Hot Chicken Salad

This creamy Southern chicken casserole (a.k.a a hot chicken salad) includes tender chicken, celery, and boiled eggs baked with a crunchy potato chip topping.

Spoonful of hot chicken salad.

I’m bringing you a little treasure today in the form of my Granny Jordan’s old-fashioned Southern chicken casserole recipe. Back in the day, this baked chicken salad was regularly seen at lunch, brunch, dinner, potlucks, church picnics, and tailgating parties. It’s typically served as a savory dip-style casserole with bread or Ritz crackers for dipping, but more on that below. 

This is such a quick and easy hot chicken salad recipe. All we need to do is mix our ingredients together, which are mayo, cream of chicken soup, shredded chicken, celery, onion, and boiled eggs. We add this to a casserole dish, top it with lots of crunchy and salty potato chips, and bake! That’s it! It will be ready in just 20 minutes. 

This chicken casserole is so creamy, thanks to the mayo and cream of chicken soup. But it’s also super flavorful and texturized, as you have the crunch of the celery and potato chips combined with the tender chicken and eggs. Basically, it’s a taste sensation and you need to bake it immediately. Yes, really!

Labeled ingredients for hot chicken salad.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Ritz crackers and lettuce (for serving)
  • Mayo
  • Onion
  • Boiled eggs
  • Celery
  • Chicken
  • Cream of chicken soup
  • Potato chips

How to Make Hot Chicken Salad

Chop up boiled eggs.

Chop up your boiled eggs…

Chop up celery and onion.

As well as your celery and onion.

Add chopped ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Chuck all of those ingredients into a large bowl.

Add chicken, soup, and mayo to mixing bowl.

Then add the cream of chicken soup, cooked chicken, and mayonnaise.

Mix ingredients together.

Give it a good stir and it’ll look a little bit like this.

Spread mixture in a casserole dish.

Spread the chicken mixture into an 8×8 casserole dish.

Top casserole with crushed potato chips.

Top with crushed potato chips.

Baked hot chicken salad.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and your hot chicken salad is ready to serve. How easy was that?

Hot chicken salad served on lettuce with Ritz crackers.

Serve hot on a bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers.

Hot chicken salad on a Ritz cracker.

I also have to admit I love to serve this baked chicken salad cold like this Southern chicken salad for sandwiches.

It’s delicious either way. Enjoy!

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. I don’t recommend freezing the casserole as creamy sauces don’t thaw well.

Recipe Notes

Here are some variations to make this hot chicken salad recipe work for you:

  • Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. You can mix this into the chicken casserole or add it on top along with the potato chips. Alternatively, add cheddar cheese to the casserole and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
  • For extra flavor, add 1 jar of diced pimientos (drained).
  • For extra crunch, add 1 cup of sliced/slivered almonds.
  • Use any kind of cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or shredded boneless skinless chicken breast.
  • Add more veggies, like 1 can of water chestnuts, 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper, or 1 cup of sliced mushrooms.
  • Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or green onion.
  • Add diced cooked bacon for added flavor.
  • Substitute the potato chips for toasted breadcrumbs, french fried onions, or crushed cornflakes.
  • Add a tablespoon of bottled or fresh lemon juice for a pleasant tang.

Recipe FAQs

How do you serve a hot chicken salad?

I like to serve my hot chicken salad casserole on a bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers, cornbread, homemade buttermilk biscuits, or bread. But it also tastes delicious as a main dish with cooked rice and a side of fresh green beans.

Check out these other chicken casserole recipes:

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole

Chicken Tortilla Casserole (Cooked in the Microwave)

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole With Rice

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chicken Divan Casserole

Baked hot chicken salad.

Hot Chicken Salad

This creamy Southern chicken casserole (a.k.a a hot chicken salad) includes tender chicken, celery, and boiled eggs baked with a crunchy potato chip topping.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: casserole, chicken, salad
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 chopped boiled eggs
  • 3/4 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup cracker crumbs (optional)
  • 1 cup potato chips
  • Ritz crackers and lettuce for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Mix chicken, mayo, soup, eggs, celery, onion, and cracker crumbs in a medium bowl.
    1 cooked chicken, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 2 chopped boiled eggs, 3/4 cup diced celery, 1/2 onion, diced, 1/3 cup cracker crumbs (optional)
  • Spread into an 8x8 baking dish and top with crushed potato chips.
    1 cup potato chips
  • Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
  • Serve hot or cold over a bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers.
    Ritz crackers and lettuce for serving (optional)
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113 Comments

  1. My mother made this salad too she brought it with her when she left her home state of WV to Utah. It was her mother’s special dish for summer. I wish all my growing up’s that I lived around my Grandma Edeburn — I would have made a better cook for sure! O the stories that were told around the kitchen table during and after dinner when I visited — makes me homesick even now and yet we did not get to make the long trip very often .. But I made those visits worth while every moment there.. Thanks for sharing..

  2. Love Southern Plate! Great receipes. This is my favorite. Best chicken salad and I rediscovered Ritz crackers. I feel like I new Granny Jordan for that matter your whole family. Thank you Christy for sharing this sweet story.

  3. What a sweet, sweet story!! She was beautiful–I love having hand written recipes from family members. Thank you for sharing this with us, Christy!

  4. Perfect timing! I had taken some boneless chicken breast out of freezer and was debating what to fix. This sounds delicious.

  5. What a beautiful lady Granny Jordan was! You can tell her outward beauty was a sign of her inward graciousness and care for others. She would be very proud of you Christy, and very happy that even from Heaven her food is still feeding others. Big hug to you and your family!

  6. made this for a potluck when my some was on leave from Iraq. It was a huge hit. Delicious!

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