Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta

Updated March 13, 2025

Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(2,646)
Comments
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Rotisserie chicken, with its browned, crisp skin and juicy meat, provides a great leg up when there’s no time to roast one yourself. Add some pre-cut greens and it becomes the base for this rich, nourishing pasta sauce, which comes together while the noodles cook. Although convenient, rotisserie chicken meat can be underseasoned, so this recipe calls for seasoning it more. Look for baby cooking greens or chopped greens, like kale, spinach, chard or escarole, which will melt easily into the jammy onions and garlic. Fresh lemon juice rounds out this pasta, making it bright; cream is optional but highly endorsed. A sprinkle of Parmesan finishes this dish with even more depth and umami.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1pound rigatoni, penne rigate, penne or ziti
  • 1small rotisserie chicken (about 1¾ pounds) or about 2½ cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 packed cups)
  • 5large garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
  • 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1cup chicken stock (see Tip)
  • ½cup heavy cream (optional)
  • 8 to 10ounces baby kale or spinach, or chopped chard or other cooking greens
  • 1juicy lemon, zested then halved
  • Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

686 calories; 24 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 913 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt and cook the pasta until al dente, then drain pasta.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta cooks, prep the chicken: Separate the skin from the meat and separate the meat from the bones; discard the bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken meat with 1½ teaspoons pepper and salt to taste. Gather the skin in a mound on a cutting board; slice it thinly, then finely chop, and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Place a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted and bubbling, add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and pressing often with a spatula or wooden spoon to help them cook down faster, until very soft, translucent and almost jammy with golden brown edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and mustard, and cook until very fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Turn the heat up to high, add ¾ cup stock and the heavy cream (if using) and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the pasta, seasoned chicken and the skin. In small handfuls, add the greens, stirring until wilted and tender. Turn off the heat, add the lemon zest and juice the lemon halves over the top; stir again. Add the remaining ¼ cup stock if more sauciness is desired.

  5. Step 5

    Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately, with more pepper and salt to taste.

Tip
  • If you don’t have chicken stock on hand, reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and use it instead.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,646 user ratings
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Comments

I made this and my conclusion is that it could be really tasty if everything that provides flavor was doubled: more onions, more garlic, a lot more mustard, two lemons. I also had to at least double the broth and the half n half. Either that or use half the pasta. It did benefit from all that good black pepper, and from the parmesan.

I wouldn’t discard the rotisserie chicken bones - simmer with vegetable trimmings, a Parmesan rind, shiitake stems - I save these bits in a bag in the freezer - and voila, your chicken stock.

This needs to be seasoned aggressively to work. I bought a rotisserie chicken that was well seasoned so I held back, but the seasoning seemed to melt off of it once it hit the noodles. next time I am going to be more assertive with salt, garlic, pepper, and lemon.

Question: are there any suggestions to make this ahead of time? I need to cook dinner dinners for my parents that can be reheated. That sounds like something they would like, but I can’t make it to serve immediately. Thanks for any suggestions?

Double the mustard, and it goes from good to great! I always use less pasta so I have more “sauce.”

I used a vegetarian chicken substitute, and it came out great! The lemon and parmesan are what really make this delicious. Before those were added, it was pretty bland.

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