5 Easy, Healthy Chicken Dinners You Can Make in 5 Minutes

Wild Planet Organic Roasted Chicken Breast isn’t your average canned chicken. It’s free-range, organic, and raised without antibiotics, naturally lean, and free of artificial flavors or fillers. And it’s already fully cooked—slow-roasted, in fact, to develop an incredible flavor. That means it’s perfect for making everything from homemade enchiladas to chicken noodle soup on the fly.

With just two ingredients (chicken and sea salt) and 30 grams of protein per can, Wild Planet’s chicken is also excellent for you. In terms of flavor, convenience, and versatility, it holds its own against canned tuna. Trust us—once you try one of these five easy, healthy, and satisfying meals, you’ll be hooked.

Niçoise Salad With Chicken

Bright and lemony, a niçoise salad tastes so refreshing on a hot summer evening. Though the classic French dish uses tuna, we like it just as well with chicken. Swap it into the classic recipe, or make a quick-fix version with lettuce, green beans, briny olives, and chicken drizzled with an organic store-bought vinaigrette.

Curried Chicken Salad

Creamy chicken salad with curry goes well on everything from sourdough sandwiches to a leafy green salad. Food editor Merce Muse’s recipe is particularly good—the combination of curry powder, cumin, honey, and currants strikes just the right balance between sweet and spicy. You’d never guess the tender, flaky meat came out of a can.

Ingredients

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon honey
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can roasted chicken breast
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon currants

Instructions

Stir together lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, cumin, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Add chicken and gently shred with a fork, then add scallions and currants and stir gently to combine, leaving chicken pieces fairly intact.

Pasta With Chicken, Zucchini, Broccoli, and Mozzarella

Sometimes, nothing hits the spot quite like a big bowl of pasta. Make it a complete meal by throwing in chicken and fresh veggies. Start with your favorite whole wheat or gluten-free noodles, then add steamed broccoli and zucchini, one can of chicken, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and plenty of grated mozzarella cheese.

Chicken Melt

Because canned chicken has a flaky texture similar to tuna, it makes a handy substitute in almost any tuna-based recipe. Take the tuna melt, for instance. First, mix canned chicken with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil mayonnaise and a spoonful of relish for a quick chicken salad. Spread it over one slice of bread, add cheddar cheese, then top with another slice of bread and pan-fry until delectably melty.

Quick Chicken Tacos

You could spend hours simmering chicken over low heat to get it perfectly juicy and shreddable, or you could just open a can—the hard work’s already been done! Add authentic Mexican flavor by sautéeing it with taco seasoning, red and orange bell peppers, and onions. Serve alongside with corn tortillas, guacamole, and salsa, or over lettuce and tomatoes for taco salad.

Photo credit: Alicia Cho