Crispy Hot Chicken Salad Casserole

Our family was skeptical at first, but they got on board really quickly once they tried it…

Chicken salad is a classic side dish that you can find at just about any picnic, backyard barbecue, or game day get-together, but you don’t generally find too many variations on the classic version. Now, we love chicken salad just as much as the next person, but we decided it needed to have some new life breathed into it – which we did by turning it into a casserole!

Serves 4-6
35 min

INGREDIENTS :

• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup potato chips, slightly crushed
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon dry ranch mix
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS :

1. Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a square baking dish with butter or non-stick spray.
2. Place chicken, cheese, celery and bacon in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ranch mix, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and onion powder, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir mayonnaise mixture into chicken until everything is evenly coated, then transfer everything to greased baking dish.
5. Top baking dish with crushed potato chips, then place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until mixture is hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.
6. Remove from oven and serve hot.