Hot Chicken Salad Recipe
This hot chicken salad is a creamy, crunchy baked casserole loaded with shredded chicken, tender rice, crisp water chestnuts, and a buttery Ritz cracker topping. It's the ultimate Southern comfort food that feeds a crowd, tastes even better the next day, and disappears faster than anything else on the potluck table.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup instant white rice
- A little over 1 cup celery finely chopped
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 can chopped water chestnuts drained
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 1 stick butter melted
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
Instructions
- Chop the celery, onion, and water chestnuts.
- Stir in the soup and mayonnaise.
- Season and pressure cook the chicken.
- Cook the rice in the chicken broth.
- Shred the chicken and add it to the bowl.
- Fold in the rice and spread in a 9 by 13 pan.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, if desired.
- Bake covered at 350°F for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Mix butter and crushed crackers, then spread on top.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until golden.
Video
Notes
- Cream of chicken soup can replace cream of mushroom soup.
- Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Skip the topping if you prefer. The casserole still works great without it.