24 Simple Canned Chicken Recipes

If perhaps you’re not a particularly confident cook, then one of the best ways to start is by using ready cooked canned chicken breast as a base, and simply add extra ingredients to make it both more interesting and more filling.

And it tends to be something you always have at hand in the cupboard.

In this article I’m going to showcase a whopping 24 different recipes that are really easy to make, featuring your favorite canned chicken.

And you don’t have to be an amazing cook to make them, they’re all straightforward and can be made by anybody.

Then I’m going to top that off with a section where I answer some of your most frequently asked questions.

And without further ado, let’s get straight to it!

1. Easy Crescent Chicken Roll Ups Recipe From Favorite Family Recipes

Now, this is something the whole family will enjoy, perfect comfort food.

It’s simple to make, you just combine shredded canned chicken with some cream cheese, milk, and seasonings, roll it inside some refrigerated crescent rolls, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven.

You can add optional extras for the filling, such as diced onions, chopped celery or mushrooms.

2. Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie Recipe From The Stay At Home Chef

This chicken pot pie is the ultimate in comfort food if you ask me. And you can cheat by using ready-made pastry for the pie crusts.

It’s also a great way of using up leftover veg, or whatever veg you already happen to have in the house.

It takes just under an hour to make, but I promise you it’s 100% worth it.

3. Cheesy Chicken Pasta Skillet Recipe From Inside Brucrew Life

If you love gooey melted cheese with your chicken, then boy, have I got the recipe for you!

You can use your favorite pasta, and there’s veg in the form of diced red peppers. And for flavoring you get to add the likes of minced garlic and ranch seasoning powder.

The recipe yields 6 servings and it can be ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

4. 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup Recipe From Together As Family

This super simple recipe is made almost entirely from canned foods (see also ‘33 Best Canned Biscuit Recipes‘).

There’s canned beans, diced tomatoes, sweet corn, chicken breast, green enchilada sauce and chicken broth. And for the seasoning, there’s cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.

You add all the ingredients to a pot, bring to the boil, simmer for 15 minutes, and done! And it’s less than 200 calories per serving.

5. Chicken Enchilada Recipe With Canned Chicken Recipe From The Weary Chef

This budget-friendly canned chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight, because it’s ready to eat in just 20 minutes.

You make the whole dish in just one skillet, and nearly every ingredient comes in a can.

There’s canned chicken broth, whole kernel corn, chicken breast, yummy enchilada sauce, rice, and jalapenos. And you top it off with some shredded monterey jack cheese.

6. Ranch Chicken Salad Recipe From The Pinning Mama

If you want to use your canned chicken when you’re on a health kick, then this could be the very recipe for you!

It uses very few ingredients, just chicken, celery, bell peppers, onion, mayonnaise, and ranch seasoning.

If you don’t already have your own ranch seasoning, there’s a link on the recipe card to make your own.

All you need to do is mix the ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

7. Easy Chicken Cakes Recipe From Natasha’s Kitchen

I just love this recipe – it’s super simple to make, and the patties come out crispy on the outside, with a juicy, cheesy center.

You mix all the ingredients together, let it refrigerate for at least half an hour, then form the mixture into patties and saute them until they are golden brown.

It’s best served with a sprinkle of salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

8. Chicken Quesadilla Recipe From Valentina’s Corner

Now, this recipe is delicious! And it’s simple to make, too. You just combine your canned chicken with cream cheese, ranch, cheese, sriracha, salt, pepper, and paprika.

Then spread the mixture onto a flour tortilla, fold, and fry it in a skillet for a couple of minutes.

The recipe yields 3 servings and is ready to eat in just 15 minutes.

9. Crock Pot Nacho Chicken Dip Recipe From Recipes That Crock

This delicious dish only requires 5 ingredients, namely canned beans, canned chicken, a jar of chunky salsa, shredded Mexican cheese, and tortilla chips.

It takes a long time to make, coming in at 65 minutes total, to produce 12 servings, but only 5 minutes of prep time. And on the flip side it’s only 156 calories per serving.

10. Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe From Taste Of Home

This tasty dish is super simple to make.

You just combine some cream cheese, Louisiana style hot sauce, ranch salad dressing, and shredded canned chicken before transferring it to a baking dish, sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese, and any optional extras you want to add.

After about 22 minutes, you can enjoy the dip with tortilla chips or crudites. Yum!

11. Chicken Parmesan Patties Recipe From The Big Man’s World

Here we have another recipe that’s not a breeze to make, but also tastes amazing.

The only ingredients you need are canned chicken, zucchini, baby spinach, egg, and Parmesan cheese.

You mix the ingredients together, form 4 to 5 patties, and fry them on both sides for about 4 to 5 minutes.

It’s ready to eat in just 13 minutes, and is a mere 48 calories per serving!

12. Pantry Chicken Fried Rice Recipe From Mad About Food

Now, this is what I call comfort food!

It’s also very healthy, and very budget-friendly, because you make it with just pantry staples, such as canned chicken and canned veg, such as peas, green beans, and corn.

And for additional flavoring, there’s also minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil

The recipe yields 6 servings and is ready in just 20 minutes.

13. 10-Minute Easy Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe From These Old Cookbooks

This recipe is scrummy and is ready to eat in 10 short minutes. You just boil some spaghetti, while heating up some butter, lemon zest, whipping cream and canned chicken.

