Throw Back Recipes– Hot Chicken Salad and Pop Open A Can of Tab | Vicki James

Vicki James - Now, here’s a blast from the past.  Do you remember Hot Chicken Salad AKA Baked Chicken Salad?  It was a popular recipe in the 1950s and 1960s and makes at least one appearance in every one of my old cookbooks. No wonder!  It's yummy and easy.  My husband, who pretends he doesn't like chicken salad because it's “girlie food”, even likes it.  Every time I say I'm going to make it, he turns up his nose, but I always see him going back for seconds.  And thirds. What's not to like?  It has a crushed potato chip topping, for heaven’s 

 That being said, which baked chicken salad should you make?  Why mine, of course.  I have to confess it's not actually my recipe, but it's my favorite.  I discovered it in the newspaper food section several years ago and tweaked it a little. The recipe I'm going to give you is actually one of the simpler versions.  I've found several that insist on including a can of Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soup.  Now, I don't know about you, but I don't want to put anything in hot chicken salad that I wouldn't put in cold chicken salad.  So, that means chicken, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice and nuts are in.  Cream soups, water chestnuts and pimentos are out.  I actually found one recipe that included all of the above plus chopped hard boiled eggs. Yuk.  It actually makes me feel a little nauseous just thinking about it.

I did find one variation I might consider making.  In the Cotton Country Cookbook, a collection of southern recipes from the Decatur, Alabama Junior Service League, there is a recipe called California Hot Chicken Salad.  The name is derived from the fact that the recipe includes sliced olives as well as pimentos which I guess they just couldn't stand to leave out.  Since the olives are stuffed with pimentos, I hardly see why more are necessary.  Can you say “overkill”? Otherwise, the recipe is similar to my favorite so I just might give it a whirl.  Sans the extra pimentos, of course.  As contributor Mrs. James P. Smartt, Jr. sternly warns, “You’ll be missing an awfully good thing if you don't try this for a wintertime luncheon.  Sliced green olives make the hot salad different and extra special.”  Well, okay, Mrs. Smarrt, if it means that much to you, I’ll try it.  But why California?  And why wintertime?  Then it dawned on me, back in those times, most people didn't have central air conditioning.  In fact, it didn't become widespread until the late sixties and early seventies.  So, of course you wouldn't want to heat up your kitchen making hot chicken salad when cold chicken salad was vastly more refreshing.  But nowadays, we can make Hot Chicken Salad anytime the mood strikes.

Here’s my recipe.  Have at it!

1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s Light)

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons freshly grated or minced onion

2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast, diced ( save time and buy a rotisserie chicken)


1 cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced toasted almonds

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup crushed potato chips


Blend mayonnaise with lemon peel, onion, and lemon juice.  Mix lightly with chicken, celery and almonds.  Spoon into a 1 ½ quart casserole.  Top with cheese and potato chips.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until piping hot.

Caveats:  Buy double the amount of almonds needed.  If you're like me, you can think you've got the toasting process under control, but end up burning the living bejeezus out of them.  I'm impatient and don't want to keep my eye on them for the few minutes it takes to get them a lovely light brown, so I end up trying to multi-task and wind up with a nasty black mess.  If you manage to toast them correctly the first time, you’ll just have some extra nuts to keep on hand.

Also, do be advised that this recipe serves 6 to 8 and does not keep well in the refrigerator because the chips get soggy overnight.  There is nothing worse than limp chips.  Since there’s only two of us in our house, I divide the casserole into two small casseroles before I bake it.  I leave one in the refrigerator unbaked for us to have the next day.  I wait to top it with crushed chips until right before I cook it.  Because the nuts are toasted, they will stay crunchy.

Speaking of chips, I amped up the nostalgia factor by using Charles Chips for the topping.   If you are over 50, you probably remember Charles Chips, which were delivered to homes in big metal tins back in the 1960s. Yes, kids, there was actually a potato chip delivery service back in the day. Finally, home delivery became unprofitable and the original owners of Charles Chips sold the business in 1992.  Now, someone has revived Charles Chips!  They are no longer delivered to your home, and they no longer come in a metal tin, but I found them in bags at the Fresh Market. Given the popularity of Hot Chicken Salad and the popularity of Charles Chips, I'm willing to bet that they have cozied up together before.  They make a great team, but if you can't find them, don't worry.  Any good crispy chip will do.

So, make some Hot Chicken Salad, pop open a can of Tab, and waltz yourself right down memory lane!

Coca-Cola's Tab soda has been discontinued so part of this throwback is gone. However, as of this posting Amazon still had tab for sale.