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.
The recommendations below may include affiliate links.
Lesley says
This was a winner for us, and even better the next day.
Jennifer LeBlanc says
Absolutely wonderful. My husband loved it. I wasn’t fussed with the chicken, however it just made the whole dish delicious. Used 3 tsp powdered garlic instead.
Tina Kendrick says
We have very picky kids and they are not noodle fans. They ate this! Fast and delicious. It heats up well too.
We used protein penne pasta, more garlic and lots more Italian seasoning and parsley. Tossed cold chicken into the pasta after draining and it was fine.
Todd says
I just made this for my family. Absolutely delicious! Just enough garlic flavor to balance with the chicken. Will make again!
Kelly Flowers says
Fun recipe, but don’t agree with adding the rotisserie chicken to the pasta water while the pasta is still cooking. Rotisserie chicken is already very moist and warm (unless you’ve driven a few hours from the grocery store home or are using day-old chicken breast only), so adding it to the pasta water while the pasta is still cooking just makes the chicken less flavorful by leeching out most of its flavor (even if you leave it in the water for just a minute or two, as indicated in the recipe above). Instead, drain the pasta and then mix the chicken right in along with the sauce and your pasta will be perfectly hot and the chicken will have retained all of its rotisserie moistness and flavor. If your chicken is a day or so old, just mix it into the sauce once it is made, stir a little bit, and then add to the hot pasta. Or if it is really, really dry, save a little bit of the pasta water to add back in after the chicken and sauce. Your chicken will retain all of its flavor, and be moist and warm.
Laura Fuentes says
I understand what you mean about warming up the chicken in the water, especially if the chicken is fresh from that day, tossing it with the pasta is sufficient. Day old rotisserie loses some of its hydration, and unfortunately sometimes you get home from the store and the rotisserie is a bit dry, so that is why I recommended heating it up in the water -which is 100x better than heating it up in the microwave (as some people have done before) and it keeps the recipe really easy. I would agree with you that if your chicken is juicy tossing it with the pasta would work, and reserving the pasta water is a great tip!