Then toss the spaghetti in, and serve with Parmesan cheese and more lemon zest.

The recipe yields 4 servings and comes in at 386 calories per serving.

14. 30 Minute Pantry Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe From Big Bear’s Wife

This flavorful dish is made almost entirely from canned goods, including canned chicken breast, sliced carrots, and green peas.

You drain each can and add the contents to a large pot with some water, bouillon cubes, and noodles.

It’s super simple to make and is ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

15. Chicken Dumpling Soup Recipe From Lil Luna

This classic recipe is deliciously creamy, not to mention comforting.

And you don’t need much to make it, just chicken broth, canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, canned corn (see also ‘28 Easy Recipes With Canned Corn‘), diced carrots, and biscuits and fresh parsley to serve.

You make the whole thing in one pot, and it’s ready to eat in just half an hour.

16. Chicken Alfredo Pizza Recipe From Joy Filled Eats

If you love a good pizza but are watching your carb intake, then this is the recipe for you.

Within 45 minutes you get a golden crust topped off with chicken, alfredo sauce, and stringy mozzarella cheese.

The crust is low carb because it’s made of almond flour, coconut flour and golden flax. And the whole thing is loaded with garlic powder.

17. Creamy Ziti Chicken Casserole Recipe From The Spruce Eats

This creamy chicken and pasta dish is an absolute breeze to make.

You simply combine your canned chicken with some ziti pasta, shredded Muenster cheese, condensed cream of chicken soup, water and ground black pepper, and place it in a casserole dish.

Then you sprinkle it with grated Parmesan cheese and put it in the oven to bake until hot and bubbly.

18. Quick Chicken And Corn Wraps Recipe From Taste Of Home

I just love this recipe. You only need 5 ingredients altogether, namely canned chicken breast, canned whole kernel corn, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, and flour tortilla wraps.

I love the contrast between the tomato flavors of the salsa, and the thick cheddar cheese.

The recipe yields 4 servings, with each serving coming in at 374 calories.

19. Canned Chicken With Wide Noodles And Alfredo Sauce Recipe From Just A Pinch Recipes

This flavorful dish is really nice. You simply cook up some wide noodle pasta, and in another pan cook some diced green pepper and onion, and add the canned chicken.

Then add a jar of Alfredo sauce, and stir in some peas, diced tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper seasoning, before tossing the noodles in to serve. Yum!

20. Chicken Fajita Skillet Meal Recipe From I Dig Pinterest

This super tasty dish is surprisingly low in calories. It features canned chicken, bell peppers, chicken broth, and rice, along with such seasonings as garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and oregano.

You make the whole thing in one skillet pan, and it’s ready to eat in just 30 minutes. You can serve it as is, or with a generous dollop of sour cream.

21. Gingered Chicken Salad Recipe From Ready Set Eat

This simple recipe takes a mere 10 minutes to make, making it perfect for a lunchtime meal.

All you have to do is combine the canned chicken with orange ginger stir fry sauce and light mayonnaise, before serving with coleslaw and green onions. No cooking required.

22. Chicken Ramen Recipe From Chelsea’s Messy Apron

OMG, you’re gonna love this dish! The sauce is incredibly more-ish, featuring soy sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, sriracha sauce, ginger paste, and brown sugar.

It goes great with the canned chicken and ramen noodles. And to serve you simply garnish with toasted sesame seeds, a drizzle of sesame oil, and chopped fresh herbs. 

23. 10-Minute Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe From Overtime Cook

This easy stir fry dish is a breeze to make and can be ready to eat in ten short minutes – perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

You stir fry some vegetables in a sweet yet also savory sauce, made up of such ingredients as soy sauce, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, minced garlic, ground ginger, and hot sauce.

It goes great with fluffy white rice, and I’ll let you off using chopsticks to eat it!

24. Southern Canned Chicken Salad Recipe From Love And Zest

This classic Southern dish requires very few ingredients and tastes wonderfully fresh.

In addition to the canned chicken you’ve also got diced celery, mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, relish, salt and pepper seasoning to taste, and you serve it with some flax seed nut thins.

The recipe yields 3 servings and takes a mere 5 minutes to make. Each serving is 225 calories.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Eat Chicken In A Can?

If, for whatever reason, you cannot get your hands on the ingredients for the canned chicken recipes shown above, then don’t worry.

You can eat the chicken straight out of the can because it has already been cooked.

But, in order to make it more palatable, I would recommend that you heat it on your stove or in your microwave before hand.

Can You Use The Liquid From Canned Chicken?

The water in canned chicken is packed with flavor, and you can take advantage of it to enrich your canned chicken recipes (see also ‘33 Amazing Dutch Oven Chicken Recipes For Every Occasion‘).

Should I Rinse Canned Chicken?

You don’t have to rinse out your canned chicken, but if you do rinse it out before use, you can reduce the amount of sodium in your food (see also ‘13 Tasty Low-Sodium Recipes‘).

Wrap Up

So, now you have a wide range of recipes to choose from featuring yummy canned chicken (see also ‘The Best Chicken Recipes For Summer‘). The hard part is deciding which one to make, and to that end I wish you good luck. Bon appetit!