10 Culinary Atrocities That Begin With a Can of Chicken

Whether you’re trying to save money or lose weight, using a staple like chicken breast can provide a boost of protein without a lot of added calories. And if you don’t like handling raw chicken, canned chicken can be a reasonable substitute — sometimes.

While you can make chicken salad with canned chicken without raising too many eyebrows, there's not a lot more that canned chicken really works in (unless you want one of those viral, keto-friendly pizza crusts, though we're honestly a bit skeptical on the taste results here). In fact, canned chicken can quickly ruin a recipe. And we mean RUIN!
If you're feeling strong, check out some of the grossest canned chicken recipes we could find on the internet.

Related: 10 Quick Recipes To Make With Costco's $5 Rotisserie Chicken

Why limit your use of canned chicken in baked goods to pizza when you can give this meaty beast a try? 

Yes, there's a recipe for chicken bread. Steve over at Serious Keto says he loves modernist cuisine and kitchen science and that's why this chicken bread is appealing.

Now before you get too excited about this keto-friendly "bread", let's quickly review a few of the ingredients: meat glue, otherwise known as transglutanimase RM, which, as Steve points out, gets a bad rap (we wonder why!) beef gelatin and sodium caseinate. So, basically, your standard grocery run.

And then you bake it in a mini bundt cake maker. No, really.

This recipe sounds like it's anything BUNDT good, even if you are hardcore keto. Steve can keep his meat glue and canned chicken bread. For us, it's a hard pass.

Most people know that Jell-O was a staple on 50s recipe cards, but did you know it’s not just a dessert ingredient? Yes, some people used Jell-O as a savory addition - like in this Lime Jell-O Chicken recipe.

Combining disparate items like curry powder, crushed pineapple and of course, canned chicken, this recipe seems like a joke rather than an actual dish someone would prepare. The clash between the sweet and savory flavors will only confuse your taste buds.

Recipe: Grandma Mimi's Recipes

Everyone loves to add vegetables in a way that disguises them. And the concept behind these chicken parmesan patties is solid - add chicken, zucchini and parmesan to make a delightful concoction.

The problem with canned chicken is that it needs moisture to taste good. And if you don’t add any moisture to the recipe, you’ll have a dry flavorless chicken that ruins the whole dish.

That’s the issue with these chicken parmesan patties. They use canned chicken and zucchini to add nutrients and save calories, but they also remove any semblance of seasoning.

Recipe: The Big Man's World

Related: 50 Cheap and Easy Chicken Recipes

Who doesn't like a sandwich for dinner? Sounds great, right? Well, what about a sandwich made from canned chicken and soup? Doesn’t sound so good now, does it?

This recipe uses canned chicken, condensed cream of celery soup, condensed cream of chicken soup and instant chicken stuffing mix to create a filling that looks similar to sloppy joes. It’s almost like the creator was forced to use multiple iterations of chicken to put together a dish.

Recipe: Old Guy In The Kitchen

Everyone loves a cheese ball for the holidays. It’s a classic appetizer that everyone can enjoy. But a chicken cheese ball? Not so appetizing.

This easy dish takes canned chicken, cream cheese and pecans to create a domed dip that you can eat with a variety of crackers. Unfortunately, this concoction doesn’t seem to be as tasty as a regular cheese ball. In this case, maybe everyone should stick with the classics.

Recipe: Allrecipes

What is it with canned chicken and condensed soup? They seem to be a match made in yuck heaven.

Unfortunately, they’re the basis of this chicken spaghetti bake recipe, which also includes cheddar cheese. While this recipe is easy and quick to put together, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a huge hit at your next potluck. In fact you might be better off bringing a box of mac and cheese instead.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Related: Dump-and-Bake Casseroles You Can Make in Minutes

You know how they say a healthy meal should be like eating a rainbow? Well, you won’t get that effect with this meal. The One Skillet Corn & Chicken Supper dish is a strictly yellow affair, apart from the bits of pimento.

Another interesting note about this recipe is how it utilizes canned items. In the midcentury era, people loved cooking with canned goods - and unfortunately, they created some truly revolting recipes.

This dish uses a variety of canned items - canned corn, canned cream soup and of course, canned chicken. Save this one for when you’re out of fresh ingredients - and only then.

Recipe: Recipe Reviver

Nothing says “ I’m too busy to cook” like this meal. Made - just like it sounds - from canned chicken and instant rice, it literally only takes a few minutes to put together. Unfortunately, you’ll definitely notice the lack of effort in this dish.

Plus, this recipe doesn’t call for any extra seasoning. And while you can choose other toppings to spice it up, it will be hard to hide that bland canned chicken and instant rice.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Related: 28 Slamming Spam Recipes That Will Have You Wanting More

Chicken alfredo is an Italian classic and can be a delicious choice if you're looking for an easy week-night meal. But using canned chicken? That’s a quick way to destroy this beloved dish.

Chicken alfredo needs quality chicken to stand out - and using canned chicken won’t cut it. It’s like taking a shortcut that actually results in stand-still traffic. You’re better off taking your time and following the actual recipe, instead of this knockoff dud.

Recipe: Just A Pinch

When you think about comforting classics, chicken noodle soup is the top. It reminds you of how you felt when you were sick and miserable, and your mom comforted you with a big bowl of soup.

But one easy way to ruin this timeless dish? Use canned chicken instead of real chicken. Using an oven-roasted or rotisserie chicken adds the flavor that most of us love. Using canned chicken can’t replicate it. In short, canned chicken will take the heart and warmth out of this soup, no matter how you cook it.

Recipe: Instacart

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