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Mom's Party Chicken

Published: Apr 14, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 26 Comments

party chicken
Mom's "Party Chicken" with rice and broiled asparagus.

When I was growing up in Cleveland in the 1970s, Party Chicken was one of Mom's go to recipes when she was entertaining. I always thought that it was called Party Chicken because it was what she served at dinner parties.

My wife, Ann, was intrigued and perplexed, googled it and found that it was a real thing. She was not, however, eager to try it. The dish was a classic of its era. Chicken breasts wrapped in bacon, on a bed of chipped or dried beef, covered in a mixture of Campbell's cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, a soup can full of "cooking sherry," and a cup of sour cream, baked for an hour.

Fail proof. When my parents were out of town the spring of my 16th year I invited my girlfriend, with whom I was head over heals in teenaged love, to dinner and served her this, along with "chablis" (Ernest and Julio Gallo, glass gallon jug). Let's just say that Party Chicken was a miracle worker back then.

When I visited Ma last week for Easter (all fully vaxed!), I requested this. She laughed but after she realized I was serious, she made it. It was every bit the Cleveland 70s I remembered.

And so I had the courage to make it for Ann last night. Her verdict: both repellant and seductive. "It had that saltiness that is appealing but also makes you think it's not good for you. I'm sure it worked great in the 70s. My mother was a master at using canned soup in food."

I loved it. It's part of my history. It's the last thing I ate before losing my virginity and the world changed. How can I not have a fondness for Party Chicken.

Next time, I'll revise the recipe for our times, a béchamel with sauteed wild mushrooms, prosciutto instead of dried chipped beef (prosciutto was unheard of in Cleveland at the time). Maybe some sage, as you might use in a saltimbocca (Ann's suggestion, or chopped parsley for freshness, parmasan on top and gratiné it to make it not so pale looking.

But for now, and for history, here is the classic 1970s Party Chicken.

Party Chicken, circa 1979

Elegant, super easy chicken casserole with bacon and chipped beef.
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 boneless chicken breast halves
  • 8 strips bacon
  • 12 pieces dried beef of chipped beef
  • 1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 canful dry white wine
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions
 

  • Heat your oven to 375˚F.
  • Cut each breast in half widthwise (try to make them about equal weights). Wrap a slice of bacon around each.
  • Line a small casserole dish with the beef. Place the chicken pieces on the beef.
  • In a bowl, combine the soup, wine and sour cream and whisk until they are uniformly combined. Pour over the chicken.
  • Bake for one our, basting 1 or 2 times. If your dish is so small that they are submerged, no need to baste.
  • Serve over rice, with a green vegetable.
Keyword Chicken, chicken casserole
dried beef
Line dish with dried beef.
party chicken process
Pour the soup/wine/sour cream mixture over chicken
party chicken process
Chicken sauced and ready for oven.
party chicken process
Baked for 1 hour.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Teri

    April 14, 2021 at 11:28 pm

    My mother's go to for a party was Chicken Divan, cream of mushroom soup, frozen broccoli, sour cream and curry served on rice. I make it once a year but without the canned soup and frozen veg. Still love it!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 15, 2021 at 2:25 pm

      my wife told me about this one!

      Reply
    • Beth Pascarella

      April 18, 2021 at 8:19 pm

      That was mine too. It was really tasty!!

      Reply
  2. Jay

    April 14, 2021 at 11:36 pm

    I can practically taste this just from the ingredient list. 80s comfort food at its best.

    Reply
  3. Lisa

    April 15, 2021 at 12:20 am

    5 stars
    I am so looking forward to your adjusted recipe when ever you can! Thank you so much m!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 15, 2021 at 2:25 pm

      will totally do this.

      Reply
      • Frank

        April 17, 2021 at 3:41 pm

        I'm joining Lisa in eagerly awaiting this! Meanwhile, I'll likely make this version for tonight's dinner. How ironic that you also gave the world the secret of the magnificent Ad Hoc chicken!

        Reply
  4. Bill

    April 15, 2021 at 3:07 am

    Kalustyan's has a fantastic dried beef available upstairs that I get, to make a slightly more refined for 2021, chipped beef recipe.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 15, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      I love good chipped beef.

      Reply
  5. Jenise Stone

    April 15, 2021 at 9:26 am

    OMG: I remember that dish, sans the fun name, the bacon and only using dried Hormel beef from a jar (that wasn't ground like yours, that's a new mystery) but yeah, pretty much, that's the dish. Oh, and back then 'low sodium mushroom soup' didn't exist, so it was full tilt on the salt. I love Ann's reaction.

