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25 Quick and Easy Canned Chicken Recipes
Quick and easy canned chicken recipes for weeknight dinners, from buffalo dip to chicken pot pie. Healthy, convenient meals the whole family will love!
These easy canned chicken recipes make for quick and easy dinners! From buffalo chicken dip to chicken pot pie and chicken taquitos, we’ve got a little of everything.
Canned chicken is so convenient to cook with, but it’s also a healthy, real food item you can feel good about serving. Keep some in the pantry at all times, and you will always have some options to make a quick home cooked weeknight dinner recipe.
And of course you can also use leftover chicken. Just pull it or dice it, and it will work in any recipe that tells you to use canned chicken.
This list has a lot of one-pot meals and soups that make a complete dinner. You can always add a side, but it’s not necessary.
Why Choose Canned Chicken for Your Recipes?
Canned chicken is a great pantry staple because it’s already cooked, which saves you time when preparing meals. It’s also affordable, easy to store, and has a long shelf life, making it a smart backup for busy weeknights.
Unlike freshly cooked chicken, canned chicken can be grabbed from the pantry and added directly to your dish without any extra cooking needed. This convenience makes it a handy ingredient for quick meals, snacks, or appetizers.
Besides saving time, canned chicken is also a good source of protein with minimal fat. It’s a versatile ingredient that works well in many different types of dishes, from salads and soups to casseroles and dips. Plus, it pairs well with many flavors, so you can get creative without spending too much time or effort.
Tips for Using Canned Chicken
Here are a few tips to get the best results when cooking with canned chicken:
- Drain or keep the liquid: Sometimes recipes call for draining the liquid from the can, but in some recipes, you can use the liquid for extra flavor or moisture. For example, adding the liquid to soups or casseroles can help keep the dish juicy.
- Flake or chop: Depending on the recipe, you may want to flake the chicken into smaller pieces or chop it more finely. This works well in salads or spreads where you want the chicken evenly distributed.
- Add seasoning: Since canned chicken is usually lightly salted and cooked plain, adding your own herbs, spices, and sauces can really boost the flavor.
- Combine with fresh ingredients: Mixing canned chicken with fresh vegetables, herbs, or fruits like avocado or grapes adds texture and taste variety to your dishes.
Benefits of Using Canned Chicken in Meal Prep
Canned chicken is perfect for meal prep because it saves you time during busy weeks. You can prepare several dishes ahead of time using canned chicken as your protein base. For example:
- Make a batch of chicken salad sandwiches or wraps for lunch.
- Prepare casseroles or pasta bakes that can be frozen and reheated.
- Cook soups or chili that taste even better after sitting overnight.
Meal prepping with canned chicken means fewer last-minute trips to the grocery store or less time spent cooking every day.
Nutritional Information About Canned Chicken
Canned chicken is a lean protein source that fits well into many diets. Here’s what you typically get in one serving (about 3 ounces):
- Calories: 90-100
- Protein: 15-20 grams
- Fat: 1-2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
It’s low in fat and carbs but high in protein, making it good for weight management or muscle-building diets. Be mindful of sodium content; some canned chicken can be salty, so look for low-sodium options if you’re watching salt intake.
Pairing Canned Chicken with Other Ingredients
To get the most flavor out of your dishes, consider pairing canned chicken with these ingredients:
- Creamy bases: Cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Greek yogurt
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder
- Fresh herbs: Cilantro, parsley, basil
- Vegetables: Bell peppers, onions, celery, carrots
- Cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan
- Sauces: Barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, pesto
These combinations help add texture and taste that complement the mild flavor of canned chicken.
Safety Tips for Using Canned Chicken
Always check the expiration date on your canned chicken before use. Store unopened cans in a cool, dry place. Once opened, transfer any unused chicken to an airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Consume leftovers within a few days to ensure freshness.
If you notice any off smell, discoloration, or bulging cans before opening, discard immediately.
Canned Chicken Recipes
This crowd-pleasing appetizer only takes about five minutes to make in the Instant Pot. It's a cheesy Buffalo Chicken dip featuring canned or shredded chicken, spicy buffalo sauce, cream cheese, butter, and ranch.
