Jean's Chicken & Chips Casserole

This is not a healthy recipe. Let's just get that outta the way right up front. This is a comfort food casserole all the way, baby! And it's retro. Like, serve-it-on-melamine-plates-at-the-formica-table retro. With Kool-Aid in jelly jars with cartoon characters printed on them. In my opinion, any recipe that calls for mayonnaise and Lay's potato chips is retro. I'm surprised the hipsters aren't all over this...except there's no quinoa or kale in sight! 

I think the casserole we ate the most frequently growing up was tater tot casserole and I know it's a comfort food for one of my brothers. I mean, you can't go wrong with a ground beef gravy topped with cheddar cheese and tater tots. I don't recall ever eating tuna noodle casserole as a kid and I think it's because my mom grew up eating it and couldn't stomach the thought (pun intended) of eating it ever again. She was the second oldest of six kids, four of which were boys and money was tight, so my grandma made a lot of inexpensive yet filling casseroles. 

After my mom passed away less than a year after my dad died and I was still deep in grief, my mom's best friend, Jean, called me one day and stated she was going to bring me dinner. I don't remember very many things in detail from after my parents' deaths; most of it's a hazy memory. I do remember a handful of comfort meals and this was one of them. Jean brought this casserole over and then whipped up banana pudding for me, the kind with Nilla wafers, and then she just sat and reminisced and cried with me. I've known Jean for 35 years ate this point, virtually all of my life, and it's so comforting to have a tangible link to my childhood and to my mom.

Mmm, delicious! How can you go wrong with a potato chip topping??

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup plain Lay's potato chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8" by 8" baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, almonds, and onion with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning of necessary. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with the cheese and potato chips.

Bake 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Cook's Notes:

1. First things first: I will not give you any substitute ingredients because that's not what this casserole is about. This casserole is all about love and comfort and memories. I wasn't kidding about no quinoa or kale in sight. Maybe some broccoli, though.
2. The recipe doesn't have a high yield, maybe four cups max or four servings. It's super-easy to double or triple, though.
3. You can either poach some chicken breasts and/or thighs to use or feel free to pick up a rotisserie chicken from the market. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before; my local Albertson's occasionally sells packages of shredded chicken from the previous day's unsold rotisserie chickens. Unless raw chicken is on sale, this is a great way to go. It ends up costing about the same about of money per pound plus it cuts out a step; poaching.
4. I like the crunch and bright flavor of celery and I think that it helps balance the heavier flavors from the mayo and cheese in the finished dish. If you despise celery, I suppose you could use broccoli instead. Frozen broccoli is too slimy for me so I recommend using fresh broccoli and steaming it before adding to the chicken mixture.
5. I have a trick for you: after you dice the onion and before you add it to the chicken mixture, place the diced onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for five minutes and then drain and rinse under more cold water. Blot with paper towels to remove as much water as possible and then proceed with the recipe.
6. Using just mayonnaise as a binder seems weird, I know. Combined with the lemon juice, it works; think of it as a hot chicken salad. Which also sounds weird. But it's delicious.
7. I prefer using sharp cheddar in casseroles and savory baked goods as you're able to taste the cheese while medium or mild cheddars just aren't assertive enough. 
8. I nearly forgot the almonds! I guess you can omit them; I like the crunch and mild flavor they add. Last time I made this, I used dry roasted diced almonds which I bought in the bulk foods section for another recipe. Since they were dry roasted, the almonds supplied a deeper toasty flavor which I think enhanced the casserole.

Serve chicken'n'chips casserole with green bean casserole, iceberg lettuce salads, and banana pudding for a true throwback meal!