Treasure Found: Granny Jordan’s Chicken Casserole / Salad
I’m bringing you a little treasure which I discovered buried among our belongings at the old house this past weekend. This is a recipe of Granny Jordan’s, whom I’ve mentioned here several times before – and if you haven’t tried her frozen cranberry banana salads, you’ve lived a wasted life. (Sorry to break it to you so bluntly, but its true!)
As I’ve always said, Granny Jordan was the epitome of everything that a Southern Lady should be. Kind, caring, intelligent, and always seeing to others comfort in her actions and words. From the day we met, she treated me as if I had been her granddaughter all of my life. She was the kind of person who made the world a better place just by being in it.
Granny Jordan passed about seven years ago at the age of 87. When her health was in a state of serious decline, we all knew it was only a matter of time. My husband had accepted a job offer near Atlanta and we were planning on a move soon. Granny Jordan called me a few days before she passed away. She wasted no time as soon as I answered the phone, “Christy, Live every second of every day”. I’ll never forget exactly how her voice sounded when she said that, or how much meaning lived inside those few words. She went on to tell us “I hear you’re going to be moving. You know, my house is going to be empty, you’re welcome to it”.
She passed away shortly after that and a month later, we made a temporary move to Granny’s house. That is where I really got to know her.
In the back of her pantry sat several extremely well organized file boxes filled with index cards and folded pieces of paper. All of which were contained handwritten recipes. Being the incredibly organized person that she was, she had written on each card the date she had made it, who she had served it to, and what she thought of it by using good, very good, or bad.
Realizing what a treasure these files were, I set out trying to preserve them. I spent a great deal of our time living there typing up all of her recipes and including her handwritten notes with each one. Those are some really great recipes, most of them classic Southern dishes that you just don’t see anymore. I made up a cookbook which included Granny’s recipes and those of my grandmothers, mothers, and myself. It took me the better part of a year to finish. My intent was to print them out and give them to every family member as Christmas gifts.
This backfired on me, though. As a young mother (and a college student to boot), by the time I got finished with the cookbook it was so large that I couldn’t afford to have them printed for everyone. I ended up having to explain this and folks were happy to step up and pay for the printing of their own, my gift ending up being the work I put into it.
But today is Granny’s day because this past weekend, as I was going through boxes looking for yard sale goods, I came across a small bundle of cards and folded papers held together by a rusty paper clip. Somehow, these little fella’s hitchhiked back to Alabama with me. Opening them up, this was the first one I came across and I knew I had to make it soon. Thank you, Granny. Seeing as how it was your recipe, we weren’t surprised by how delicious it was.
Before we get started, here is the original slip of paper I got this recipe from:
If you’re detail oriented, you’ll notice that she called for 1/3 cup of cracker crumbs and I left those out because I overlooked it.
Feel free to do that if you like! Granny won’t mind either way.
And here is Granny Jordan:
Nell Jordan in her high school graduation portrait.
She was every bit as kind and wonderful as she appeared to be, too.
Y’all know we’re about to make something wonderful now, don’t ya?
I had never made this before so you’ll have to bear with my having three different pics to show all of the ingredients. I tend to be a speed reader so I only got half the stuff out for the first shot and had already started making it when I realized I had left things out.
So, in a three part photographic set, here are the needed ingredients:
Ritz crackers, Mayo, onion, two boiled eggs, celery, and a chicken, chopped up.
I normally purchase a whole fryer and cook it for recipes like this but I got a wild hair (as I often do) and wanted to make this the day of the yard sale so I was a bit too tired to be stewing a chicken. I went out and purchased a whole rotisserie chicken instead.
It just cost about a dollar more and I figure one of Granny’s recipes is worth it. 
You’re also going to need a can of cream of chicken soup
And some potato chips .
Chop up your onion and your egg.
Mama says I don’t chop my onion fine enough.
I don’t feel like chopping my onion finer though so…
Chop up your celery, too. Now we’re ready to toss it all in a bowl!
Onion, celery, eggs…
Chicken, mayo, soup…
Excited four year old who has been waiting patiently for her chance to help to stir it all together.
