Tangy Hot Chicken Salad

Tangy Hot Chicken Salad

Good evening and come on in for a visit and a cold drink for it is almost 70 degrees on a February night.  We have rain coming and thank goodness for we need every drop but I hope we don't get the wind and hail like we did last weekend.  We had 3 leaks in our great room where the rain blew in around a vent and the roofer could not find the hole where it was coming in.  We finally decided it was the strong wind blew it under the vent flashing and now we will have to paint our ceiling but it needed anyway so this will just speed up the process.

Have you ever tried to buy a winter coat in February?  Don't try for they are not there and I looked in 5 stores in Valdosta and could not find a wool, dress coat.  You see I lost my winter coat!!  Don't ask me where or how for if I knew it wouldn't be lost, would it?  I looked everywhere I had been or remembered where I had been and I could not find it.  It just disappeared.

It was not a disaster for I had grown dissatisfied with it but since it was still presentable in public, I wouldn't get a new one.  Now was my opportunity to get what I wanted - a gray, walking length, fitted, wool coat.  It seems according to the fashion experts that a slightly fitted waist makes you look slimmer and I need all the help I can get other than liposuction and a tummy tuck.  The fitted waist coat will be a whole lot less painful and tremendously less expensive so the search began.

After the 5th store and not finding any dress coats at all I just gave up and decided to try the Internet.  That was not very successful either until I remembered there was a company that had "coat" in its name and I thought that sure they would have what I wanted and sure enough I found one, ordered it, it came today and IT'S TOO LITTLE - awwwwww. 

Now I have to go through the process of returning it and that is always a hassle plus I have to pay the postage.  Have you mailed a package lately?  It is outrageous and I have to mail it back, order another size and when they get the coat back they will remove the charge from my credit card.  What a hassle but I am determined to get that coat for it is supposed to make me look slimmer, chic and beautiful - good luck, right?  This is a little difficult to achieve with a dumpy, short, older, white haired lady who wants to look slim, tall and younger.  I want to try though and I WANT THAT COAT so I will jump through the hoops and play the Internet return game and hopefully the next coat will fit.  When it gets here, I will post a picture of how lovely I look in it - time to laugh now.

I cooked a casserole yesterday that I haven't cooked in a long time.  While shopping in Sam's the other day I sampled some chicken salad which gave me a craving for some but I wanted something hot.  I remembered  that I used to make hot chicken salad so I dug out my recipe but wasn't quite satisfied with it so I found another one, took what I liked from both and added my twist and it is really good.

It called for slivered almonds and I wanted the crunch so I toasted them and added chopped carrots for an additional vegetable and increased the finely diced onion to 1/2 cup.  To lower the fat and calories, I used 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup mayonnaise which also added a little tang which I like.  The addition of the freshly grated Parmesan gives it a little tang also and a twist to the flavor.  The carrots, toasted almonds and celery added a little crunch and texture and since I didn't have any pototato chips I used Cheese Nips for my crumb topping.  I know this tastes better than the chips for there is an additional layer of flavor.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Tangy Hot Chicken Salad

Ingredients :
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup diced celery
1/c cup diced carrots
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 cup cooked chicken meat, cubed (can use 2 cans of canned chicken)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese divided into ½ cup portions
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup crushed Cheese Nips
Paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, celery, onion, carrots, toasted almonds, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sour cream and1/2 cheese. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the crushed Cheese Nips and ½ cup cheddar cheese and Parmesan Cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika . Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

It was good, cold the next day as a sandwich with a toasted bun.  I am going to try freezing some to see if any of the ingredients break down but I don't think it will.  You can also prepare it the day before leaving off the crumbs and cheese on the top and bake it the next day after adding these.  Enjoy.

I will let you know how the saga of the coat ends and hopefully it will be with me having a gray, walking, nipped in waist coat before next winter.  Not getting my hopes up.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Hot Chicken Salad

Good evening and come in out of the cold.  We have had our first, mild, cold, winter day down here in Georgia.  The wind has been blowing quite briskly the last 2 days and the temperature has dropped into the 40s at night but the days have been quite wonderful.  The sun has been bright and warm and it has been beautiful.  Of course, I would rather have hot and getting hotter but into every Southern Lady's life a little winter must fall and I will just have to pull out the sweaters and jackets. 

As I was cleaning out the refrigerator today I realized I needed to do something with half a baked chicken and thought of several options but decided to try something new.  Wanting something hot but easy I began looking at various recipes but nothing seemed to be what I wanted.
 Chicken salad was on my mind but I wanted it hot and all the recipes I found were more casserole than salad and that is not what I was looking for.  So I decided to base a chicken salad on a hot tuna salad we use to make tuna burgers but with a little twist.  I had some lemons I needed to use and I know that dried cranberries are good in most everything so I began to cook. 

This hot chicken salad was the results and Roy suggested it would also make a good, hot dip for crackers and I think so also.  Tonight we ate it with Triscuits and I put mine on a bed of torn lettuce.  The hot salad on the cold lettuce was good. It would also be good on toasted buns of your choice or croissants.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Hot Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken – not shredded ½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped dill pickle
½ cup chopped apple – unpeeled
½ cup chopped bell pepper of banana pepper
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1/ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup salad dressing
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix chicken, onion, pickle, bell pepper, and chopped apple
2. Mix salad dressing and freshly squeezed lemon juice
3. Add salad dressing and lemon and mix well.
4. Fold in chopped eggs, cheeses and cranberries blending throughout.
5. Pour into casserole which has been sprayed with no-stick spray
6. Cover with additional grated cheddar cheese
7. Cover and bake until hot – about 30 minutes. Do not over bake.
8. Spread between hot, toasted buns of choice or serve with choice of crackers as a dip or spread
9. Can also be used as a main dish

I think if you sprinkled the canned fried onions or cracker crumbs on top that would be good also.  Of course, like me you can leave out any ingredients you don't like or add others.  Let me know how you changed it and I will add it to the recipe for others to see.

Ya'll come back to see us, be careful going home and thanks for dropping by my 'Net porch for a visit.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach