We love canned chicken recipes because they’re typically quick, easy, and frugal! Not having to mess with cooking and shredding chicken is such a time saver on busy days. Plus, I always have it on hand in my pantry.
Living out here on the farm is awesome! There’s just something about being able to go for a walk and not having a single car go by. Being able to go outside and pick produce from my garden in my bathrobe without anyone seeing is awfully nice too! Calling the middle of nowhere home is a good thing!
Another great thing about being out here is that we don’t go to the grocery store ALL the time! I don’t even know how much money I’d spend on groceries if I went all the time because everything is so tempting!
We do a massive stock up once a year and buy all the toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, etc. About once a month I try and hit the store and stock up on non-perishables like plastic bags, oil, peanut butter, etc. About every other week I go to buy fresh fruits and veggies, milk, bread, etc. Of course, this schedule isn’t set in stone and during crops, or other super busy times, we don’t make it to town for a long time.
My family really does live off of the food in our food storage and pantry most of the time. I also keep the freezer fairly well stocked too. Having staples like canned chicken is a lifesaver for throwing together recipes really quickly.
Today, I’m sharing a bunch of recipes with canned chicken to help you work through that food storage and hopefully make life easier for you!
What brand of canned chicken is best?
My family likes this kind, and we like Kirkland Canned Chicken Breast. {Amazon Affiliate} The most important thing to me is that they are made with chicken breast and not the other parts of meat. It’s a personal preference, but I like it best! It doesn’t matter if it’s canned chicken breast meat or chicken chunks, either will work great.
How to store canned chicken
Store canned chicken in a cool dry place. If you have a concrete floor put a barrier (carpet, cardboard, plywood, etc) between the cans and the floor. Newer concrete has moisture in it and can rust cans.
How long can canned chicken be stored?
You should always check the expiration, or best by, date on cans and use it before that date. Be sure to rotate older cans to the front of shelves and put new cans in the back to make sure you’re using the older food first.
Most commercially canned chicken will last for 3-5 years, depending on the storage conditions.
How long will open canned chicken last in the refrigerator? Be sure to store it in an airtight container, not in the tin can. It will last up to four days.
How to use canned chicken in recipes.
Canned chicken is best in casseroles, soups, sandwiches, quesadillas, or other recipes where the chicken is mixed with other ingredients.
- Rotisserie Chicken – You can use it exactly as you would use rotisserie chicken in recipes. Drain any liquid off the chicken and break the canned chicken up with a fork before using it.
- Shredded Chicken – Use canned chicken exactly as you would use prepared shredded chicken. Be sure to check out how to shred chicken with an electric mixer if you love shredding your own chicken.
Recipes Using Canned Chicken
See my notes at the bottom of this post for tips on swapping chicken for ground beef. Using canned chicken in these super easy appetizers makes them even faster to make!
Mexican Dip is the appetizer to make if you want to bring we-are-the-champion kind of yummy food to the next tailgating party! It's easy to make and is always gone before the end of the first quarter!
Super Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip
All The Flavor Of Buffalo Wings In A Creamy, Cheesy, Simple Dip! This Super Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip Is Filled With Chicken, Buffalo Sauce, Ranch, And Three Different Types Of Cheese! It’s Perfect For Parties And Get Togethers, Served With Chips Or Veggies.
Easy Sandwiches with Canned Chicken Meat
Making chicken salad sandwiches with canned chicken is so easy and a great goto idea! Here are more easy chicken sandwich and quesadilla recipes for quick lunches!
Italian Chicken Bacon Sandwich
Sandwiches can be so middle of the road, but there’s nothing boring about Italian Chicken Bacon Sandwiches! They have plenty of gooey cheese, as much bacon and chicken as you can stack on there, and the best seasonings on top! This one is a keeper!
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Greek Yogurt Chicken Saladis the perfect healthy, no mayo chicken salad! You can get creative with whatever you want to add in; grapes, apples, cranberries, pecans, walnuts, or celery!
