Can't beat cornflakes and cheese

Hot chicken salad: Every family in the South (and perhaps elsewhere) has a version of this recipe. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and turn them into something special. Most all the variations I have seen use crushed potato chips or corn flakes as a crunchy topping.

I recently bought a rice cooker and despite Alton Brown’s edict to avoid one-purpose devices, I love mine and have used it many times. I measure out the rice and water, turn it on and get on to other things. (It is cooking rice right now, while I work on this post, btw.) Last week, I had all the basics for this dish on hand – chicken, rice, cheese, corn flakes, so I set to work.

In a 9x13 dish, I combined 2 cups cooked chicken, ½ cup of mayonnaise, 2 cups of cooked rice (thank you rice cooker!), 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and a ½ cup of milk. I sprinkled it with salt and pepper…

…then added a cup of green peas, straight from the freezer.

In a medium bow, I mixed 1 cup of crushed cornflakes and ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese. I like mixing the two, then adding it as a topping -- it blends completely and the cheese helps brown the crunchy top, without adding more butter or margarine.

Bake the casserole 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Delicious!

Here’s the complete recipe

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups cooked chicken
½ cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup green peas, frozen
1 cup crushed cornflakes
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients except cornflakes and cheese together and spread in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Top with the cornflakes and cheese, which have been mixed together. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.