Hot Chicken Salad

 From The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, Card #27 of Seasonal Favorites - Winter, Holiday Leftovers, Recipe: Hot Chicken Salad

A chicken in the kitchen brings good luck, I've heard, so when I was decorating my first apartment, I bought a milk glass candy dish shaped like a chicken on top of a nest. Of all the chicken decor I could have chosen, I chose that because my aunt had one when I was growing up. She had an oak hutch in the dining room showcasing her best dishes and collectibles, and the chicken dish roosted there. In addition to the chicken candy dish, she had one in the shape of a rabbit. Those were my favorite pieces in part because they sometimes had candy in them, and in part because I adored any cute animal whether it be a live cat (which she also had), a plush toy, a ceramic figurine, or a dish in the shape of a chicken.

I never thought about the origins of the lucky kitchen chicken until now, though. It seems that the lucky creature is more specifically the rooster, and I can't find a definitive origin story. It must be that all chicken related questions have no real answer, much like, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" 

There are, however, a couple of fascinating stories relating to particular countries, such as Italy. Evidently, one member of the famed de Medici family, Giuliano, had a target on his back. His would-be assassins were thwarted by roosters. Yes, that's right, roosters. In the dead of night, the assassins had to cross a yard of roosters to get to Giuliano, and I guess they weren't very stealthy assassins because they woke the roosters who then began to crow, thus alerting Giuliano de Medici and his guards. From there, it seems rooster shaped pitchers were commissioned to be given as gifts to the peasants as a symbol of good luck. The tradition has continued from there. 

This is where I discovered the story if you would like a few more details 
https://www.italianpottery.com/2015/08/29/history-of-roosters-in-italian-ceramics/

The rooster as a symbol of good luck, good health, and prosperity has associations with the Chinese Zodiac, France, and even Christianity. The internet is your oyster if you want to learn more.

But this article isn't about oysters, it's about chicken -- leftover chicken from your big holiday meals. 

Betty Crocker's Seasonal Favorites - Winter, is divided into two parts: the first part of winter being about January-March, and the second part of winter being roughly November - December. The January cards are the low numbered cards, 1, 2, 3 etc. and the November/December cards are in the high twenties. Only, I didn't know the seasonal section was divided as such. I thought all the winter recipes would be together. As luck would have it (must have been luck from the milk glass chicken dish), I discovered the late winter recipes after Christmas. I'd missed out on candy cane shaped cookies and wassail, but was still able to benefit from the leftovers card. 

Technically, the only leftover I used was my mother's cranberry chutney, but this recipe is equally suited for leftovers or fresh ingredients.

I subbed out the chicken for extra firm tofu tossed in soy and hoisin sauces. I warmed the tofu through on the stovetop just to seal in those flavors a little more. Anything could be used as the cooking sauce, though. For a spicy kick, use a hot sauce like Frank's or Sriracha.  For a sweet flavor profile, a maple glaze could be used. Whatever the choice, the purpose is to give the tofu flavor. Tofu is a good source of protein, and quite versatile. It can take on the flavors of whatever marinade or sauce it is prepared with. On its own, though, it's a bit bland. In this recipe, the tofu might have been fine even without a sauce since the mixture turned out to be rather flavorful. When I make it again, I'm going to try a hot sauce to simulate a buffalo chicken/tofu. While I do think the tofu would be fine without a cooking sauce, the sauce added a depth of flavor, as they say in the cooking shows. Speaking of spicy, I for the potato chip crumble, I used mango habanero potato chips instead of plain. I hadn't planned on doing this, but when I saw the chips at the store, I thought I'd give it a go. The chips on their own were spicy hot, and I won't buy them again just to snack on, but as a crumble, it added a little oomph which I enjoyed. The recipe is fairly easy to make which is a bonus at any time, but especially after the holidays when the cooking never ends. 

The photo on the recipe card shows the other recipe, Turkey Divan, and in the background there are what appear to be canned pears topped with cranberry sauce. As I mentioned, I did have left over cranberry chutney, so I bought a fresh Asian pear, hollowed out the core with a cookie scoop and used that as the base for the chutney from my mother. I'd give you her recipe, but I don't know it. It wouldn't be as good anyway. Mom's recipes can never be exactly reproduced. Just ask my cousin who got my mom's Hawaiian ham recipe. Not the same. However you get your cranberry, whether homemade or Ocean Spray, this side dish is a tasty, easy way to use those leftovers. The freshness and crunch of the Asian pear were nice contrasts to the creamy, rich, hot chicken/tofu salad. The sweet-tart and smoothness of the cranberry were a good match for the crisp pear. I would recommend fresh fruit over canned in this case. Anything with some crispness would be ideal -- an Asian pear, a Bosc pear, or even a Granny Smith apple.

I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you the very best part!

This recipe calls for croutons. I had some white bread which I had purchased for another recipe, and I thought I would use the rest of it to make croutons from scratch. In keeping true to Betty, I went to her website for the recipe. You can find that here:

https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-make-croutons

I'd never made croutons from scratch before, but I will do it again. And again. And again. One of the reviews says the hardest part is not eating them all right off of the baking sheet, and never have I seen a truer review of something in all my days. 

I didn't follow this recipe exactly, but used it as a base to guide me. I tossed the bread cubes in a combo of butter and avocado oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and the Pampered Chef Rosemary Herb Blend. You could use whatever herbs you like. I love rosemary. I baked as per instructions. I started with a soft white bread (even though Betty suggests a firm white bread or whole grain, this is what I had on hand) and the results were so good. The croutons were not too dense, and they had a soft crunch rather than a hard crunch. Store bought croutons have a hard crunch. These homemade croutons give you the satisfaction of a crunch, but with an almost melt in your mouth finish. Delightful. 

Here is a picture of my results, complete with chicken candy dish as prop. Again, I'm working on both improving these and remembering to get photos of the filling, too.

Croutons by Betty via Suz's alterations: 5 red spoons!

Hot Chicken/Tofu Salad: 5 red spoons!