    I got the recipe from a friend somewhere between 1977 and 1982, dates I am sure of because I know I made it for my first husband and that's how long our marriage lasted. It fit the times--it was salty and fatty and so was he. I never made it again after the divorce; funny how food identifies very specific times in our lives.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 15, 2021 at 2:26 pm

      you are so funny. and so right!

      Reply
    • Katherine Bean

      October 12, 2022 at 11:14 am

      5 stars
      This Was once my entertaining go to! I haven’t made it in years! Now I crave it! I’m making it for friends today! Thank you for sharing your story and recipe!

      Reply
  6. Edierae

    April 15, 2021 at 3:42 pm

    This is shameful and disgusting. And I would absolutely eat it, hands down. Gotta draw the line at jug chablis, though. Happy for 16 year old you, though. 😉

    Reply
  7. dominique

    April 17, 2021 at 12:23 am

    This reminds me of my mother's hot dog stroganoff--haut-ish cuisine or how to feed 5 kids heartily and cheaply. On the other end of the spectrum, dried chipped beef in a gloopy white sauce served on toast. I remember going to bed feeling so parched from all the salt that I felt turned inside out. Maybe the aforementioned E and J chablis would have helped?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 17, 2021 at 3:42 pm

      Hot dog stroganoff!

      Reply
  8. Jeffrey Fillmore

    April 17, 2021 at 12:23 am

    5 stars
    I have a nostalgia for my mom’s Tuna Casserole. I know that it involved egg noodles, tuna, mushroom soup, and I think Miracle Whip. I can’t get it quite right, and when I ask her how she made it, she says that she has no idea...

    Reply
    • Gail

      November 20, 2023 at 11:29 pm

      Tuna noodle does not have miracle whip in it… a little milk in the soup & topped with potato chips that u pour melted butter over!

      Reply
    • Roxy

      February 26, 2024 at 9:42 pm

      5 stars
      Oh My, Tuna Noodle Casserole! Floods my mind with memories. No mayo or miracle whip in my moms. Canned Tuna, Cream of Mushroom soup, half and half AND peas. She then finished it off with crushed potato chips on top. My dad and sisters loved it, I always tried to eat a friends house that night hahaha

      Reply
  9. Mary Anne Bonafair

    December 14, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    So good! My original Party Chicken recipe came from the Make It Now Bake It Later series. Another great one from there was a shrimp & crab dish. Some profits from the books went to a charity. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

    Reply
  10. Alan

    April 24, 2023 at 9:18 pm

    Hi. I'm making it this weekend for a dinner party. Do you think that morel mushrooms would work with it?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 30, 2023 at 7:31 pm

      sorry just seeing this. did you use morels?

      Reply
  11. Jeanette

    May 23, 2023 at 3:37 pm

    Can I substitute pork chops for the chicken?!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      May 23, 2023 at 6:38 pm

      you can ... ?

      Reply
  12. Wendy Davidson

    March 29, 2024 at 1:03 am

    I remember this, at first I didn’t recognize the ingredients. When I saw the picture and the way the beef contract and create’s a little cup for the chicken, it I got it🤣

    Reply
  13. Nancy Corns

    April 12, 2025 at 1:40 pm

    This is hilarious -- I grew up in Cleveland too and my mom made this -- I google "party chicken" on a whim and here it is! I thought there is no way in hell it's really called that.... And it is. It is not easy to find chipped beef. I live in Boston now and not sure it's as popular here as it is in the mid-west. But the weather is cold and rainy and this is exactly what I want make this evening. My mom never added wine to hers but I like that fancy touch so I'll try it. Thanks!!!!! I already feel at home.....

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      April 23, 2025 at 5:57 pm

      so glad you found it!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

See my books!

Ratio App for iPhone

After I wrote my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a colleague and I built a ratio calculator for iPhones that allows you to cook without recipes. For doughs, batters, custards, sauces, stocks and more, simply plug in the amount of one ingredient and the amounts of the other ingredients are instantly calculated. It's also a handy reference for dozens of our most common preparations. ($4.99 in the app store.)

Collaborate

I’ve collaborated on a dozen books, including cookbooks and a memoir. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, please contact my agent, Gail Hochman, [email protected], at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

For speaking engagements contact, Kip Ludwig, [email protected].

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