Jellied Chicken Salad

We will just go ahead and say it – the name of this recipe is, well… a bit polarizing. While chicken salad is almost as popular in the South as fried chicken, jellied chicken salad might be another matter altogether. Let us take a closer look, however, before we totally dismiss it. Congealed salads became popular because they were easy to make, budget-friendly, and, in the case of this recipe, used leftovers. If you look at recipes for various congealed salads, you will see that the ingredient lists include seemingly random items that you might not otherwise ever use together in any recipe. Asparagus and canned beets? Boiled eggs and green olives? Yes, the developers of congealed salad recipes loved to throw odd ingredients together and for some reason these salads were wildly popular, especially with Southern Living readers. Mrs. Charles Quinn of Fort Worth, Texas, sent in the recipe for this Jellied Chicken Salad, and it quickly became a reader favorite. Use leftover chicken or turkey, and whichever kind of pea you have available: English, lady pea, zipper pea, etc. Chilled in cute, individual molds, this chicken salad may become the new favorite at your monthly book club luncheons. 

Jellied Chicken Salad
Photo: Jennifer Causey
Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
4 hrs 40 mins
Yield:
Serves 6 (serving size: 1 mold per person)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

  • 1/4 cup cold water

  • 1 consommé, heated

  • 1 tablespoon chopped onion

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 cup chopped cooked chicken

  • 1 cup cooked peas

  • 2 tablespoon chopped celery

  • 2 tablespoons chopped pickle

Directions

  1. Soften the gelatin in water in a heatproof bowl, then add consommé and stir until dissolved. Stir in the onion, salt, and lemon juice, and chill until slightly thickened. Stir in the chicken, peas, celery, and pickle and pour into individual molds lightly greased with cooking spray. Chill until firm, 4 hours. Unmold and serve on lettuce.

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