What Is Chicken, canned and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with chicken, canned? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 4 recipes to put it to work.
Key Points
- Fully cooked, shelf-stable chicken in a can or pouch; drain and eat, no cooking.
- Pantry shortcut for chicken salad, sandwich fillings, dips, and quick casseroles.
- Drain well first; the packing liquid is watery and salty enough to thin a dressing.
- It is already cooked and tender, so warm it through rather than cooking it hard.
- Choose chunk or chunk breast for firmer pieces; watch the added salt.
What is chicken, canned?
Canned chicken is fully cooked chicken meat packed in a can or pouch with a little broth or water, sealed and shelf-stable. Drain it and the meat is ready to eat without ever touching a stove.
It is the pantry version of leftover cooked chicken.
The meat is softer and a touch saltier, broken into shreds rather than neat slices.
How to Use Canned Chicken
The job is speed. Canned chicken turns a five-minute lunch into a real meal, so it lives in cold salads and hot dips, anywhere the meat hides in something else.
Mash it into a sandwich filling or fold it into a salad. Amazing Chicken & Tomato Greek Salad and Curry Chicken Spread both bind the drained meat with dressing and a few crunchy add-ins.
It melts into hot, saucy dishes too. Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip stirs it through cream cheese and hot sauce, and Meal-In-One Stir-Fry drops it in at the end just to warm through.
Drain it well first. Press the meat against the lid or tip it into a sieve, because the packing liquid is watery and salty and will thin out a dip or dressing if it goes in with the chicken.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Canned chicken is mild and a little bland on its own, so it leans on bold partners. Mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, and a good hit of black pepper all give it backbone. Curry powder works too.
The mistake is treating it like fresh chicken and cooking it hard. It is already cooked and quite tender, so long heat just shreds it to mush. Add it late and warm it through.
Watch the salt, too.
Most canned chicken is salted in the can, so taste before you season, or reach for a low-sodium variety.
Substitutes
The natural swap is your own cooked chicken, shredded from a rotisserie bird or a poached breast. It tastes fresher and you control the salt.
Canned tuna or salmon works in the same salads and spreads with a different flavor, and chickpeas make a passable meatless version when mashed into a sandwich filling.
Buying and Storing
Look for cans labeled chunk or chunk breast for firmer, larger pieces; cheaper tins are finely shredded and softer. Pouches tend to hold drier, less watery meat than cans.
Unopened, it keeps for years in the pantry, well past the date if the can stays cool and undented. Once opened, move any leftovers to a covered container in the fridge and use within three to four days.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 鸡肉罐头
- British (UK) term
- Chicken, canned
- en français
- poulet, en conserve
- en español
- pollo, en lata
Recipes using chicken, canned
There are 4 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Curry Chicken Spread
This simple and quick spread is perfect to serve at any upcoming holiday party! It's chunk chicken, chopped apple, chutney and peanuts are bound with a curry-laced mayonnaise.
Amazing Chicken & Tomato Greek Salad
Greek-style chicken salad built fast from pantry staples: canned chicken and tomatoes tossed with cucumber, zucchini, red onion, black olives, and feta in a sharp white wine vinegar dressing.
Meal-In-One Stir-Fry
Pantry stir-fry with canned chicken, mushrooms, peas, pimientos, and leftover rice. Ready in 25 minutes from shelf-stable ingredients. The original meal-in-one rescue dinner.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip
"This tasty dip has continually proved to be a real crowd pleaser for my family and friends. Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks for an appetizer that is sure to be a big hit!"
