The Classic Brand We Ranked As The Number One Canned Chicken

You might be convinced of canned chicken's value because of its price and convenience, but the taste of canned meat can sometimes impact its appeal. So, starting with the most flavorful option from our taste test of canned chicken brands might persuade you to try it in your next recipe. When you see all of the uses for canned chicken, you'll discover that you can't go wrong by pairing the right product with your favorite ingredients.

Tyson took first place, surpassing other brands by meeting our criteria for saltiness, moisture, fattiness, and pure chicken flavor. It had much better color than its competitors, numerous large chunks of chicken with enough fat content to be flavorful, and a good balance of salt. The other contenders judged almost as good as Tyson were Nature's Promise, which appeared to be a high-quality chicken but was a little dry, and Swanson's, which was flavorful but had more fat floating in the broth, compromising the meat's texture.

As processed foods, the chicken brands we tested had varying, though somewhat high amounts of salt, which can be a concern for many people consuming canned food. However, Tyson's chicken was also high in protein (around 19 grams per serving) and low in fat and carbohydrates, making it a good topping for sandwiches and salads. There's science behind why processed foods have so much sodium, including preservation and flavor, which is worth knowing to help you decide on which products are best for you.

Canned chicken is fully cooked and ready to eat, so aside from its limited flavor, it's a useful food for convenient, on-the-go dishes. To make it more savory as a stand-alone meal, consider ingredients you can mix with canned chicken to enhance the flavor, such as Tabasco sauce or Cajun seasoning for a spicy kick. Starting with good canned chicken will help you to create a simple meal you can enjoy mostly on its own.

While you can enjoy canned chicken with mild intervention, it's also a useful ingredient in several recipes. There are numerous ways to elevate canned chicken for affordable meals, thanks to its versatility. Canned chicken works well in chicken salad when combined with mayo, chopped vegetables, herbs, and small fruit pieces like grapes and cranberries. In addition, you can use canned chicken in cooked recipes, such as chicken noodle casserole, using canned cream of chicken soup, vegetables, and egg noodles. Everything from cheesy quesadillas to quick stir-fry dishes can be more filling with canned chicken, and the sky is the limit when choosing how to use this canned ingredient.