Should You Rinse Canned Chicken?

With so many simple ways to make canned chicken taste better (like adding flavorful sauces and spices), this versatile ingredient absolutely deserves to be in your pantry. Most canned food is pretty user-friendly. These products come pre-cooked, so you only need to open, heat (if preferred), and serve. When it comes to canned chicken, you might wonder whether rinsing is necessary before incorporating it in recipes. While not mandatory from a safety perspective, the practice of rinsing is recommended because it can enhance flavor and nutrition.

Canned chicken is typically packed in water, and manufacturers add ingredients prior to heating the cans, which both cooks the meat and kills any germs. Some canned meat only includes salt, while others contain additional flavoring agents such as broth. In many cases, the flavor of the canning liquid can have an artificial quality, so rinsing and draining the meat is encouraged if you want to enjoy the full flavor of the chicken. Rinsing canned meat can also eliminate some of the sodium, much like rinsing canned beans and vegetables before eating.

In case you're worried that rinsing canned chicken is going to be a laborious affair, don't be. Just deposit your canned chicken into a strainer and rinse it under cold water for about 30 seconds. Once the meat is properly rinsed, shake the strainer to remove some of that excess moisture before incorporating the ingredient into a dish. If the chicken is still a bit damp, feel free to pat it dry with a clean paper towel.

As for what to do with it after rinsing, we recommend upgrading canned chicken by cooking it in a pan, as browning the meat in butter will enhance the flavor. From there, you can add it to recipes as you normally would. If you're looking for a tempting snack, canned chicken is the perfect addition to Buffalo dip, which can include other tasty ingredients like your favorite hot sauce, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing. For a hearty chicken salad, incorporate canned chicken with ingredients like celery, red onion, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and slap the finished product between two slices of your favorite bread. You can even use canned chicken to make crispy fritters, which feature a delightfully crunchy outside and a delectably soft interior.