Old-Fashioned Chicken Roll (Chicken and Olive Roll)

A recipe for Chicken Roll in a 1926 magazine intrigued me. The roll was made using Baking Powder Biscuit dough, then filled with a chopped chicken and olive mixture and rolled similarly to how a jelly roll is made.

The roll can be cut into rounds prior to baking. After it is baked, it is served with White Sauce.

The recipe turned out well. The Chicken Roll rounds made a nice presentation and were tasty. The tangy, briny olives provided the predominate flavor, with the taste of the chicken being much more nuanced. If I had been the recipe author, I would have called this food a Chicken and Olive Roll.

Chicken Roll Recipe — Source: Ladies Home Journal (June, 1926)

One-half teaspoon of scraped onion did not seem like very much, so I used 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions.

I assumed that “olives” in the recipe referred to green stuffed olives.

I have made White Sauce so many times over the years that I didn’t need a recipe for it, but I did need a recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits. Here’s a hundred-year-old that I found for them:

As directed in the original Chicken Roll recipe, I doubled the amount of shortening when making the Baking Powder Biscuit dough.

After I added the milk, I mixed the dough with a fork rather than a knife.

When I rolled the dough to 1/3-inch thickness, it seemed rather thick, so I rolled it a little more to make it about 1/4-inch thick.

I cut the roll into rounds prior to baking. Two-inch thick rounds are very thick, so I cut them into 1-inch rounds.

My husband and I ate half the rounds one day, and I reheated the remainder the next. I made a half recipe of white sauce each day that we poured over the baked rounds of Chicken Roll.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Chicken Roll (Chicken Olive Roll)

Servings: 3 - 5
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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Filling

1 1/4 cups cold cooked chicken, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped stuffed green olives

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Baking Powder Biscuit Dough

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

White Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

Step 1. Preheat oven to 450° F.

Step 2. Put the chopped chicken, olives, onions, and paprika in a bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 3. Make the Baking Powder Biscuit dough by combining the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, then cut in the shortening; add milk, and stir with a fork until the dough forms.

Step 4. Put the biscuit dough on a prepared surface, and roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (approximately 9″ X 12″).

Step 5. Spread the chicken and olive mixture on the dough, then roll the dough starting at one of the short edges (similarly to how a jelly roll is rolled).

Step 6. Cut the roll into 1-inch thick rounds, then place the rounds on a lightly greased backing sheet.

Step. 7. Put in oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until the rounds are lightly browned.

Step 8. In the meantime, make the White Sauce. In another pan, using medium heat, melt butter, then stir in the flour and salt. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken.

Step 9. To serve, put the baked Chicken Roll rounds on a plate, and serve with the White Sauce (or, if desired, pour the White Sauce on the baked rounds prior to serving).

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Old-Fashioned Chicken Wiggles (Creamed Chicken with Vegetables and Walnuts)

I was flipped through a hundred-year-old cookbook, and a recipe for Chicken Wiggles caught my eye. What was this food with such a strange name?

I read the recipe, and it was a recipe for creamed chicken, peas, celery, and walnuts. Chicken Wiggles is served on toast (though it would also work well with rice). I’m always looking for tasty lunch foods, so I decided to give the recipe a try.

Chicken Wiggles was delightful. It is somewhat similar to Chicken a la King, but the walnuts added a delightful crunch. And, celery is not typically included in Chicken a la King recipes.

Intrigued by the name, I did an online search for “wiggle recipes” and discovered that there is also a dish called Shrimp Wiggle. Wiggles are quick and easy to prepare. According to The Takeout, the recipe for Shrimp Wiggle was even included in some editions of The Joy of Cooking.

Wiggles were a popular chafing dish food a hundred-year-ago, and college students sometimes made them in their dorm rooms using cans of Sterno, often for late night impromptu parties.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Chicken Wiggles — Source: 1926 cookbook compiled by the Domestic Science Class of the Peoria (IL) Women’s Club

This recipe calls for English walnuts. Years ago, regular walnuts were often referred to as English walnuts to distinguish them from black walnuts.

It worked fine to use egg yolks as the thickening agent in this recipe – though I wondered why flour wasn’t used to make a more typical white sauce. (When egg yolks are used to thicken a sauce, care needs to be used to keep the egg from curdling when added to the hot mixture.) Then I realized that this is a gluten free recipe. Gluten allergies were not a specific identified issue a hundred years ago, but people did more generally recognize food allergies. This recipe makes me wonder if the recipe author was allergic to wheat flour.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Chicken Wiggles (Creamed Chicken with Vegetables and Walnuts

Servings: 3 - 5
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup green peas (canned, frozen, or fresh)

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

toast

Step 1. Put the cream and milk in a saucepan, and scald using medium heat while stirring continuously.

