning on hand (surprisingly) but had a jar of Herbs de Province leftover from I dish I made last year, so I used that instead.
I think next time, I’m going to use lemon pepper instead of black pepper and add some zucchini as well.
Even my VERY picky 8 year old ate every bite (and he generally won’t eat anything that has green stuff)
Janice says
I found this recipe to be a perfect spring board to delicious! Sorry I didn’t follow it as written but I did follow the gist. I grated a carrot, chopped sun dried tomatoes and small diced a red pepper. Sautéed it in the oil from the tomatoes. Added garlic. No fresh parsley so I used dried. Had some basil pesto and threw that into the pan. From there I followed the recipe and had a good bit of cracked pepper. Loved it! Thank you for the base recipe. Janice
Amanda says
We make this pasta without the chicken all the time. We call it pepper butter pasta. I was looking for a way to use up our rotisserie and found this.
Recommendations: add lemon juice, add the chicken to the sauce and use pasta water to thicken everything after the noodles are added. Last, we actually really like meeting cottage cheese (extra protein) into the sauce instead of parmesan. Give it a try!