If you look back and see how many posts I’ve done (114), it would be a fair guess that great-grandma’s recipes come up in a fair number of conversations. The most common question we get asked is how good the recipes are. We have our answers down pat. I always say, “Imagine Iowan Egg Foo Yung.” And from there I launch into the story of Asian night with that Egg Foo Yung and the Japanese Chicken. I also mention the baked goods. “There is this Apple Butter Cake…” A couple of times, I’ve been able to hand someone a jar of my homemade apple butter when I get to that part of the story. And then my husband breaks in. “And Hot Chicken Salad. Why don’t people ever make that any more?”
He always says this with longing in his voice. His eyes shine a little bit as he reflects and his voice gets sort of soft and juicy as if he’s remembering the taste. I know he’d like me to make it again, but with so many recipes to get through, it’s hard to want to repeat. He’s a lucky guy, though, my great-grandma saved more than one hot chicken salad recipe.
This recipe is quite exotic compared to the last hot chicken salad recipe. It still has the same creamy elements as the other, but has a nice tangy zip to it from the French dressing and the fruit. The celery and almonds add enough crunch and texture to keep each bite interesting. The kids’ favorite part, however, was the potato chips crunched up on top. It really completes the whole casserole. 
This is a nice easy dish to serve with a green salad. Instead of using the rest of the French dressing, it would be nice to have a light vinaigrette on it. Maybe some Extra Special Biscuits to go on the side. This is a great recipe to make with all that leftover chicken you grilled over the weekend that no one wants to eat now because it’s just too much effort to heat it up and the kids refuse to eat it cold. Or if you get an extra rotisserie chicken at Costco. I haven’t tried to freeze this to eat later, but as long as the chicken is cooked, it’s super easy to throw together.
For the record, my husband liked this one slightly more than the other. He’s exotic like that.
Hot Chicken Salad
Marinate for one hour:
3 cups cut cooked chicken
1 1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup French dressing
Drain if necessary.
Combine in a casserole dish:
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
Mandarin oranges or green grapes
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Top with 1 cup crushed potato chips and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 300° for 30 minutes. Serves 8.
I have started to think of these recipe collections as Fern’s version of Pinterest. Speaking of which, I have started a Pinterest account for this blog. Follow me there to see both recipes featured here and recipes that I feel Fern would’ve cut out of the newspaper.
I continue to be fascinated by how cooks years ago made recipes that had names which made them sound like they originated in the far corners of the globe. Like you, I’m always trying “new” old recipes. Many I make once and enjoy but will probably never make again, some I make once and but didn’t particularly like, and a few become part of my regular cooking repertoire.
Potato chips on top?! Count me in! (I’m serious.)
Come on over. We’ll watch a movie and eat.