Chef Makes Retro Chicken and Chips Bake

Chef Alexis deBoschnek makes a chicken casserole recipe from a 1960s edition of a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.

Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:
6 servings

Throughout Better Homes & Gardens' 100th birthday year, chef Alexis deBoschnek helped celebrate by recreating dishes from the BHG Test Kitchen. In this episode of Then & Now, the featured recipe is a retro chicken casserole (originally titled Chicken 'n Chips Casserole) from a 1960's Better Homes & Gardens Casserole Cook Book.

The chicken casserole starts with pre-cooked chicken. Since this recipe is from the "Luscious Leftovers" section of the cook book, feel free to use leftover boiled chicken breasts or purchased rotisserie chicken. To the chopped chicken, deBoschnek adds sliced celery, which she says "gives better crunch" than finely chopped celery. For added crunch, slivered almonds are added to the casserole mixture. In addition to some salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is added as a flavor enhancer. "Wow, it's umami. It's amazing!" deBoschnek says after taking a taste of MSG on its own. As the chef grates onion, she realizes this is basically a baked chicken salad casserole.

With chips as her snack of choice, deBoschnek is excited to decorate the border of the chicken dish with potato chips. She opts for whole chips, but you can also go with crushed potato chips. Topped with cheese and baked until bubbly, this is a baked chicken casserole the chef is excited about eating. "Honestly, I would consider making this again. This is delicious," she says.

chicken and chips casserole on platter

Shirley Cheng

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken

  • 2 cups celery

  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG)

  • 2 tsp onion

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

  • 1 cup potato chips, crushed or whole

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients except cheese and potato chips. Pile lightly in greased 8-inch shallow round baking dish or shallow 1½-quart casserole. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Border casserole with potato chips. Bake in 425ºF oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

420 Calories
36g Fat
7g Carbs
17g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 420.1
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 36.1g 46%
Saturated Fat 8.9g 44%
Cholesterol 72.6mg 24%
Sodium 793.2mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0.9g 3%
Total Sugars 0.8g
Protein 16.5g
Vitamin D 0.2mcg 1%
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 158.9mg 12%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 319mg 7%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.3g
Vitamin D 9.7IU
Alanine 0.8g
Arginine 0.9g
Ash 3.3g
Aspartic acid 1.6g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 16.1mg
Copper, Cu 0.1mg
Cystine 0.2g
Energy 1757.2kJ
Fluoride, F 7.1mcg
Folate, total 32.3mcg
Glutamic acid 2.8g
Glycine 0.8g
Histidine 0.5g
Isoleucine 0.8g
Leucine 1.3g
Lysine 1.3g
Methionine 0.4g
Magnesium, Mg 24.5mg
Manganese, Mn 0.1mg
Niacin 3.7mg
Phosphorus, P 196.6mg
Pantothenic acid 0.8mg
Phenylalanine 0.7g
Phytosterols 19.2mg
Proline 1.1g
Retinol 133.1mcg
Selenium, Se 13.4mcg
Serine 0.7g
Starch 0g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0.7g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 2.1mg
Tryptophan 0.2g
Tyrosine 0.6g
Valine 0.9g
Vitamin A, IU 627.2IU
Vitamin A, RAE 142.2mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.6mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.2mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 57.2mcg
Water 79.2g
Zinc, Zn 1.7mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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