What do I do with this chicken?

 

Rotisserie chicken is one of the modern conveniences I’ve really come to appreciate. For a while, I was a bit resistant—yes, it tasted good, but it was such a chore to skin and bone it. I’d bring it home from the grocery, stash it in the fridge, and try to ignore it for a few days. Then Jordan taught me a hack—bone it while it’s still warm from the store. Meat slides right off the bone. So much easier! Now we keep one or two baggies of chicken, boned, skinned, and diced, in the freezer. Want to make a casserole? Just whip it out and defrost.

One night recently I was expecting a dinner guest from out of town, not one of the regulars on my patio happy hours or dinners. I wanted to make a good impression, but it wasn’t a steak-and-twice-baked potato kind of an evening. So, I decided on a chicken casserole. Then I had to choose between two favorites. Here’s what I did:

Baked chicken salad casserole – serves four to six

2 c. chopped chicken

3 hard-boiled eggs, grated or sliced (your choice—I prefer sliced, because I like getting chunks of hard-boiled white)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

½ Tbsp. lemon juice

¾ c. mayonnaise

2 tsp. salt

2 c. chopped celery

4 tsp. minced onion (I used green onion)

Potato chips, crushed

Layer the chicken and eggs in a 9x13 pan. Mix everything else separately and pour over the meat and eggs. Top with crushed potato chips and bake at 375^o for 30 minutes. Watch and don’t let the chips burn.

I halved this—sort of guessing on the generous side at the mayo and lemon juice. It served two for dinner and gave me enough leftovers for two lunches.

Strangely enough, the other recipe on my mind was also a baked chicken salad, but this with curry. I used to fix it frequently when I had teenagers and have more recently used it as a company dish.

Curried chicken salad with broiled topping – serves four to six

3 c. cooked chicken, diced

2 c. celery, diced

½ c. thinly sliced green onions

1/3 c. vinaigrette dressing

2 tsp. curry powder

¾ c. mayo

½ c. sour cream

Salt and pepper

2 c. finely crushed potato chips

1 c. coarsely shredded sharp cheddar

Combine first chicken, celery, and onions, and marinate in salad dressing, refrigerated, one hour. Blend curry powder, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper and combine with chicken, celery, scallions. Cover loosely and chill. Put in shallow broiler-proof baking dish. Cover salad with mixed chips and cheese and broil about three minutes until cheese melts. The goal is to have a cold salad topped with melted cheese and chips. If you happen to be so lucky as to have a Corningware dish in an appropriate size, you can use it and go straight from fridge to broiler. Otherwise, it’s best to spoon the chilled salad into an ovenproof dish before adding the topping.

Serve with a green vegetable, such as broccoli, asparagus, or green beans, and bread if you wish.

Enjoy!