Not only is cooked chicken, such as store-made rotisserie chicken, a trusty stand-alone dinner option, but it also cuts down on cooking and prep time when used as a convenient dinner ingredient. Here’s how cooked chicken can be your biggest kitchen ally in everything from casseroles to fajitas.

First — and most important — you need to know how to carve the chicken so you can save time and avoid unnecessary food waste. Watch our video to see how it’s done.

1. Using cooked chicken means you can have pub-worthy nachos in the time it takes for cheese to melt. Plus, the flavours of buffalo chicken wings are a natural fit for nachos, and our Buffalo Chicken Nachos use a blend barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and cheddar and blue cheeses.

2. Bourbon Chicken with Coconut Rice & Beans is an easy and delicious dinner to make. The one-two hit of coconut oil and coconut milk gives rotisserie chicken a tropical twist, and the Sweet & Tangy Bourbon BBQ Sauce is a shortcut to smoky grilled chicken flavour.

3. Thai Chicken Wraps show off the versatility of both rotisserie chicken and ready-made cooking sauces. Here, Peanut Satay cooking sauce is used as a dressing tossed with shredded chicken to bring nutty, garlicky dimension to the meat.

4. Cook the orzo, chop the vegetables and shred the chicken — three easy steps for Chicken with Orzo & Green Beans. This colourful Greek-inspired dish will be a hit as a make-ahead dish for a potluck spread.

5. On a busy weeknight, set out the tortillas and filling of Chicken Fajitas with Avocado Salad and let everyone build their own. To give the rotisserie chicken even more flavour, cut into cubes and heat it through with taco seasoning to add Mexican-inspired spice.

6. With the help of rotisserie chicken, you can recreate your favourite takeout at home. Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches, or bánh mì, have the crunchy veggies, refreshing cilantro and bright ginger taste you crave — and they come together in just 15 minutes.

7. Cooked chicken, prepared pesto and tomato sauce add colour and flavour to Chicken & Lentil Primavera Pasta Bake. The fibre-rich whole wheat pasta and lentils make for a kid-friendly and wholesome dinner.

8. Chicken & Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Poutine: All that stands between you and this comforting spin on traditional poutine is baking some packaged sweet potato fries, heating gravy and topping everything with cooked chicken and cheese.

9. Turn to Chicken Naan Pizza for dinner in minutes. Tzatziki, red pepper and melted mozzarella pair well with chicken and provide a nice variety of flavours.

10. With a burrito kit and diced rotisserie chicken breast, you can whip up Speedy Chicken Quesadillas. Just sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with the burrito seasoning from the kit before assembling to give the meat a little zing.

11. Prepared soup and cooked chicken are two convenient shortcuts in this kid-friendly Cheesy Broccoli & Chicken Casserole dinner. Our recipe calls for cooked cheese-filled tortellini, but you can use any small to mid-sized leftover pasta.

12. Rotisserie chicken makes a perfect filling in Roasted Chicken & Sweet Pepper Sandwiches. Just remove the skin, shred the chicken and stir with prepared dressing, and you have a delicious lunch or supper.

13. Chicken & Sprout Salad with Greek Yogourt Dressing has crunch and zest, and the chicken turns it into a meal — all without using the stove! Assemble the ingredients straight from the office fridge for a great work lunch.

14. Instead of simmering for hours, three ingredients are warmed through to make a flavourful broth for Yellow Curry Chicken Soup. Cubed cooked chicken makes it so easy to fit a bit of each ingredient onto every spoonful.