Cooking in College Made Easy

Cooking in college doesn’t have to mean frozen pizza, plain ramen, or giving up on real meals entirely. With a little creativity — and the right sauces — you can turn simple ingredients into something seriously delicious.

That’s exactly why we launched the Lillie’s Q Cooking in College series, to help students make quick, affordable meals that actually taste good (and won’t blow up your budget). And today, we’re starting with the ultimate college cooking hack:

One rotisserie chicken. Three easy recipes. Big BBQ flavor every time.

With just one store-bought chicken and three of our favorite Lillie’s Q sauces — Buffalo, Gold, and Smoky — you can create a week’s worth of meals that feel fun, satisfying, and way more impressive than the usual dorm-room dinners and much more affordable than Door-Dashing your meals.

Let’s cook!

Recipe #1: Buffalo Ramen

College ramen? Not anymore.

Ramen is a classic college go-to, but this version tastes like something you’d get at a late-night noodle shop. Creamy, spicy broth. Tender rotisserie chicken tossed in Lillie’s Q Buffalo Sauce. A jammy egg on top. This one hits every time.

Ingredients:

• 1 package chicken ramen (with seasoning packet)

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup dark-meat rotisserie chicken (legs/thighs), pulled

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp Lillie’s Q Buffalo Sauce + 1 tbsp for chicken

• ½ cup scallions, chopped

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 jammy egg

Directions:

1. Pull dark meat from the rotisserie chicken and toss with 1 tbsp Buffalo Sauce.

2. Make the jammy egg: simmer for 7 minutes, then chill in ice water; peel and halve.

3. Boil water and cook ramen + seasoning packet ~4 minutes.

4. Turn off heat and whisk in mayo, butter, and 1 tbsp Buffalo for a creamy, spicy broth.

5. Assemble: add chicken and scallions to a bowl, pour ramen over top, finish with jammy egg and extra Buffalo.

A bold, cozy bowl perfect for late nights or study breaks.

Recipe #2: Gold BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Drippy, crispy, golden greatness.

This 5-minute sandwich is everything: tangy, saucy, crunchy, melty, and straight-up addictive. Lillie’s Q Gold BBQ Sauce brings that iconic Carolina flavor — sweet, mustardy, and made for chicken.

Ingredients:

• Rotisserie chicken breast, chopped

• 2 tbsp Lillie’s Q Gold BBQ Sauce

• 2 slices bacon

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

• 5 thin dill pickle slices

• 1 Martin’s potato bun

• 1 slice American or cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Microwave bacon between paper towels ~3 minutes until crispy.

2. Toss chopped chicken with Gold Sauce; warm 20 seconds if needed.

3. Spread mayo on both bun halves, layer on chicken and pickles.

4. Add bacon, then place cheese on top so it melts slightly (microwave 8 seconds if desired).

5. Close it up and take a big bite.

It’s the sandwich people smell from down the hall and immediately ask, “Wait… what is THAT?”

Recipe #3: Smoky BBQ Chicken Tacos

Crunch. Sauce. Repeat.

Cheesy, crispy taco shells topped with saucy BBQ chicken and jalapeños? Yes, please. These Smoky BBQ Chicken Tacos are fast, fun, and seriously crave-worthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken

• 3 tbsp Lillie’s Q Smoky BBQ Sauce + extra for drizzling

• 3 flour tortillas

• 1 cup shredded Muenster cheese

• ⅛ white onion, thinly sliced

• 9 pickled jalapeño slices

• 3 tbsp crispy fried onions (optional)

• Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Toss chicken with Smoky BBQ Sauce. Heat a skillet over medium.

2. Add tortillas and top each with Muenster. When cheese melts, flip cheese-side down until crisp and golden.

3. Remove tortillas (cheese-side up) and build tacos: chicken, onion, jalapeños, fried onions.

4. Drizzle with Smoky BBQ Sauce and garnish with cilantro.

Three saucy, crispy tacos that taste like a late-night food-truck run.

And with Lillie’s Q sauces, every meal tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did.