Step 2. In the meantime, put egg yolks in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolk, stir quickly. (The egg is first combined with a little of the hot mixture to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs when introduced into the hot combination.) Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan; stir.

Step 3. Add butter and salt. Cook until it thickens while stirring continuously.

Step 4. Stir in peas and celery; cook until heated through.

Step 5. Add walnuts; stir, and remove from heat.

Step 6. Serve immediately on toast (Rice could be substituted for the toast.)

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Old-Fashioned Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips

Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips

Now that winter is over, and April has finally arrived, I find that I crave both comfort foods and spring vegetables. I think that I’ve found the perfect hundred-year-old recipe: Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips.

The Chicken Pie had an old-fashioned goodness, and the asparagus tips made a lovely garnish.

Here’s the original recipe: Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips

Recipe for Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips — Source: American Cookery (March, 1925)

The recipe does not specify whether green asparagus or white asparagus should be used, but the picture in the old magazine looks like the recipe author used white asparagus. I seldom see white asparagus at the store (and when I do it is very expensive), so I used green asparagus. I actually think that green asparagus looks better than white when used in this dish.

I think that “rich milk” refers to light cream, so I used half and half, though milk would work fine in this recipe. I added mushrooms, carrots, and peas.

Chicken Pie with Asparagus Tips

Servings: 4 - 6
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1/4 cup butter + 1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half and half (or use milk)

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 4-ounce can mushrooms, stems and pieces (drained)

1/2 cup sliced carrots, cooked

1/2 cup green peas (I used frozen peas.)

asparagus tips to garnish (I used the tips from approximately 1/3 pound of asparagus.)

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Preheat oven to 425◦ F. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour, paprika, and salt. Gradually, add the chicken broth and half and half while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce from the pan, set aside. Stir the cooked chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and peas; continue heating until hot and bubbly. Put the mixture into a baking dish, then pour the reserved sauce over the mixture. Spoon the 1 tablespoon of melted butter on top. Put in oven and bake until it is just beginning to brown (about 15- 20 minutes).

In the meantime, cook the asparagus tips. (I lightly steamed them.)

Remove the Chicken Pie from the oven and garnish with the asparagus tips.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Curry (Recipe 2)

Chicken Curry on plate

I was surprised to find a Chicken Curry recipe in a hundred-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota church cookbook compiled by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Chicken Curry is a traditional Indian dish, and I would not have expected it to be commonly made in the U.S. in 1925. But, maybe one of Sisters had been a missionary in India, or maybe I just did not realize how small the world already was becoming.

The Chicken Curry was lovely and had a very nice sauce.

Here’s the original recipe:

Chicken Curry Recipe — Source: Diamond Jubilee Recipes Compiled by the Sisters of Saint Joseph (St. Paul MN, 1925)

Two teaspoons of salt seemed like a lot, so when I updated the recipe, I changed it to 1 teaspoon.

The recipe called for covering the chicken with water and then thickening with flour. When I made this recipe I had a lot of broth, so a measured out 2 cups of broth and only thickened that amount.

The original recipe called for a whole chicken that was cut into pieces. These days rather than selling chicken parts for the entire chicken, they are often sold by the particular type (thigh, breast, leg), so when I made this recipe I decided to use chicken thighs.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Chicken Curry

Servings: 4 - 5
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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1 3-lb. chicken cut into pieces (or 3 pounds of chicken pieces) – I used thighs.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

water

Put vegetable oil in skillet and heat using medium heat. When hot, add the chicken pieces; cook for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces of chicken. Make a space at one side of the skillet and add the onion slices. Cook for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine vinegar, salt, curry powder and 1 cup water in a small bowl. Then add to the chicken and onions. Add enough additional water to just barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook until the chicken is tender (about an additional 20 minutes).

Remove lid and measure out 2 cups of broth. Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan then stir in the flour. Gradually add the broth while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and when the mixture has thickened remove from the heat. Strain the sauce.

To serve, put the chicken pieces on a plate. Top with the sauce. Serve with rice.

