Back to the 60's Hot Chicken Salad

   

I've been playing today with another system of photo editing.  Mostly because my computer was doing updates that were taking forever, and so I had to download my photos onto another system and figure out how to crop/edit the there. I guess it did an okay job.  It was a very steep learning curve for me!

 

This is a very nostalgic casserole dish, and something which your mother probably cooked at one time or another when you were growing up (if you are around my age anyways!).

 

It was a very popular luncheon dish for Ladies Who Lunch back in the 1960's and 70's.  Simple and yet very delicious!

 

A rich and creamy chicken base  . . .   rich with mayonnaise and sour cream . . .

  

Crunch is supplied with the addition of plenty of chopped celery. I love celery.  I always de-string mine. It was a habit I picked up when I worked at the Manor.  Its an easy thing to do and I actually like celery better that way. Sometimes strings can be really chewy and they can get caught in your teeth.

 

Ladies who lunch don't like things caught in their teeth.  Its a huge no no. Simply take your knife and catch the ends of the strings (one at a time) at one cut edge and pull them down the length of the stalk of celery, which lifts them out, and just discard.

 

There is cheese in the salad base and again in the topping.  I used a mix of coloured and uncoloured strong cheddar. 

 

The cheese adds another depth of flavour and richness . . .  and its lovely melted on top . . .

 

where it helps to grab hold of the crushed potato chips and flaked almonds, keeping them in place  . . .

 

Admittedly this is not low in calories  . . .  but when Ladies are lunching, they don't really want to watch their calories, although they may say differently.  They want their lunch to be a treat and a feast.  After all, its not something which happens every day. 

 

You could use low fat sour cream, mayo and cheese if you wanted to, but I can't vouch for the results. I'm an in for a penny, in for a pound kind of a girl, and always have been, which is probably why I look the way I do! ha ha!

 

Actually this makes the perfect low-carb casserole dish, so long as you omit the potato chips on top.  Simply use more almonds if you wish.

 

If you want more crunch in the dish itself, you could add chopped or sliced water-chestnuts . . .

 

A hint of sweet can be added (if you are not low-carbing it) by adding some chopped dried cranberries, which also add a touch of colour!

  

Its pretty delicious either way.  I served it today with some sliced garden tomatoes, but a green salad would also be nice.

Hot Chicken Salad

Yield: 4 - 6

Author: Marie Rayner

This quick and easy casserole is  delicious and the sort of thing we might have seen our mother serving when she hosted a  ladies luncheon. It was fabulous then and it is pretty fabulous now!

ingredients:

• 6 single boneless chicken breasts, poached and cubed
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
•  1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 120g grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup), divided
• 110g full fat mayonnaise ( 1/2 cup)
• 30g dairy sour cream (1/4 cup)
• 60ml chicken broth (1/4 cup)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 small single serving packet of plain salted potato chips
• 45g flaked almonds (1/4 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Hot Chicken Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have ready a 11 inch by 7 inch shallow baking dish. No need to butter it.
2. Mix together the cubed chicken, chopped celery, chopped onion, minced garlic, 2/3 of the grated cheese, the mayonnaise and the sour cream.  Combine well together and spread into the baking dish.  Drizzle the chicken broth over top.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.  Sprinkle with the potato chips and the flaked almonds.  Bake in the preheated oven for  20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
3. Let sit for five minutes or so before serving. A salad goes very well alongside.

NOTES:

You can very easily dress this up by adding chopped dried cranberries, or drained chopped pineapple to this. Chopped water chestnuts are also nice. You can also add a TBS of lemon juice and some lemon zest. You can also use the equivalent in leftover roasted chicken or a rotisserie chicken, about 3 cups of diced meat.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

If your family has particularly hearty appetites and you are serving them this, you could also serve it with a side of steamed rice of baked potatoes.  Todd enjoyed a baked potato with his. Very easily done in the microwave these days. Just prick with a fork, wrap with some paper towelling and microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, depending on the size of your potato.  The potato should yield to a slight pressure when it is done.  Easy peasy!