Rosemary's Chicken Salad

This isn’t your typical cold chicken salad. Cubed cooked chicken gets mixed with celery, toasted bread cubes, almonds, grated onion, and lemon juice in a creamy mayo-style dressing, then baked under a layer of shredded cheddar and bread crumbs until the whole thing bubbles and turns golden on top.

The lemon juice is key. It brightens up all that richness from the dressing and cheese so the dish doesn’t taste heavy. And those toasted almonds add a crunch that holds up through baking, giving you texture contrast against the creamy filling.

Place the mixture loosely into the baking pan. Packing it down makes it dense and gummy instead of light and scoopable.

Pro Tips

• Use leftover rotisserie chicken for the fastest prep. Shred or cube it into bite-sized pieces.
• Toast the almonds before adding. Raw almonds go soft during baking, but pre-toasted ones keep their snap.
• Don’t overbake. Pull it when it’s bubbly around the edges. The center will set as it rests.
• Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the filling firms up enough to scoop cleanly.

Variations

• Swap cheddar for Swiss cheese and add a pinch of nutmeg for a more refined flavor.
• Mix in diced water chestnuts for extra crunch throughout.
• Use Greek yogurt in place of half the mayo dressing for a lighter version.