10 Easy and Quick Canned Chicken Recipes Your Family Will Love

Do you have a ton of canned chicken sitting in your pantry that you don’t know what to do with? Here are 10 easy and fast canned chicken recipes that your family will love. Perfect for easy camping meals, quick lunches, and summer picnics!

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Canned Chicken Recipes

I don’t know why I have a double standard when it comes to canned chicken but I do.

Canned tuna? No problem! Love it! It’s a regular staple in our house.

I even have to ration canned tuna with my 6-year-old. She loves it so much but we’re careful with the mercury level and all. Her little developing brain, ya know.

But canned chicken somehow always seemed not as appealing and so I never tried out or developed any canned chicken recipes.

But with people pandemic grocery shopping, carts both virtual and real started piling up with canned goods including canned chicken.

Since canned chicken is already cooked, it’s a good way to make a fast and budget-friendly meal that is protein-packed.

(This easy quiche recipe is another protein-packed and budget-friendly meal that is really popular.)

How Can I Make Canned Chicken Taste Good?

Recipes using canned chicken - chicken salad

This was my question too.

If you eat canned chicken right from the can, it’s not going to taste fantastic. It won’t taste like delicious barbecue chicken or oven roasted chicken.

Where canned chicken really shines is in simple recipes like a canned chicken salad with a yummy dressing.

Canned chicken also works well in recipes like soups or recipes that have a sauce or melted cheese (think canned chicken casseroles).

Canned chicken would be a yummy add-in to my easy lasagna recipe.

Here are simple and frugal recipes using canned chicken if you happened to have a pantry stash.

Many of the recipes are great for a picnic with the family and some are cooler-weather recipes.

Try this easy homemade mayonnaise with these chicken recipes – it’s so delicious, it will make the store bought mayo jealous.

10 Deliciously Easy Recipes Using Canned Chicken

There are lots of different chicken recipes here to make something delicious out of that canned chicken in your pantry.

You’ll find healthy canned chicken recipes, canned chicken salad recipes, canned chicken casserole, canned chicken recipes with rice, low-carb canned chicken recipes, recipes using canned chicken breast, and more.

Making one of these simple chicken recipes will take less time and effort than going through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru.

For other recipe ideas, you can try out $5 Meal Plan for free here. You will be emailed easy and inexpensive recipes, along with the grocery list you need to make each meal.

1. Canned Chicken Salad

This low-carb chicken recipe looks so colorful and summery and delicious! It has a creamy dill dressing that works so well with the canned chicken.

2. Canned Chicken Casserole

This easy dinner recipe is called Grandma’s Chicken Casserole which sounds cozy and cute and makes me want to make it.

Although my grandma never made chicken casserole. She was Polish and made perogies and cabbage rolls instead.

And lots of gluten-free recipes because she had celiac disease. What did your grandma make?

3. Canned Chicken with Rice

This Zesty Chicken & Rice recipe uses canned chicken, frozen peas, rice, and a few pantry staples.

It’s basic and easy and cheap, and sometimes those are just the recipes you need.

4. Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

This recipe uses the shortcut of canned chicken plus 6 other basic ingredients, and only takes 5 minutes of prep time to throw together.

Plus: Bacon. Ranch.

5. 5-Minute Chicken Salad Sandwich

This yummy-looking chicken salad sandwich uses canned chicken to cut down on prep time.

It makes this a very budget-friendly recipe too! I love the idea of making the chicken salad sandwiches on croissants – yum!

6. Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The flavor of buffalo chicken wings crossed with a grilled cheese sandwich? Yes please!

7. 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup

So frugal! So easy! Seven cans including canned chicken breast and you can make this soup mild or spicy depending on what your family likes.

My daughter used to love wasabi and spicy things when she was three, but now at 6 is all about the mild and bland – ha!

8. Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken quesadillas are a kid-friendly recipe. Even when my daughter is in a pickier stage, she will like quesadillas (all the cheese!).

This easy chicken recipe uses canned chicken, salsa, shredded cheese, and comes together in about 5 minutes.

9. Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

I have never made pinwheel sandwiches for my daughter but I bet she would love them.

I used to make pinwheel sandwiches all the time when I owned a catering business. It was fun at first but after a while I got tired of making them.

I’ve had enough of a break from making roll-up sandwiches, so I’m planning on trying this creamy chicken recipe soon.

10. Cheesy Chicken Pasta Recipe

This recipe using canned chicken is on the table in less than 30 minutes.

It looks so gooey and cheesy and will be a totally family-friendly chicken recipe.

If you want a really easy way to put family-friendly meals on the table quickly, think about trying HelloFresh meal kits. If you want to try it out, go here to get $60 off including free shipping on your first box. There are lots of chicken recipes in the meal kits (along with a ton of other meals!)

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