FridgeToTable

What to Make With Canned Chicken: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Canned chicken is already cooked, which is why it saves a night and why it tastes flat if you don't season it. Drain it, break up the chunks, and give it salt, acid, or a tortilla. These three are a salad, a quesadilla, and a fast soup. None of them ask you to pretend the can was a roast. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

Snap your fridge

Quick picks: 3 dinners with canned chicken in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 10-minute dinner

10 min

Canned chicken salad

Total time, start to plate · One bowl · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Drained canned chicken with something creamy, lemon or pickle, and salt.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz canned chicken
  • 3 tbsp yogurt or mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Drain the canned chicken and break it into pieces with a fork.
  2. Stir in the yogurt or mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, and salt.
  3. Taste. Canned chicken needs the acid. Add more lemon if it still tastes like the can.
  4. Eat it on bread, crackers, or a tortilla.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days.

One-pan or sheet-pan option

12 min

Canned chicken quesadillas

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Drained chicken and cheese in a tortilla, toasted until the cheese melts.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz canned chicken
  • 4 flour tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Drain the canned chicken, salt it, and mix it with the cheese.
  2. Fold it into tortillas.
  3. Toast in a dry skillet until spotted and melted.
  4. Taste a bite. Add a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt if the chicken tastes flat.

Keeps: Filling keeps 2 days. Toast when you eat.

The other dinner

18 min

Canned chicken soup

Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Onion, water, noodles, and canned chicken warmed at the end.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz canned chicken
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup egg noodles
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Soften the onion in a pot. Add the water and salt.
  2. Add the noodles and cook until tender.
  3. Stir in the drained canned chicken just to heat it.
  4. Taste. The can is mild. The salt in the broth is what makes it soup.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days.

Make it with leftovers

The can is the leftover from a shopping trip you don't remember. Once you mix the salad, it keeps two days. Don't boil the chicken in the soup for long. Heat it. The texture is already soft.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Salt
  • Lemon or pickle juice
  • Tortillas
  • Cheese
  • Yogurt or mayonnaise
  • Onion

No tortillas: eat the salad on bread. No chicken left in the pantry: eggs and bread. If you have a rotisserie bird instead, use that page. It tastes different.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

Quesadilla is the friendly face of canned chicken. The salad is mayonnaise and crunch, which is a maybe. Rinse nothing dramatic. Just drain it and don't show the can at the table if that helps.

Drain the can. Use yogurt in the salad if you prefer it to mayonnaise. You don't need to fry it. Lemon or pickle juice wakes it up more than extra fat.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

Have something else in the fridge?

Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

Snap your fridge

Related dinners

More dinners with chicken

Questions

What can I make with canned chicken in 20 minutes?

Canned chicken salad takes 10 minutes, start to plate. Drained canned chicken with something creamy, lemon or pickle, and salt.

What's the easiest dinner with canned chicken?

Canned chicken quesadillas is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 12 minutes. Drained chicken and cheese in a tortilla, toasted until the cheese melts.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked canned chicken?

The can is the leftover from a shopping trip you don't remember. Once you mix the salad, it keeps two days. Don't boil the chicken in the soup for long. Heat it. The texture is already soft.

What else can I add to canned chicken for a full meal?

The cards already use canned chicken, yogurt or mayonnaise, lemon. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is canned chicken a healthy dinner?

Drain the can. Use yogurt in the salad if you prefer it to mayonnaise. You don't need to fry it. Lemon or pickle juice wakes it up more than extra fat.

How do I make canned chicken kid-friendly?

Quesadilla is the friendly face of canned chicken. The salad is mayonnaise and crunch, which is a maybe. Rinse nothing dramatic. Just drain it and don't show the can at the table if that helps.

Can I make canned chicken in one pan or a sheet pan?

Canned chicken quesadillas uses one skillet and takes 12 minutes. Drained chicken and cheese in a tortilla, toasted until the cheese melts.

What if I don't have the second ingredient?

No tortillas: eat the salad on bread. No chicken left in the pantry: eggs and bread. If you have a rotisserie bird instead, use that page. It tastes different.