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.

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!

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 your boiled eggs…

As well as your celery and onion.

Chuck all of those ingredients into a large bowl.

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

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

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

Top with crushed potato chips.

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

Serve hot on a bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers.

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

I’m quoting myself today!

Each day when you wake up you have a choice. You can have a good day or you can have a bad day. So you might as well have a good one.  

To submit your positive or uplifting quote, click here.