Hey, it’s summer. I’m seeing a lot more of my kids so you’ll be seeing a lot more of my kids .
This is what it looks like all stirred up.
Spread that into an 8×8 casserole dish and top with crushed chips. Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.
Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers and serve cold on a bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers.
We ate some hot and it was delicious, but I have to say, I LOVE This cold!
Granny Jordan’s Chicken Casserole/Salad
-
1 cooked, cut up chicken
-
1/2 cup mayo
-
1 can cream of chicken soup
-
2 boiled eggs, cut up
-
3/4 cup celery, diced
-
onion, diced (I used half of an onion)
-
1/3 cup cracker crumbs (I omitted these)
-
Potato Chips
-
Ritz crackers
-
Lettuce
Mix chicken, mayo, soup, eggs, celery, onion, and cracker crumbs in a bowl. Spread into an 8×8 pan. Top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 350 for twenty minutes. Serve hot or cold. If cold, serve over bed of lettuce with Ritz crackers.
I’m quoting myself today!
Each day when you wake up you have a choice. You can have a good day or you can have a bad day. So you might as well have a good one. ~Me
To submit your positive or uplifting quote, click here!
Related posts:
- Mama’s Chicken Poulet, or “Chicken Chicken” There used to be a little restaurant in Decatur,...
- Chicken Divan *And A Guest Blogger!* I’m thrilled to introduce you to a new friend...
- Crunchy Beef Casserole (and my casserole dish collection) Most folks have never had to think about taking...
- Chicken Nuggets On The Fly As I write this post a migraine and a...
- Macaroni Salad HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA! Macaroni Salad is one of my mother’s...
Christy – Love Southern Plate. I am one half East Tenn. and one half Charleston, so food is a BIG DEAL in our family. My Mammaw (east tenn.) made this same thing. I found a bunch of her recipes on slips of paper in her Bible a few years ago. And, found a buch stashed in a cookbook from 1952 by Amy Vanderbilt. How cool is that. I have made almost all of them, and each time I swear I remember the meal that I had it with her. What a treasure you found!
Keri
Keri, sounds like we’re beating with the same heart here! These things mean so very much, don’t they?
Wouldn’t trade them for gold!
Gratefully,
Christy
The chicken salad looks scrumptious! I love chicken salad, but I never seem to get the chance to eat it often. Thanks for sharing the story about Granny Jordan and the recipe. Congrats on the cookbook selling out. I keep thinking about getting it, but I have sooo many cookbooks already. I’m running out of places to put them all. I should get rid of ones that I never or rarely use!
You know, its funny you say that because I also love chicken salad but rarely eat it! Aren’t we strange birds? lol
I downsized my cookbook collection a while back. Its amazing how a book that just doesn’t appeal to you can be met with such zeal when you give it to a friend!
Gratefully,
Christy
Oh Christy, you need to laminate that recipe! I didn’t know Southern Plate had sold out 6 times!! Great for you!
I knew those were Ritz crackers as soon as I saw the photo. I love Ritz. I’m not a big cracker person but Ritz are so nice because they have a sweetness to them.
Yeah, Ritz are just evil, they are so good! lol
I try not to open a box unless I am going to be using them for some recipe because the kids and myself can’t hardly stay away from them!
I’m so proud of this little tattered piece of paper!
Gratefully,
Christy
P.S. You got your blue suede shoes on yet?
Me?!?! Haha….I think you need to be asking my mother that!
Graceland and Memphis are all for her, I’m just tagging along.
Hi Christy! What an absolutely beautiful woman Granny Jordan was! Seems like the roses in her arms were dimmed by comparison. How wonderful to hear she lived her life like a lady and was warm and loving to all she knew. I am so happy for you to have gotten to know her and I appreciate your sharing her recipes with all us SP folks. I love the fact that the recipe paper is yellowed, old and has “food spots” on it, just like it was loved and used a lot.
Congratulations on selling out six times….that is fabulous!!!! Sounds like it is time to get in one of them ‘thar bookstores. ~grins~ I have tried many of the cookbook recipes, and all were met with nods of approval from family/neighbors who tasted the goods. So many recipes, so little time tee hee.
Hope to see you this summer. Love ya!
