This is not your average chicken salad! Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chips is served warm and bubbly from the oven, with crackers and veggies for scooping it up.
Chicken salad is a party favorite. Chicken Salad with Grapes is one of my go-tos for a spring or summer lunch.
But this Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chips takes it up another level!
The recipe is from a 1980’s church cookbook, and I love serving it for parties, gatherings with friends, or cozy evenings at home.
I also love the use of potato chips in this recipe (I’m no stranger to adding chips to casseroles, like my Taco Casserole with Fritos or my Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole). The chips add the perfect amount of crunch to contrast the creamy chicken salad.
Some of the links featured in this post are affiliate links to products I enjoy and recommend, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Chopped cooked chicken is the star of this dish. Rotisserie chicken works great. I used pre-cooked chicken from my local Costco, which I chopped into half inch pieces. If you have a Costco-sized amount like I did, any leftover chicken is delightful in Nixon Chicken.
- Celery and pecans add lots of crunch.
- Hard boiled eggs are a fun surprise ingredient. Everyone loves when these are included!
- Mayonnaise holds it all together. You can use regular or light.
- Shredded cheddar melts and gets gooey on top—yum!
- Crushed potato chips are an unexpected addition to the top. They add the perfect amount of crunch!
How to make hot chicken salad with Potato Chips
Start by hard boiling the eggs. I like this tutorial on how to steam eggs—they are seriously so much easier to peel than boiling them!
Then, chop the cooked chicken into half inch pieces. I used pre-cooked grilled chicken strips from Costco. Tyson also sells these at regular grocery stores.
Next, crush the potato chips. I put a large handful of chips into a plastic sandwich bag, seal it, and then crush the chips with my hands. It’s easy and doesn’t make a mess.
Then, combine the chicken, celery, onion, hard boiled eggs, lemon juice, salt, and pecans in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine.
Add the mayonnaise, and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into a greased 13×9 inch dish. Spread it evenly so it covers the bottom. You could even use a slightly smaller, decorative casserole dish for this—mine is 11.5×9 inches.
Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top, followed by the crushed potato chips.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and warm. Serve the Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chips while it’s still warm, with crackers for scooping.
Hot Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Use potato chips that you like! I used kettle cooked potato chips, just a regular variety. I think jalapeño chips or cheese flavored chips would be good, too!
Cut a croissant in half and spoon the hot chicken salad in the middle. Top with lettuce and tomato, and serve. It would also be good on baguette or thick slices of toast.
This recipe doesn’t have any gluten-containing ingredients (but check the labels of any packaged items just to be sure!). Serve it with gluten-free crackers or veggies to enjoy it without any gluten.
To make it dairy-free, use a dairy-free cheese for the top. The rest of the ingredients don’t contain dairy, but check the label of anything packaged just in case.
Add spice by stirring one-quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper before baking. It’ll give it a nice spicy kick!
How to customize this recipe
As with many savory recipes, this one is easy to customize and/or tweak for your preferences and what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to get started:
– Use leftover cooked chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or pre-grilled chicken strips for the chicken. Really any chicken with a simple seasoning or no seasoning works well.
– Use light mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise.
– Sprinkle shredded monterey jack, or your favorite type of shredded cheese, on the top.
– Substitute flavored potato chips in place of regular potato chips. If you like spice, try jalapeño flavored chips on top!
– Don’t like pecans? Leave them out, or substitute walnuts instead.
– In a rush? Skip the hard boiled eggs. That’s the step that takes the most time, aside from the 25–30 minutes of baking time. Or you can use store-bought hard boiled eggs that are already peeled.
📖 Recipe
Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chips
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups diced celery (about 6–7 stalks)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- ½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1⅓ cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup crushed potato chips
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, pecans, celery, salt, hard boiled eggs, onion, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Gently mix in the mayonnaise.
- Grease a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray. Pour the chicken mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly. Top evenly with the cheddar, then with the crushed potato chips.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling. Serve immediately on its own, or with crackers and veggies for dipping.
Sounds really good I will be making this
Thanks, Amy! Hope you enjoy it!