Home » Blog » Decadence! » chickadee cottage chicken salad
| |

chickadee cottage chicken salad

chickadeesalad

“I wish I were rich, and I could spend the whole summer in a hotel, eating ice cream and chicken salad.” ~Diana Barry Anne of Green Gables

There’s a sweet little restaurant and tearoom in Lake City Minnesota called The Chickadee Cottage that I visit at least a few times a year with family and friends. They’ve created a wonderful, quaint place to go for breakfast and lunch, and I especially like it in the summer. My favorite menu item is their chicken salad, but I bought their cookbook because they have a LOT of good recipes that I enjoy making over and over again.

~chickadee cottage chicken salad~

“The secret is out- We really make our chicken salad with turkey breast” ~from the Chickadee Cottage Cookbook

This makes a huge amount of salad. The recipe can easily be cut in half.

7-8 lb. turkey breast, baked in a roasting bag

1 Tablespoon dry onion

3 cups celery, fine-diced

3 cups real mayonnaise

4 oz. container Cool Whip

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 and 1/2 lb. green grapes

7 oz. box ring macaroni

1 cup slivered almonds

Cool and cube turkey. Bones, skin and juice can be cooked with water and vegetables to make soup broth.

Cook macaroni per box directions. Drain and cool.

Combine all salad ingredients, except the almonds which are sprinkled over the top just prior to serving. Stir well and taste. Adjust seasonings and add a little more mayo if needed. Pasta will absorb some moisture and seasonings. Chill. Serve on a bed of lettuce or on croissants.

20 servings

note: this salad can certainly be made with chicken

Happy Teatime Tuesday!

Enjoy!

~Melissa

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

46 Comments

    1. Hi D! 🙂 Not too much cool whip…just enough to make it light, slightly sweet and fluffy <3 I think you're going to love this! xoxo and thanks for visiting!

      1. I love chicken salad and I am always looking for a new recipe, but Cool Whip is nothing but chemicals, do you think real whipped cream could be used?

        1. Hi Alison,

          I’ve never tried using real whipped cream but have thought of trying because Cool Whip is obviously not health food 😉

          If you do try, what I would suggest is making only what will be eaten immediately. Real whipped cream is going to break down in your salad very quickly and turn watery. You could try making a little batch, putting it in the fridge and see how it holds up if you like… but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

          Have a lovely day! 🙂 Enjoy!

          1. I did try it with real whipped cream, but I mixed it in with the mayo it was ahuge hit with my friends, everyone wanted to know what was in the salad and when I told them whipped cream they were amazed.

            Everyone liked it so much that I have had requests to bring it to pot luck lunch’s three times.

            Thanks for the recipe,
            Alison

          2. My pleasure, Alison! thanks for letting me know the whipped cream worked! Now I can tell that to all of my readers. 🙂

          3. Do you know how much real whipped cream to use if not using cool whip? Plus is the can of whipped cream ok to use?

  1. Do the grapes go in the salad or served on the side If in the salad, are they halved or chopped? Thanks…I want to try!

    1. Hi Michele! That is a judgment call. If I’m making the salad for a big crowd, and I know it’s going to all be eaten the same day that I make it, then I halve the grapes and add them to the salad. When I’m making a batch of this salad for my little family, I make the salad without adding the grapes and just serve the grapes on the side so the salad holds up longer and doesn’t get mushy. 🙂 great question! thanks for visiting. Enjoy! XO

  2. I want to try this – always looking for a good salad. Since I’m gluten sensitive, I will use Gluten-free pasta and serve without the bread! Thanks for sharing!

  3. It sounds yummy but my weird little family wouldn’t try it because of the cool whip. Maybe I could sneak it in and see if they eat it

    1. Hi Cathy!
      If you don’t tell them about the cool whip they won’t even notice it. It just tastes really creamy and good, not like cool whip specifically 🙂 XO ~M

  4. Hi Diane 🙂

    Yes, you cook the pasta rings just as the recipe above indicates 🙂 Otherwise that would be one crunchy sandwich (and not in a good way.) Hee hee.

    Thanks for stopping by!
    XO,
    ~M

  5. Looks so pretty. Love chicken salad sandwiches with grapes. Many years ago I little restaurant called Star Cafe first served this salad. When they closed a couple more started doing it. I haven’t made one yet myself but now I can. I love the grapes particularly red.

  6. So ring macaroni? Like Ditalini? Just want the right texture. And I’m still stuck on the cool whip. But I won’t knock it till I’ve tried it.

  7. This sounds great. I usually use rottisere chicken breasts in my salad. Could I do that without messing with the flavors? Thank you.

    1. Seasoning the turkey prior to cooking it isn’t necessary for this recipe, Patricia. Great question! thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂

    1. Serve the salad on whatever you like, Jane. It won’t be the same, original taste if you don’t serve it on the croissant.

    1. Hi Mollie! I’ve never tried boiling chicken for this recipe. I’d say to do whatever you can to cook the meat without doing anything to dry it out. 🙂 Enjoy!

  8. The cool whip sounds interesting, so I’m excited to try it! But ever since I tried pineapple in chicken salad, it’s the only fruit I’ll use. It is so so good! So I’ll definitely be trying this, except sub pineapple for the grapes, and pecans for the almonds. Yum!!