Terri, it was wonderful to get to talk to you today! We need to do that more often!!! I can’t wait to welcome you to Bountiful!!!!!
Love you!
Christy
Christy…your emails are a dose of Southern sunshine to me. Great recipes, humor, stories, and family. Doesn’t get better than that. I alwasy enjoy reading them and trying the recipes. Don’t change anything.
Kathy,
Thank you so very much!!! I need all of the encouragement I can get and your comment was like a glass of fresh orange juice in my morning!
Gratefully,
Christy
~hugs~
Christy, What a beautiful story about your grandmother. I, myself remember how wonderful my grandmother (Mimmie) was and I still feel her presence when I am in my kitchen. She lived with us when I was growing up and did all of the cooking. I am now trying to pass this on to my granddaughter, now 15, and she is making me very proud. There is just something about fixing a meal for the ones you love, whether they are family or dear friends. I think it is beautiful to see crumpled pieces of paper with my grandmother’s handwriting on them. I hope my granddaughter will feel the same. I really enjoy your blog, keep up the great work….Love you…….
Hey Joy,
I know just what you mean about your Mimmie still being around in your kitchen. My grandfather and great grandmother (both of whom I knew very well and were very dear to me) still hang around. They pop in from time to time to let me know they are here. I love that we still have that connection.
I can guarantee you that your granddaughter will cherish your recipes as much as you do your grandmother’s because she is being taught, by your example, what is really important in life and where true value lies.
You’ve altered her entire life for the better and you don’t even realize it yet ~grins~.
Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to comment. Comments mean the world to me!
Love you, too!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hi Christy,
How fortunate you are to have known your grandmother, she was a beauty like you are! I can’t wait to try the chicken sald/casserole recipe; it looks so yummy. Thanks for all your hard work to write for us.
~blushes~ You are really SO sweet! Thank you!!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, also. I don’t think people realize how much happiness I get from all of you!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Granny Jordan was so beautiful! She looks just full of life. And that casserole/salad looks so delicious. Yum yum yummy! I love those old, food-stained recipes of mothers and grandmothers. There’s just something so wonderful about them, and you know that if they’re that stained up they’re bound to be delicious.
AMEN! you are so right! lol
I’ve found also that pretty much any recipe written by hand is good. Usually folks got them from friends after they tried something and “just had to have” the recipe!
I miss the old days!
Hope you and yours are doing well, Stephanie! We’re getting ready for that little one to turn two soon, aren’t we?
Gratefully,
Christy
You know, I’ve been wondering lately about using rotisserie chicken to throw together a quick chicken & dressing. Glad to see it worked well in your chicken salad! I love love love chicken salad on crossiants, but am usually too busy to cook up a fryer for it. That photo is beautiful.
Hey Melody! thank you so much! I wish I had better training to really make my photos pop but it seems I’m doing good on time to get the things posted anyway! lol
I always try to cook a fryer for things but have a bad habit of coming up with what I want to cook too late! lol
I have got to get better at that!
Hope you are doing well!
Gratefully,
Christy
What a beauty Granny Jordan was in the first blush of young womanhood. I have no doubt she grew even more in beauty as the years went by. I ran across a handwritten recipe in one of my old cookbooks. My mama went home in 1987, and it was in her her writing. I cannot tell you how overwhelmed I was for a minute by a wave of loving and missing her, just by seeing her careful hand. She had severe rheumatoid arthritis, it made it hard for her to write, but managed to keep all five of us “heathen” children in line. In her own shorthand, the recipe was entitled “PA Up Down Cake.” As I read on, I realized it was her pineapple upside down cake. Thank you for helping me recall some very happy times of sitting on a tall step stool in the kitchen, watching and learning from the wisest, strongest woman I have ever known.
Hi Jane, ditto. I have stood in your shoes many times, whenever I come across anything in Mama’s handwriting, especially a recipe. Thank you for mentioning the tall kitchen step stool, as I zoomed back in time too. Thirty-three years now without Mama never dims the wave of emotion always waiting to surface. ~gives u a hug~ Thank you for sharing.
Now I’ll always think of it as “Pa Upside Down Cake” and think of you and your wonderful mother. I know just what y’all mean.
