Break The Status Quo And Incorporate Your Favorite Fast Food Chicken Into Recipes

With such a wide variety of fast food chicken options these days, it's easy to take these ready-made ingredients and incorporate them into your favorite recipes. There's no shame in bypassing the hassle of cooking up chicken from scratch and skipping ahead to a tasty meal made at home. Whether you order at the counter or pick up already-cooked poultry from a drive-through, it's a time-saving shortcut that can turn out dishes that are just as delicious as if you had cooked everything yourself.

Consider the possibilities — you can choose from nuggets, wings, grilled chicken, and even the patties and filets from chicken sandwiches. While there is actually a difference between chicken tenders and fingers, either option will work in homemade recipes as well.

One of the simplest ways to transform any salad, from a Caesar to a Cobb, or even a Greek, is with the addition of some crispy chicken. Simply slice up your preferred tenders from somewhere like Popeyes and toss them in with your dressing for some extra protein and a more filling lunch. Don't pass on the meat from composed chicken sandwiches from joints like Zaxby's or Shake Shack either, as these breaded and fried fillings are equally good for chopping up and repurposing. In fact, Ina Garten's favorite fast food sandwich is from Shake Shack, so you know it's got to be good. A ranking of fast food chicken sandwiches can also help determine which are the best to go for.

There are so many recipes made with chicken where you can effortlessly use a fast food substitute instead. Try the chicken fingers from Raising Cane's stuffed into tacos or quesadillas. Take the meat off the bone from breasts at KFC for a classic Southern fried chicken flavor wherever pulled or shredded chicken is called for, like in burritos or cooked dishes like pot pies and casseroles. For more of a kick, get the spicy bites from Dave's Hot Chicken or your nearest Nashville hot chicken restaurant.

Cooked meals can also benefit from this quick workaround. Nuggets from just about any restaurant from McDonald's to Burger King can be used in stir-fries with veggies and noodles for a chow mein, or with teriyaki or General Tso's for an Asian-inspired recipe. Any of the boneless chicken options from Bojangles would be great in a dish of chicken and waffles, finished off with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Crispy chicken strips from Jack In The Box are a surefire way to whip up a chicken parmesan in no time. The fast food chicken shortcut works great in all kinds of pasta recipes as well. For these, you might want to opt for a grilled bird, the kind you get from El Pollo Loco, Chick-fil-A, or Carl's Jr. For even more creative uses for fast food chicken, try it as a topping on homemade pizza, in wraps, or in a mayo-based chicken salad.