While I almost always cook fresh or frozen chicken, I still turn to canned chicken recipes sometimes. These are some of my favorites for pantry cooking.
Canned chicken wasn’t something I grew up with, and now there’s always a can or two in my pantry. The one I make most is my easy chicken salad with canned chicken, which takes three minutes and is number two on this list.
Canned chicken is similar to canned tuna. It’s already cooked and stored in water in a can, so it stays good for a long time. It saves time when you don’t have to prep your protein!
Generally, canned chicken is usually chicken breast. It’s already somewhat salted, so I don’t add much salt to recipes with it.
Though I used to use it almost solely for a quick, easy chicken salad for sandwiches, it’s versatile enough for many other recipes. I love the creativity of all of these.
As you make pantry meals, don’t forget about your canned chicken. And sure, why not go ahead and make it a staple in your house, too?
Delicious Canned Chicken Recipes
Whether you forgot to prep dinner, just need a quick snack, or you’re going through your pantry, you’re sure to find a recipe you love from this list of recipes that use canned chicken.
1
Easy Weeknight Chicken Empanadas
Empanadas can be a lot of work, but this quick weeknight version not only uses canned chicken as part of the filling, but puff pastry for the crust. Don't have puff pastry? This works with pie crust, too.
Want to know how to make chicken salad with canned chicken? This is such an easy recipe, but it’s absolutely delicious. Enjoy it as a snack on crackers or as part of your weeknight dinner on a sandwich.
Buffalo chicken dip is one of my favorite party foods. It turns into a meal when you use it as a filling for crescent rolls. It's so simple and so delicious.
And of course I make traditional buffalo chicken dip. Yes, it's technically an appetizer, but shhh there are times my husband has this with pretzels and carrots and he calls it lunch.
Easy, fast, and delicious, this pasta uses canned chicken made, vine-ripened tomatoes, and green olives, and best of all, you need just 15 minutes to prepare it.
This super easy Warm Chicken Salad makes meal prepping easy. Enjoy it during the week with some crackers for lunch or on some lettuce leaves as low carb tortillas for dinner.
This pantry chicken spaghetti uses foods you have in your house to create a delicious and creamy dinner. It has plenty of substitution options to make it even more flexible.
This creamy avocado chicken salad is an easy recipe for lunch or dinner! It’s made with avocado, chicken, green onions, and bacon, with a light lemon 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 one of my favorite fast and simple recipes that tastes so good. I love the color and light sweetness from the carrots, and the canned chicken is a perfect protein to add. Yum!
Easy baked artichoke and chicken dip is a fantastic party appetizer. Or enjoy it just because! Make this delicious dip to serve with pretzel crisps, tortilla chips, or crispy crostini.
This is an easy dinner recipe that is basically chicken enchiladas and quiche combined in one. It uses staples you likely have at home, including canned chicken and salsa to make a chicken enchilada quiche that's a huge hit at our house.
I love chicken salad, and I love buffalo chicken dip, so why not combine the two? This may have been one of my more inspired creations because buffalo chicken salad is a winner around here.
No. Canned chicken is already cooked, just like canned tuna. Drain it, and it’s ready to eat straight from the can, which is why it works so well in no-cook recipes like chicken salad and dips.
Is canned chicken already salted?
Most brands are. I taste before I add any salt to a recipe using it, and I usually skip the salt entirely. If you’re watching sodium, look for a no-salt-added version.
What kind of canned chicken should I buy?
I keep the Kirkland canned chicken from Costco in my pantry. It’s mostly breast meat in big chunks rather than shredded, which holds up better in salads and pasta.
If you don’t shop at Costco, you can find canned chicken in any grocery store next to the canned tuna. The cans are smaller, but Swanson, Hormel, and Wild Planet all make great versions.
What are your favorite canned chicken recipes?
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I started using canned chicken for my dressing at Thanksgiving. There are so many other ingredients, you really can’t tell it’s canned.
There really are a lot of recipes where canned chicken works well. I’m so glad you’ve found a method that works well for you!
I used canned chicken to make a pot pie. It was delicious!
Perfect – I’m so glad you enjoyed your pot pie!