Improve The Taste Of Canned Chicken With One Extra Step

An instant source of protein and a definite pantry staple, canned chicken is one of the most convenient, versatile, and filling foods you can have around. Since it's precooked you don't have to spend any time working over a hot stove, and you can go right to using it in your favorite recipes like chicken salad or craveable quesadillas. However, since no one food can be too powerful, canned chicken does have a few downsides. For example, it can be extremely salty: While no-salt added and low-sodium versions are available, a 2013 study found that the average can of chicken can have up to 18% of the daily recommended amount of sodium. Another issue many people take with the product is that it can have an unpleasant taste and smell. That's not a great quality for food to have, but by simply rinsing the chicken with water before you eat it, you can wash away all of its imperfections.

Canned chicken is typically packed in water before it is sealed tight. You can ingest the liquid, but after it has been absorbing salt and chicken juice for months, the taste can be a bit overwhelming. Although, it can add some extra flavor to dishes that need a liquid base. Still, if you're planning on only using the chicken, this liquid is best washed away to remove the excess salt and taste of preservatives.

Once the canned chicken has been thoroughly rinsed, it should taste a lot less processed. Along with enhancing the taste, rinsing canned foods is also a very efficient method for removing the extra sodium. As registered dietician Diana Orenstein told The Kitchn, "There are estimates that this technique can result in a reduction of the sodium content by somewhere between 20 to 80%."

Now that the canned chicken is clean, the possibilities of what to do with it are endless. The convenient preserved meat is all over social media. One Redditor recommends putting it in a container and shaking it up with barbecue sauce for instant sandwiches tasty throughout the week. Or, you could use another Redditor's recipe for buffalo chicken dip: two cans of canned chicken, 2 cups of cheese, and half a cup of hot sauce. Alternatively, it's hard to go wrong by making good old chicken salad with mayo, mustard, and garlic. Of course, since you've gone through the trouble of rinsing the chicken, you may as well season it liberally to make it taste amazing all on its own.