Growing up, tuna salad was a staple in my house. As an adult, I make an easy chicken salad with canned chicken far more often, and it takes about three minutes start to finish.
Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
When I want a simple meal that doesn’t heat up my house or ask much of me at all, I make this. It takes less than three minutes, and it’s tasty and filling.
When I want to put more effort into chicken salad, I poach chicken breasts and make the chicken salad while they’re still warm. That’s a different kind of chicken salad altogether, though, as this one focuses on an easy pantry meal.
This canned chicken salad is so easy that my son has made it by himself since he was maybe 6 or 7. In fact, this may have been his school lunch staple when I didn’t have leftovers ready for him.
Once you’ve got a can of chicken open, there’s a lot more you can do with it. I pulled together 24 canned chicken recipes that give you so many more ideas than this easy chicken salad.
How Should I Serve Canned Chicken Salad?
This canned chicken salad is incredibly versatile. It is fantastic on bread as a sandwich, but you can enjoy it in so many other ways, too.
It’s naturally gluten-free, so I can serve it to my kids’ friends with dietary restrictions. In fact, I often enjoy it on top of a rice cake rather than as a sandwich.
This simple chicken salad recipe is also a great choice over lettuce for a salad. This helps add protein and turns a side salad into a full meal.
Of course, we eat this chicken salad on bread as a sandwich, too, sometimes toasted, sometimes not. I like it with sliced tomatoes and lettuce, but my kids enjoy it just plain.
When I’m really in a pinch, I grab some of my favorite crackers and enjoy it on them, too. Yes, sometimes straight from the bowl, and it makes a great mid-afternoon snack.
No surprise, I always keep some of the Kirkland canned chicken from Costco in my pantry. I know I’m not the only one!
One Kirkland can is about double what you get from a regular grocery store can, so use two of those if that’s what’s in your pantry. Swanson, Hormel, and others make a great canned chicken that you can find at just about any grocery store.
If you’re a visual learner, watch the video. It really is this simple to make!
How to Jazz Up Canned Chicken Salad
This chicken salad adds Parmesan cheese for extra flavor, and it tastes absolutely delicious this way. However, you may want to get creative and add different flavors to it depending on what you have in your pantry.
I like to swap it up so my kids don’t get bored, and it also lets me use up ingredients that are almost gone but I can’t quite throw away.
You don’t need more than one or two additional items, and I use about a quarter to a half cup total, depending on what I add. Test it out, and have some fun.
Some of my favorite mix-ins include:
- Sliced grapes
- Dried cranberries
- Toasted pecans (toast them for just a few minutes in a pan on your stove, shaking it – you’ll thank me)
- Pepitas
- Chopped celery
- Whole grain mustard (just a tablespoon or so)
- Finely chopped shallots
- Green onion
- Chopped pickles
- Diced green apple
- Chopped Red or yellow pepper
Ingredients to Make Canned Chicken Salad
- Canned chicken
- Mayonnaise
- Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, not the green can)
- Pepper
These are the ingredients in this recipe. You can add tons of optional ingredients to change the taste or make this fancier.
See the ideas in the previous section for some ideas of what you can include.
How to Make Easy Chicken Salad with Canned Chicken
Open your chicken and drain it. You don’t have to squeeze out all the juice, as it tastes better with a little moisture.
Place the chicken into a nonskid bowl, and add the mayonnaise.
Grate the Parmesan into the bowl with your zester – one of my favorite tools. I never use the green can. Instead, I always grate from the block because it tastes so much better, and it’s cheaper in the long run.
Add pepper, then stir together with a fork. Use the fork to separate the chunks of canned chicken so the flavors mix throughout your chicken salad.
Serve immediately in a wrap, on a sandwich, with crackers, or however you prefer.
How long does canned chicken salad keep?
You can store this for two to three days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. It’s good cold, so there’s no reheating. I wouldn’t freeze it, because mayonnaise separates when it thaws and the texture goes grainy.
Why is my chicken salad watery?
You didn’t drain the can enough, or you drained it and the chicken still held liquid. Tip the can against the lid and give it a few seconds to finish running out.
Don’t press it dry though, because chicken that’s squeezed out tastes like cardboard. If it’s already mixed and loose, add a tablespoon of Parmesan rather than more mayonnaise.
The Microplane zester is a classic for a reason. It is perfect to grate parmesan cheese or nutmeg, depending on what you're making. Mine has lasted me well over a decade with zero issues.
Be sure to bookmark this canned chicken salad recipe to make again!
More favorite pantry meal ideas:
- Mexican skillet quinoa
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Tuna and tomato pasta
- Grown-up mac and cheese
- Cacio e pepe
- Cheesy beef and rice casserole
- 25 of my favorite canned chicken recipes
Easy Chicken Salad with Canned Chicken
Ingredients
- 12.5 ounces canned chicken drained
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Open your chicken and drain it.
- Place chicken into bowl with mayonnaise, Parmesan, and pepper.12.5 ounces canned chicken, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Stir together with a fork, breaking up the chunks of chicken to mix ingredients thoroughly.
- Serve immediately in a wrap, on a sandwich, with crackers, etc.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to jazz this up further with your favorite mix-ins from sliced grapes to chopped peppers to pepitas and more.
- 12.5 ounces is one can of Kirkland canned chicken from Costco. If you buy it from a grocery store, it is likely two cans of chicken.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Greetings! I’ve put this chix salad together using half mayo and half greek yogurt, vidalia onion (1/2) and sweet relish. Mixed and chilled, 4 hrs before supper. Fingers crossed! My kids are fussy eaters! Lower fat w a touch of the sweet. If it works, I’ll make a batch of it (3 lbs) for the weekend picnic.
That sounds like a great way to mix it up. I hope everyone enjoyed it.