ayres' chicken salad

(4 ratings)
Recipe by
Julia Ferguson
Greenwood, IN

This is a Chicken Salad I've had many times when I visited the 8th floor Tea Room of L.S.Ayres Dept. Store. Taken from Indianapolis Monthly: In the Old Days, Ayres' Chicken Salad came piled high in a scooped-out fresh pineapple shell, lavished with a drift of chopped pecans and surrounded with a rainbow of colorful fresh fruits. This is no exaggeration, the only thing left out of the article was the Pumpkin Bread that was sandwiched with cream cheese and cut into fingers and served along with the salad and fruit. This was one of Ayres' signature meals, especially in summer. Recipe Source: L.S.Ayres Tea Room Recipes and Recollections, presented by Indiana State Museum

(4 ratings)
yield 8 servings
method Refrigerate/Freeze

Ingredients For ayres' chicken salad

  • 1 lb
    chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 2
    celery ribs, diced
  • 1 c
    mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp
    durkee's famous sauce *see note below
  • salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    white pepper
  • dash
    hot pepper sauce
  • 1/8 tsp
    chicken- base paste
  • dash
    lemon juice

How To Make ayres' chicken salad

  • 1
    In large mixing bowl, combine chicken and celery; chill. Combine mayonnaise, Durkee Sauce, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce, chicken base and lemon juice; blend throughly. Combine chicken mixture and slad dressing; mix well and chill for at leats 4 hours.
  • 2
    To serve the Ayres way, serve with strawberries, banana slices, pineapple chunks, grapes and/or other fruits of your choosing. Don't forget the Ayres' Pumpkin Bread Fingers (I will post recipe)
  • 3
    *Note: Chicken base is a commercial product. Granule bouillon may be substituted or it may be omitted. Durkee's Famous Sauce is still made and can be found on the condiment isle where mayonnaise is found. Actually, I don't use Durkee's or Chicken Base when making chicken salad. I use a mixture of Helman's Mayonnaise and Kraft Miracle Whip and sometimes just a dab of Marzetti Country Style Slaw Dressing. I like the dressing to be thick and just enough to bring all the ingredients together. I don't like it loose or swimming in dressing.
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