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3 recipes · 26 Oct 2026

What to make with canned chicken

A can of chicken in the cupboard is a quick lunch or dinner that is already cooked. Three ways to make it taste like more than a can.

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Canned chicken is fully cooked and soft, so it only needs draining, flaking and warming through. It is best mixed into something with plenty of flavour: a creamy dressing, melted cheese or a pasta sauce.

Each recipe below started from a different cupboard and fridge. Cheffify picked the dish and listed what is worth adding.

Classic Chicken Salad Sandwiches
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Classic Chicken Salad Sandwiches

  • 10 min
  • Serves 2
  • 420 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • American

A crisp, refreshing chicken salad that comes together in minutes using pantry staples and your fresh produce.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge canned chicken, mayonnaise, celery, red onion, bread, lettuce, lemon

Used from the fridge
canned chickenmayonnaiseceleryred onionbreadlettuce
Left for another day
  • lemon mayonnaise provides enough tang
Worth buying (optional)
  • + fresh dill adds a lovely fresh flavor
From the pantry
saltblack pepper

Ingredients

  • 250g canned chicken
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
  • 4 slices bread
  • 2 leaves lettuce
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Allergens: contains egg, gluten (wheat), celery. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
420 kcal
Protein
22 g
Carbs
35 g
Fat
20 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Drain the canned chicken thoroughly in a colander.
  2. Finely dice the celery and red onion. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, diced celery, red onion, salt, and pepper. Stir well until evenly coated.
  3. Toast the bread slices if desired for extra texture.
  4. Assemble the sandwiches by layering a lettuce leaf on two slices of bread, topping with the chicken salad mixture, and closing with the remaining bread slices.

Tip If you have some dried herbs like parsley or tarragon in your pantry, add a pinch to the chicken salad to brighten the flavor without needing extra ingredients.

Quick Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Quick Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas

  • 20 min
  • Serves 2
  • 450 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • Mexican-inspired

These crispy, cheesy quesadillas are a fast, satisfying dinner that uses up your pantry staples beautifully.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge canned chicken, tortillas, cheddar, canned black beans, salsa, sweetcorn

Used from the fridge
canned chickentortillascheddarcanned black beanssalsasweetcorn
Worth buying (optional)
  • + fresh cilantro adds fresh pop of flavor
From the pantry
cooking oilchili powdercumingarlic powder

Ingredients

  • 1 can chicken
  • 4 large tortillas
  • 150g cheddar
  • 200g canned black beans
  • 100g sweetcorn
  • 100g salsa
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil

Allergens: contains milk, gluten (wheat). Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
450 kcal
Protein
28 g
Carbs
42 g
Fat
18 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Drain the canned chicken, black beans, and sweetcorn well. In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, beans, sweetcorn, salsa, chili powder, and cumin until combined.
  2. Grate the cheddar cheese. Lay the tortillas flat on your workspace.
  3. Divide the chicken mixture evenly across one half of each tortilla. Sprinkle the grated cheddar generously over the mixture. Fold each tortilla in half to create a half-moon shape.
  4. Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place two quesadillas in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy and the cheese is fully melted.
  5. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas. Serve warm. You could buy some fresh cilantro to sprinkle on top if you have it on hand.

Tip If your tortillas are a bit dry and cracking when you fold them, microwave them for 10-15 seconds wrapped in a damp paper towel to make them pliable again.

Creamy Garlic Chicken and Pea Pasta
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Creamy Garlic Chicken and Pea Pasta

  • 20 min
  • Serves 2
  • 550 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • Italian-American

A comforting, quick pasta dish that uses the rich creaminess of cheese to bind everything together into a satisfying dinner.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge canned chicken, pasta, frozen peas, cream cheese, parmesan, garlic

Used from the fridge
canned chickenpastafrozen peascream cheeseparmesangarlic
Worth buying (optional)
  • + fresh parsley adds a lovely fresh finish
From the pantry
saltblack pepperbutterolive oilpasta water

Ingredients

  • 250g pasta
  • 250g canned chicken
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 100g cream cheese
  • 50g parmesan
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Allergens: contains milk, gluten (wheat). Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
550 kcal
Protein
32 g
Carbs
65 g
Fat
18 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
  2. While the pasta cooks, mince the garlic. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
  3. Add the drained canned chicken and frozen peas to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender and the chicken is heated through.
  4. Before draining the pasta, reserve about half a cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it directly into the pan with the chicken and peas.
  5. Add the cream cheese and half of the parmesan to the pan. Pour in a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything over low heat until the cheese melts into a smooth, creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Add more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
  6. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Serve immediately, topped with the remaining parmesan. If you bought fresh parsley, chop it and sprinkle it on top for extra brightness.

Tip Make sure to reserve some of that starchy pasta water! It is the secret to turning cream cheese into a silky sauce rather than just a sticky clump.

Swaps

Missing something, or cooking for a different diet? These work in the recipes above.

Rotisserie or leftover chicken
Shred about 300 g and use it like the canned chicken in all three.
Canned tuna
Swap it in for the sandwich and the pasta.
No mayonnaise
Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon makes a lighter dressing.

What to buy to finish it

Every recipe works with what it lists. These optional extras are what Cheffify suggested to lift each one.

Pantry basics these recipes assume

saltblack peppercooking oilchili powdercumingarlic powderbutterolive oilpasta water

Good to know

  • Drain canned chicken well and pat it dry before mixing: watery chicken thins the dressing or sauce.
  • Once opened, move leftovers to a covered container in the fridge and eat them within 3 to 4 days. FoodSafety.gov: cold food storage chart

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Tell Cheffify what’s in your fridge. It picks what goes together, writes the recipe and tells you what it left out. Your first recipe is free, with no account needed.

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How these recipes were made

Each recipe started as the fridge list shown with it. Cheffify’s AI (the same Chef’s Pick you get in the app) chose what goes together and wrote the recipe on 26 Oct 2026, and an image model made the photo. We read every recipe before publishing, but they haven’t been tested in a test kitchen. Times and nutrition are estimates, and the allergen notes only cover the listed ingredients.

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