It's great for game day entertaining or you can even make it the basis of a meal.
Chicken plus eggs, cheddar and bacon bits, along with some ranch dressing dip and mayo, and you've got a really special deviled egg. It makes a great appetizer or light meal.
This salad salad is easy to put together. It has layers of veggies, chicken, bacon, boiled eggs, cheese and a homemade ranch dressing.
Pesto Chicken Pasta is an easy, 20 minute meal that's made with just five shelf-stable ingredients. Bow tie pasta and chicken are coated in a rich and flavorful pesto sauce.
This is a partly homemade lunch or dinner you can throw together quickly. Kids love it.
These BBQ Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad Sandwiches are a perfect recipe for busy days when you don't have time to cook.
Take a traditional chicken salad and add Tex-Mex flavors, along with corn, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and more. Serve it on top of tortilla chips, crackers, or whatever you like.
Here's a soup with all the flavor of chicken pot pie. You can make it with pantry ingredients and one pan convenience. It's a delicious, warming comfort food that's easy to make most any night.
This creamy, flavorful, southwest chicken chili is loaded with veggies and protein. The creaminess comes from pureed corn, so no dairy is needed.
This is an easy and affordable one pot meal that's comforting and delicious. It's a creamy crockpot pasta full of delicious Mediterranean flavor, tender chicken, and healthy veggies that the whole family will love.
These Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats are made more affordable by the canned chicken. They're also low carb, gluten-free, healthy and even Weight Watchers friendly, gluten-free, and low carb.
This is a great recipe to add to your list of dinners you can make quickly. It's a chicken vegetable lasagna wtih a homemade cheese sauce. It's easy to make and has less fat and calories than a beef lasagna.
If you've never had chicken salad with grapes, it's a treat. This recipe only needs six ingredients and it's easy to make.
This chicken pot pie is made with a Bisquick crust to save time. It's like a chicken casserole you can cut into pieces. It makes a great one-dish meal.
This soup is a wonderful, hearty, meatless soup that's made with chickpeas, red lentils and spices. You top it with Halloumi croutons - unless you're vegan. You can leave those out of make croutons without cheese.
It's creamy and delicious!
This is a quick and easy way to make traditional Greek lemon chicken orzo soup. It's a soothing soup that tastes like comfort in a cup.
This quick and easy Chicken Pasta Salad features canned chicken, pasta, mayo, buttermilk and seasonings. It's great for days when you don't have time to cook - or don't even want to turn on the range.
Taquitos are a highly addictive food item that should come with a warning. But they're also so satisfying that you can eventually stop. For a while.
These BBQ chicken taquitos ade made with shredded or canned chicken, cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce.
If you want, you can make your own homemade BBQ sauce for these.
You may never find an easier chicken avocado salad than this. You can make it in ten minutes or less.
Here's a casserole you can actually make over a campfire - or over a wood stove when the power is out. It's got canned chicken with the liquid from the can, zucchini squash, canned mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup. Plus box stuffing.
This is a great make ahead meal that's perfect for batch cooking. It has diced or canned chicken, broccoli, and rice with curry seasonings.
It's a delicious one-dish meal that that adults and kids will both love. And it's easy to make in big portions and freeze for later.
This Healthy Buffalo Chicken dip is easy because it's made with canned chicken breast. It's also quick and simple to make on your stove top and Weight Watchers friendly.
You can make this chicken salad in less than ten. It has the same creamy texture of tuna salad, and you flavor it with seasoned salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
It uses Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, making it a healthier option than many recipes.
This crockpot chicken is easy to make in the slow cooker. With a can of cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, and some seasonings, you can turn canned chicken into a satisfying main dish.
Make this BBQ chicken crust pizza with shredded or canned chicken, parmesan cheese, eggs, and garlic powder. It's got plenty of protein and will give you the feel of traditional thin crust pizza without all the carbs!
These delicious chicken enchiladas have a creamy homemade cheese sauce and just a hint of chili pepper. No need to go out for enchiladas - you can make these at home with pantry ingredients.
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