My great grandmother passed away in November the year I turned seventeen. She somehow knew she was going to go, even though her health had been fine and her passing was very sudden. She had written out Christmas cards for each of us and signed them, putting a twenty dollar bill in each one. Lela was only able to go to third grade but she had always been very proud of the fact that she could write her name. Her hand was very shaky, seeing as how she had sight problems and was almost ninety at the time.
Christmas rolled around and after we had opened all of our gifts, we were each handed a card. Having no idea what it was or who it was from, I opened it up and read:
Love you,
Lela
I miss her so very much. She was one of the old fashioned ladies who wore dresses and could only recall putting on a pair of pants once in her entire life. She would wear house dresses during the day and then had fancier ones for trips to the grocery store, where she also wore her fancy shoes. Her dresses always had pockets and there, folded neatly, you would find a fresh tissue which she used to blot delicately at the corners of her mouth – to hide the fact that she actually dipped snuff.
She always used Bruton Snuff and saved the little tins for us. When we’d go to visit her she’d give us a little tin and fill it with coins or sometimes buttons, for us to take home.
When I got my first house, I was in the grocery store one day and noticed Bruton Snuff, in the little tin just like it used to be. I bought a tin of it and set it on the back of my stove to have a little more of Lela close to me when I cooked. I went to my brother’s house one day and walked in his kitchen and guess what was sitting there on the back of his stove?
Guess he misses her, too.
Gratefully,
Christy
Ya’ll are bringin’ back memories. My Mamaw only wore dresses, and a bun in her hair. She always had housedresses on during the day, and black and brown fancy shoes for shopping. I remember when she bought white sandals how happy she was (still wore the pantyhose though!)
The chicken casserole recipe looks like one I was served at a luncheon years ago and always wished I had the recipe. I am anxious to try it to see if it is the same one I remembered. Maybe it is my schoolteacher background but I always thought the old saying was a wild hare as in rabbit. Does anyone else know???
Elaine, I was curious too and googled wild hair & wild hare and saw more of wild hair references. (Check this out Christy….you will love this site) See QuotesnPhrases.blogspot.com.
Heehee! You beat me to this one, Terri! lol
A wild hare is one thing but I’d pick a rabid, demon possessed wild rabbit over a wild hair any day!
A wild hair is one of those things that ~ahem~ as we tend to age…decides to sprout up in an odd place. You know how your spinster teacher had a single black hair growing out of the middle of her forehead? Bless her heart, she must not have had any girlfriends to pluck that thang for her!
In the South, we all gotta have one friend who is so dear, so close to us, and so trusted, that we can tell them where our wild hairs grow so they can come into the hospital and pluck them for us if we ever end up in a coma!
I actually remember one of my mother’s friends telling her “Now Jan, I got this black hair that grows out of my chin. If I’m ever on life support or anything, I want you to come in once a week and pluck that hair for me…Christy, that goes for you, too if you’re Mama can’t do it.”
Wild hairs are serious business, and they also act as a scape goat for why we get it in our heads to do things (as today).
Psst,Terri…you see this freckle on my neck? ~nods with a wink~ Be sure you use the good tweezers, too.
I just read this whole exchange to Mama and she said “And I told you that you gotta come do that for me if I’m ever in the hospital, too!”
Christy, thank you for this! Granny Jordan was a beauty. How special to have these recipes and that photo, and also to have come to know her so well!
My own dear mother passed on my 28th birthday. I have her recipe box, and am working through them, trying to create a cookbook for my daughter. It’s a slow, tedious process, because I’m not as organized as you! And I’m trying to decide which ones to re-type, and which ones to scan & leave them in original form, because I want to preserve the handwriting, etc. Any tips?
Hey horsechick!
You are so very welcome, and thank YOu for reading and commenting!
I am so sorry about your mother. I think we could all live to be a hundred and ten and still want our mother’s near us. Having that recipe box is truly a treasure, I know.
If it were me, I think I’d type up each recipe and put them in order of chapters (typical cookbook chapters of appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, etc) and then I’d also scan each recipe and include those either as an appendix at the end of the book or on the opposite page of each typed version. Although, I think I’d rather have them at the end of the book because then you could flip to the back and sit back, leisurely visiting with your mother through her writings.
