WINGING IT; TRY FIVE FAST WAYS TO PREPARE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Daily News Food Editor

Looking for short-cut, convenient ways to get dinner on the table fast? Pick up a rotisserie chicken at a supermarket and use it as the starting point for a terrific, quick meal. Once you have removed the chicken from the bones, cut it up and use it as the main ingredient in a delicious entree.

Although rotisserie chickens aren't cheap - in the neighborhood of $5 each for a 1 1/2- to 2-pound bird with all the bones - they're worth the convenience for those in a hurry. And if you stretch a whole chicken with plenty of other ingredients, you'll end up with a main dish that will serve four to six hungry diners.

When it comes to handling the rotisserie chicken, remember to always start your food preparation with clean hands and a clean working area.

Removing the chicken from the bones is fastest and easiest while the chicken is still warm and just home from the market. Once chilled, it takes a little more time. Figure that a 1 1/2- to 2-pound bird will yield about 3 to 4 cups diced cooked skinless, boneless chicken.

If you plan to use only half of the chicken the day you bring it home, return the rest to the refrigerator and use it within two to three days (after that amount of time, it will begin to spoil), advised Bessie Berry, manager of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Hotline in Washington, D.C.

If you buy a whole rotisserie chicken, and you're not going to use it the same day, divide it into halves or quarters, put in separate shallow containers so it will cool quickly and refrigerate or freeze immediately, continued Berry. Or you can remove the chicken from the bones and refrigerate or freeze immediately. Don't leave the chicken out at room temperature, cautioned Berry, adding that you want the cooked chicken to cool down to 40 degrees F within four hours.

After a little experimenting with store-bought rotisserie chickens, we came up with a week's worth of recipes, five total, that go together in a jiffy and will get you through dinner on several days without ever tiring of chicken.

Here's a rundown of the five meal creations.

Chicken Asparagus Stir-Fry: This one-dish meal is a breeze to make in a large wok or skillet. Stir-fry asparagus pieces quickly with chopped green onions and red pepper strips until just crisp-tender. Then add water chestnuts and garlic and a sauce consisting of a mixture of hoisin sauce, chili paste with garlic, sherry, chicken broth and cornstarch. Toss in the diced cooked chicken, heat through, and dinner's on in under a half-hour. Serve atop cooked rice - delicious!

Italian Chicken and Pepper Sandwich: Sometimes a sandwich will do quite nicely for dinner - and this one, reminiscent of sunny Italy, is fabulous tasting. Layer chicken pieces, jarred roasted red and yellow pepper pieces, cheese and tomato slices, and basil leaves between two slices of toasted sourdough bread drizzled with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If you have some tapenade (olive spread) around, spread a little of that on the bread slices for an extra flavor treat. Close the sandwiches and toast under the broiler on both sides until golden. These can't be beat.

Fast Chicken Black Bean Chili: Who says you can't make chili in no time flat? We'll prove it with this rendition, which contains onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cut-up canned tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, diced green chiles and the cut-up meat from one rotisserie chicken. It tastes like you spent more time in the kitchen than you really did. Heat all the ingredients except the chicken to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes before stirring in the chicken. Serve topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, tomatoes and green onions for a meal in a dish. So-ooo good!

Green Chile Chicken Corn Chowder: This is comfort food at its best. Tasters couldn't get enough of this thick, creamy soup laden with milk, cream, corn, green chiles and chicken. The only part that takes a little time is heating the milk, cream and corn to boiling, stirring occasionally. The diced cooked chicken is stirred in a few minutes before serving. Topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, this main-dish soup is destined to be a hit.

Greek-Style Chicken Pasta Salad: While the penne pasta is cooking, chop up some cucumber, green onions, tomatoes and green peppers. Rinse the cooked pasta with cold water and return to the pot. Toss with olive oil and wine vinegar, then add the vegetables along with ripe olive slices, capers, garlic, Greek seasoning and the rotisserie chicken. Serve piled on baby greens and top with a sprinkling of good-quality feta cheese. Accompany with rustic bread slices and that's it for a festive and tasty meal that will have diners returning for more.