Serve it bread to make it a sandwich, or keep it low carb and serve it on lettuce!
Crockpot crack chicken is great made into sandwiches or little appetizer sliders! Tender cream cheese chicken shredded to perfection in your slow cooker.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Quesadillas
Chicken Cordon Bleu Quesadillas are every thing you love about the classic in a new fuss free version! There are still those amazing layers of savory ham, gooey cheese, hearty chicken, and even a creamy Parmesan Dijon Sauce! It’s heavenly in a hurry!
Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla
This fun new twist on Alice Springs Chicken makes a super quick and easy lunch! You know you can’t resist grilled chicken, crispy bacon, gooey cheese, and honey mustard!
Pizza made with canned chicken breast
Everyone loves pizza! I created these chicken pizza recipes using leftover grilled chicken, which I prefer to canned chicken. But, when you’re eating out of our pantry canned chicken will work great! Feel free to get creative with the crust. Bagels, English muffins, toast, tortillas, French bread, pita bread, and flatbread are great options!
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza is a quick and easy meal that thw whole family will go crazy for! It has barbecue sauce, sweet pineapple, grilled chicken, and plenty of cheese! I used a flatbread crust because it's so fast!
Grilled Chicken Taco Pizza is a super versatile dinner you can make in about 15 minutes! Choose from several easy crust options, then pile it high with your favorite kind of cheese, and all the fixings you like on your tacos! You can even bake it in the oven or on the grill!
Soup recipes made with canned chicken
Soup is one of my very favorite ways to use canned chicken. It’s quick and easy and works really well in soup!
Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup is a hearty, comforting chowder! Diced carrots, potatoes, onions, and chicken are added to the most decadent creamy and cheesy base! It’s out of this world and can be made on the stove top or in a pressure cooker!
Jalapeno Soup with Cheese and Chicken
Jalapeno Soup is out of this world!It’s the best of White Bean Chicken Chili and Jalapeno Poppers in one hearty soup recipe! Bacon, cheese, chicken, beans, and cream cheese! This soup is LOADED with flavor, but don’t worry…it’s NOT too spicy!
Slow Cooker Low-Carb Crack Chicken Soup
Slow Cooker Low-Carb Crack Chicken Soup – chicken soup loaded with cheddar, bacon, and ranch. Super easy to make – just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it do all the work. Chicken, cream cheese, chicken broth, bacon, ranch dressing mix, cheddar cheese.
Creamy Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup
Creamy Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup is loaded with carrots, onions, mushrooms (if you like), and cheese-filled tortellini pasta! Heavy cream gives it a hearty, creamy, and rich chicken broth flavor! You'll love this 30 minutes, easy soup recipe!
Southwest Chicken Soup is made with black beans, corn, and cream cheese! This soup is even better than Chilis Southwest Chicken soup and all you have to do is throw everything in the Crockpot and let it go!
Casseroles made with canned chicken
Casseroles were created for people eating from their food storage/pantry! Most of these casseroles use staples like canned food, rice, pasta, etc. Grated cheese freezes really well which makes it a fantastic food storage item.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Salsa Chicken
Slow Cooker Pineapple Salsa Chicken is about to make you the hero of your family. And believe me when I say you’ll be patting yourself on the back when you taste this delicious and healthy meal that even your picky kid just gobbled up.
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole is one of those make ahead, shortcut meals you will come to time and time again! It’s easy and the whole family will love it!
BBQ Chicken Loaded Fries are easy to make and topped with melted cheese, sour cream, bacon, and drizzled with barbecue sauce. They make the perfect appetizer, mid-night snack, or treat to enjoy while watching your favorite game.
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Nachos
Crockpot Chicken Nachosare loaded with shredded chicken, beans, and corn! They are hearty enough for a quick and easy dinner recipe or a great appetizer! Add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook for a few hours, then pull the chicken. These nachos are creamy, thanks to cream cheese, and oh so cheesy! Grab some tortilla chips and load them with your favorite Mexican toppings!
One Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet
This One Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet gives you all the flavor and deliciousness of hand-rolled sour cream chicken enchiladas without all the work! It’s cheesy, creamy, zesty and your family is going to love it!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Braid is an impressive, yet super easy version of the classic! It’s the ultimate in comfort food without all the extra effort! Trust me there’s no giving up flavor with this one!
Pasta and Salad made with canned chicken
Pasta is one of the most common pantry ingredients because it stores so well. Make it a main dish pasta salad by adding chicken.
Chicken Pasta Salad is full of colorful fruits and vegetables; mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, grapes, celery, and onions. It's tossed in a tangy and creamy dressing that makes all the flavors shine, then is topped with crunchy cashews!
Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken
Chicken Pesto Pasta is made with grilled chicken, noodles, and basil pesto! This pasta is tossed in a creamy sauce that makes it the ultimate comfort food! It's a perfect summer salad!
Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad is an explosion of flavors with crispy fresh broccoli florets, crispy bacon, pasta, and cheddar cheese tossed in a sweet and sour tangy dressing! An easy cold pasta salad recipe that can be made ahead of time.
Pesto perfectly flavors this creamy pasta sauce. It is perfect served with French Bread of Butter Dips.
How to substitute chicken for beef?
You guys I have to be 100% honest here. We eat beef about 95% of the time. We raise our own beef and have it in the freezer ALL the time. We’re spoiled and I know it! I love red meat and I’m not sure I could live without it!
With that having been said, you can easily substitute chicken for beef in lots of recipes. Of course, you wouldn’t want to substitute chicken for beef in my Classic Roast Beef Recipe, and I wouldn’t even use ground chicken in my Hawaiian Burgers. I suppose you could, I just wouldn’t and don’t even have suggestions on how to make that workout.
Casseroles, soups, salads, and pasta recipes are all great places to use chicken instead of beef. When a recipe calls for cooked ground beef or cooked and shredded roast beef you can easily use canned chicken breast meat instead. Here are a few recipes that could easily be swapped over.
When switching from beef to chicken swap beef broth to chicken broth. I usually use cream of mushroom soup in beef recipes and cream of chicken in chicken recipes. That’s another easy substitution. Let me know if you have any questions about how to make the swap!
Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Taco Soup
Creamy Beef Taco Soup made in the slow cooker is made with ground beef, black, beans, corn, taco seasoning, and cream cheese! Add your favorite taco toppings to the top and everyone will be happy!
This recipe takes about 15 minutes to put together, then let the CrockPot do its thing! It's such a quick and easy meal!
Pulled Pork Chiliis the best combination of authentic Mexican flavors and smoked pork! It can be made in the slow cooker, or even in the pressure cooker! Load thisaward-winning chiliwith your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!
Mexican Mac and Cheese {Plus Stock the Pantry Hacks}
Mexican Mac and Cheese is one of “grab a few ingredients from the pantry” kind of meals! It’s quick and easy and of course kids go crazy for it!
Cheesy Beef Mexican Casserole has hearty layers of spicy cheese, gooey cheese, and crunchy tortillas! It’s a great make ahead meal for busy weeknight dinners!
Easy Beef Burritos are one of those recipes you are going to want to save for those beyond crazy days when you need something to impress the kids and you need it in a hurry! These are always a hit at my house!
Pulled Pork Nachos is such an easy dinner recipe, or party food, made with leftover pulled pork, pineapple, and BBQ sauce! They're sweet and savory and loaded with flavor! Use tortilla chips or use pork rinds for keto nachos.
Easy Cheesy Crockpot Tortellini with Ground Beef
Cheesy Beef Tortellini is such an easy recipe made with spaghetti sauce, fresh or frozen tortellini, ground beef, and plenty of gooey cheese! It takes about 20 minutes of hands on time to make this ultimate comfort food!
Creamy Shredded Beef Enchiladas
Shredded Beef Enchiladas are so EASY to make using leftover pulled roast beef! They're even better made ahead of time, which is a lifesaver on busy days! Be sure to add plenty of cheese!