I know it will be an awful lot of work but you’d spend the rest of your life being so very glad you did it!
I hope this helped! Trust me, this was the first time anyone has mentioned me and the term “organized” in the same sentence!
Gratefully,
Christy
Oh please tell me you will be getting in more cookbooks any day now, I just mailed my order yesterday.
I love all of your recipes and have tried several and we loved them,
The only thing I would change is an easier way to copy recipes in our newsletters.
Could you possibly put ‘Print’ in a little box at the end of your newsletter, then all we would have to do is click print and there the recipe is.
Hey Mary!
Don’t worry, I took down my payment buttons on the website while I still had plenty to fill existing orders so you’re good! Thank you for ordering it!
I have looked into different ways to make them printer friendly but the problem for me right now is simply time. With the kids and house and all of the other things I am juggling, most days I’m doing good to get the post up! lol
That’s why I started sending out printer friendly versions of my recipes to email subscribers. I sent them out usually about twice a month. Also, I have instructions for how to copy/paste/and print just the recipe under my FAQ section. To subscribe or to view the FAQ, see the links at the top of the page. I hope this helps and thank you SO MUCH for your ideas!!
Sometime in the future, maybe I’ll have more resources that allow me to work on Southern Plate more for y’all!
Gratefully,
Christy
What a beautiful young lady Granny Jordan was ! I’m trying the recipe today. Thanks for sharing it and your story.
Hey Ann, thank you!!
Please let us know how you like it if you get a chance! hope you had a lovely day!
Gratefully,
Christy
Mmmmm, chicken salad. Now I’ll have to make some. What a lovely lady your g’ma was, wise, too. Both of my grandmothers left me with wonderful memories and delicious recipes.
We call that hot chicken salad. My brother (who is the pickiest eater in the world) eats it on top of chow mein noodles (that you buy in a can on the ethnic aisle). Yes, it’s bizarre, but it’s actually very good, and it was a staple in my house growing up.
Greetings from Fairhope, Alabama! I just discovered Southern Plate over the weekend, and I love it! As I was reading this post, I got to the hand-written recipe, and gasped. The handwriting is almost identical to my grandmother, who died almost two years ago. I have her collection of recipes, and consider them to be an ultimate treasure. Thanks for sharing your recipes, and for all of the work that you put into this site. I will be eagerly awaiting the next shipment of your cookbook so that I can order one.
This is great! I love that it can be both a casserole and a salad! It’s making my mouth water just thinking about eating it!
One of the things I love about the south is how we name our recipes.
I have this same recipe but it’s called “Aileene Watson’s Church Chicken”. I don’t have a clue who Mrs. Watson is but love the recipe. Thanks for reminding me!
I’ve got leftover grilled chicken from last night that will be “turned into” chicken casserole tonight!! Yum!
Thank you for sharing the lovely story, recipe, and photo of Granny Jordan. The photo reminds me of my Mom’s 8th grade photo taken in the early 1930’s. Mom died 2 years ago and I love coming across her hand written recipes (she called them receipts!) that have dried splatters on them!!
I am also looking forward to your next cookbook shipment!
Bountiful Blessings!
Ok I was about to tears NOW I miss granny too
. She was a hottie and I love the recipes you found, you struck gold right there. I have some like that my great mother sent me to including her coconut cake, buttermilk biscuits and fried catfish with hushpuppies all her signatures. Lucky me!!!!
This recipe looks amazing and I know Southern Grannys know how to cook bc I got one of them myself
..
Christy, you scare me sometimes. Today I almost posted my chicken salad that I made yesterday! I made it yesterday and typed it up last night, but decided to save it for another day this week – course mine is a little different, and not hot but isn’t that funny? That’s happened several times – us on the same wavelength.
I love running across those old stained hand written recipes! You know it’s funny, but everytime I see them, it’s as if the same person wrote them no matter where they came from. Everyone must’ve learned cursive writing the same way or something! That could be my Mama’s handwriting.
Such a sweet story… thanks so much for sharing.