Now you have five easy dishes that each rely on a whole rotisserie chicken and will help you succeed in making dinner time delicious. If you are inclined to get two meals from a single chicken, use half as much chicken as called for in our recipes - and make two different dishes using the same rotisserie chicken. Suit yourself.

Suggestions for using the meat from a chicken cooked on a spit are only limited by your imagination. Other possibilities you might want to try in the future include pizzas (chicken salsa pizza or barbecued chicken pizza), quesadillas, tostadas, nachos, stews, hot and cold salads, all kinds of sauced pastas, stir-fries, vegetable and other soups, barbecue-sauced chicken Joe's, omelettes, quiches and more. With so many options, you may never tire of chicken. This is reincarnation of a convenience food at its best.

CHICKEN ASPARAGUS STIR-FRY

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh asparagus, diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin 2-inch long strips

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons dry sherry

3/4 cup chicken broth whisked with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth

1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic

3 cups cooked diced chicken

Salt and garlic pepper to taste

Hot cooked rice

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts (optional)

In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over high heat until hot. Add asparagus, green onions and red pepper and stir-fry until vegetables are barely crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in water chestnuts, garlic, hoisin sauce, sherry, chicken broth mixture and chile paste with garlic.

Continue cooking over medium high heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in chicken and salt and garlic pepper to taste. Heat through.

Serve over hot cooked rice, topped with cashews, if desired. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND PEPPER SANDWICH

12 slices sourdough OR Italian bread OR 6 long individual serving size sourdough OR French bread rolls

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

4 cups cooked chicken slices and pieces

3/4 of a 15-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

6 thin large slices smoked OR regular mozzarella cheese

12 tomato slices

12 to 18 large fresh basil leaves, rinsed, drained and patted dry

Place bread slices on a foil-lined baking sheet. Toast under preheated broiler, watching carefully, until lightly browned on just one side.

Drizzle all toasted slices with a little oil and vinegar. On EACH of 6 toasted slices place 1/6 of chicken slices and pieces, then 1/6 of red peppers, a cheese slice, 2 tomato slices and 2 basil leaves. Close sandwiches with 6 remaining bread slices, toasted sides inside.

Return sandwiches to broiler and toast both sides of sandwich until golden. Cut sandwiches in half and served immediately. Makes 6 sandwiches.

GREEN CHILE CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

2 cloves garlic, pressed

3 cups milk (nonfat OK)

1 cup whipping cream

1 pacakge (16 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1 can (7 ounces) diced green chiles

3 cups cooked diced chicken

1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Seasoned salt and pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for top (optional)

In a 4- or 5-quart pan, heat butter and oil over medium heat until melted. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in milk, cream and corn until well mixed. Cook, uncovered, over medium high to high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils and thickens (watch carefully).

Stir in green chiles, chicken and Worcestershire sauce; reduce heat to medium. Cook 4 to 5 minutes longer. Add seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with Cheddar cheese. Makes about 5 to 6 servings.

FAST CHICKEN BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, crushed through a press

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 can (28 ounces) ready-cut tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water OR chicken broth

2 cans (15 ounces EACH) black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups cooked diced chicken

Seasoned salt and garlic pepper to taste

Accompaniments: Dairy sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes and chopped green onions (optional)

In a large pot, cook onion in oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, water and black beans. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in chicken and cook 3 minutes longer. Season to taste with seasoned salt and garlic pepper. Serve topped with sour cream, cheese, tomatoes and green onions. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

GREEK-STYLE PASTA SALAD

Water

8 ounces penne OR other tubular pasta

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar OR more to taste

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

4 medium tomatoes, diced

6 green onions, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup drained capers

2 to 3 cups cooked diced chicken

1 1/2 teaspoons Greek seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)

In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne until just tender, 10 to 13 minutes; drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Return pasta to pot.

Add olive oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Add cucumber, olives, tomatoes, green onions, bell pepper, capers, chicken, Greek seasoning, garlic pepper and seasoned salt. Toss to mix well.

Gently mix in feta cheese. Serve chilled or at room temperature on top of mixed greens. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) no caption (Rotisserie chicken)

Andy Holzman/Daily News

(2) Besides supermarkets, you can also pick up whole rotisserie chickens at takeout establishments such as Kenny Rogers' Roasters in Reseda.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News