Congratulations! You've successfully prepared a roasted chicken - or have successfully purchased one at the grocery store (there's no shame in that!) - and made it for a delicious, easy dinner.

It could also make for a delicious, easy lunch and dinner tomorrow. The great thing about having leftover cooked chicken - roasted, grilled or fried - is that the protein portion of your next meal is ready to go!

Many recipes call for cooked chicken, including startcooking's Chicken in Lettuce Cups, Chicken Salad with Wild Rice and Chicken Salad with Grapes. Cooked chicken also stars in recipes for casseroles, enchiladas and lasagnas.

But you don't even need to follow a recipe to turn cooked chicken into all kinds of delicious meals. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Roasted chicken makes a great addition to soup. Tear it into pieces and warm it up in either a homemade or canned soup.
2. Enjoy it cold, cut into chunks on top of a simple green salad, Caesar salad or coleslaw.
3. Mix chopped pieces of chicken with avocado, mayonnaise or a favorite salad dressing and use it as a sandwich, pita or wrap filling.
4. Add it to pasta sauces and dishes.
5. Heat it up in a favorite ready-made sauce and serve it over rice.
6. Wrap it up and freeze it to use later.

Tip: Cooked chicken shouldn't stay in the fridge more than two days. It can be frozen, but not for more than a few months.

If you want to use every last bit of a roasted chicken, make homemade soup stock from the bones. Homemade stock tends to be more flavorful than store-bought.

So what's your favorite way to use leftover chicken?

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