I cooked a whole fryer today and we only ate 1/2 of it. Now I know what I will do with the rest! Granny Jordan was a beautiful young woman and from what you said, she grew even more beautiful with age. Nothing is as special as the dear kind woman you describe her to be!
Thanks for sharing her recipe and her picture!
YUM!!!!! My fav in the summer!!!
Granny Jordan was a LOVELY lady!!!!
Hi – wondering what you could subsitute for the celery? I think my hubby will like this salad but he hates celery…..Thanks!
Also curious why you left out the cracker crumbs.
You can just totally leave out the celery and not put anything in its place if you like, or you could substitute water chestnuts (which I like about as much as your husband likes celery!).
Leaving out the cracker crumbs was purely an oversight most likely due to the fact that I have the attention span of a gnat
.
Hope this helps!
Gratefully,
Christy
Thanks for including that beautiful picture of your granny too! I am anxious to fix this salad for a hot summer night, served cold on the second day. I love leftovers! I have your blog listed on my blog so I get to keep tabs on you several times a day..keep those great recipes coming and I can’t wait to see pix of the new house!
I absolutely LOVE that you chose to share this recipe & memories of your granny with us. I swear that some of the best recipes are those simple things that our parents/grandparents cooked up back in the 70’s! This looks great!!
Love this – for real. And the ritz crackers are a must. I was going to get some toast and eggs for breakfast but after reading this post I want to get chicken salad now.
[...] Here is the original post: Treasure Found: Granny Jordan’s Chicken Casserole / Salad [...]
Sounds great I will certainly try it.
Loved reading about your Grandmother and the wonderful recipes you have of hers. Aren’t the old recipes great?
I have my Great Grandmothers cook book given to her before she was even married to my Great Grandfather. It was given to her as a shower gift in 1891. I love trying her recipes that she had marked in the book. All the favorites and notes as to how the reaction was to the recipes, when it was served and for whom it was especially made for such as Cocoanut cake made for my Great Great Grandma on her birthday March 10, 1892….
Now I am the Great Grandmother and hoipe that someday that my Great Grandkids will enjoy not only my favorites but also some of Granmas from this treasure I have.
I laughed when you said your mom thinks you don’t chop your onions small enough. Just like a mom! You grow into an adult and even though the rest of the world thinks you are an expert in your field, your mom still tells you how to do things.
I hate extra gadgets, but I LOVE the Vidalia Onion Chopper. It lets you chop mountains of onions and celery and bell peppers in just a few minutes and they are all in perfect little cubes.
Another thing about us Southern girls…don’t we all just love to look at each other’s family pictures? they can be total strangers and we are just fascinated to sit and hear about every person portrayed. And although i haven’t been back to my mama’s hometown in Tennessee, I can recite her genealogy to anyone in that area- “Avent,Galloway, McAlexander, McCrory, McCommons”- and they will know exactly who my grandparents were, who my cousins are, and where they moved off to. And yes, we’re Irish.
Christy it’s so funny how I notice the little things. You and I not only have the same plates, but the same spatchula that Katy is stirring with. Maybe I’m just easily amused, but I think that is so cool!…lol
Christy:
I was surfin’ the net looking for my “On The Go Sugar Free International Cappuccino” that has been discontinued in the stores. Low and behold your site was listed and your recipe came up for the sugar free cappuccino. Girl, I am going to try it.
I so enjoyed the picture and story of your grandmother who was definitely a “Southern Belle”.
I am going to make the chicken salad casserole recipe this week for a party I am having, it sounds scrumptious.
Your site has been added to one of my favorites.
As a grandmother myself, I thank you for the wonderful recipes.
Carole
(Also known by my grandchildren as: Mi-Mi,Grandma Carole, and just plain Grandma)
Good day to you, Christy!
I just pulled this out of my oven & it smells sooooo good!! I snuck in a tasty bite but have to put a cranky baby to sleep before I can really indulge! (on the cell phone). Can’t wait! Thanks for yet another recipe to add to my tried & true file!
Wow! Granny Jordan was a looker, beautiful, beautiful lady!
Was she ever in any beauty contest, if no, she sure should have been.
I’m sure gonna try her recipe with the crackers,haha….