Addendum: After this post was published, a reader discovered that I’d previously done a post in 2019 with another Chicken Curry recipe. I added “Recipe 2” to the title of this post. Not quite sure how I had forgotten doing the original one. In any case, both versions are nice. Here’s the link to the other version:

Old-Fashioned Chicken Curry (Recipe 1)

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Old Fashioned Fried Chicken (with Milk Gravy)

Fried Chicken

I hadn’t made old-fashioned fried chicken in years, so was intrigued when I saw a recipe for Fried Chicken with milk gravy in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try. The chicken pieces are coated with flour then fried. The recipe called for frying the chicken pieces in a covered skillet. The coating on the chicken is not nearly as thick and crispy as many modern fried chicken recipes, but it is like the coating on fried chicken that I remember from my childhood. The milk gravy was lovely.

Here’s the original recipe:

Fried Chicken Recipe — Source: The Calorie Cook Book by Mary Dickerson Donahey (1923)

In the U.S. today, we generally refer to “skim milk.” The old recipe calls for “skimmed milk” rather than “skim milk.” Most milk was not homogenized a hundred years ago (and often it was not pasteurized), so the cream floated to the top. When using the milk, it could either be shaken to get “whole” milk or the cream on the top could be “skimmed” off to get the equivalent of skim milk. I don’t think that it matters whether skim, 2%, or whole milk is used in this recipe, so when I updated the recipe, I just called for using “milk.”

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Fried Chicken

Servings: 4 - 6
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

fat (lard, shortening) or cooking oil

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper; then roll the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

In the meantime, heat 1/2 inch of fat or oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) using medium heat. When hot, carefully place the floured chicken pieces in the pan. Cover skillet, and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the bottom side of each piece is lightly browned, then gently turn, cover skillet, and fry until the other side is browned. The chicken pieces will need to be turned several times. Continue cooking until a meat thermometer indicates that the temperature is at least 165° F. (Put large pieces of chicken in the skillet and cook for a few minutes before adding smaller ones, if there is wide variation in the size of the pieces.)

Remove chicken from skillet, and pour most of the fat or oil out of the skillet. Put back on the stove at medium heat. Stir the 3 tablespoons flour into the remaining fat/oil and browned bits. Slowing stir in the milk. Continue stirring and cooking until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat and serve.

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Old-fashioned Chicken Souffle

One of my hundred-year-old cookbooks has a recipe for chicken souffle, and I had some left-over chicken so decided to give it a try. The Chicken Souffle was lovely. The recipe called for chopped onions, thyme, and parsley, and they added a nice flavor to the dish.

Here’s the original recipe:

The old cookbook does not give an oven temperature for baking the souffle. When I made this recipe, I baked it at 350° F. The recipe says that this needs to bake for only 20 minutes, but it took close to 40 minutes for it to set and ligthtly brown when I made it. Maybe the author used a higher temperature.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Chicken Souffle

Servings: 2 - 3
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

2 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 cup milk

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, and stir in chopped onions. Sauté for several minutes until the onions are transparent. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

In another bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth. Add a tablespoon of the hot sauce to the beaten egg yolk and stir quickly. Repeat with another tablespoon of the sauce. Then add the egg mixture to the sauce and quickly stir. (This helps keep the egg yolks from cooking when they are stirred into the sauce). Add the chopped chicken and stir again. Allow the mixture to cool. (I put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.)

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350° F. Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat until peaks form. Then fold the beaten egg whites into the chicken mixture. Put in a 1-quart baking dish. Place in oven and bake until the souffle is lightly browned (about 30-40 minutes). Remove from oven and immediately serve.

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Escalloped Celery with Chicken

I don’t see many recipes for casseroles when browsing through hundred-year-old cookbooks. There are a few casserole recipes in 1922 cookbooks, but they didn’t become really popular until the mid-20th century. In any case, I was intrigued by a casserole recipe that I found in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Escalloped Celery with Chicken, and decided to give it a try.

Though I made this recipe from scratch, the Escalloped Celery with Chicken brought back vague memories of creamed chicken and celery dishes I ate as a child that were made using cream of celery soup. In any case, I enjoyed this dish. It was tasty and made a nice casserole.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Escalloped Celery with Chicken — Source: Good Housekeeping’s Book of Recipes and Household Discoveries (1922)

I used a little less salt than was called for in the original recipe. It called for boiling the celery in water with 1 teaspoon salt, plus an additional 3/4 teaspoon salt in the sauce. I decided that an additional 1/2 teaspoon would be plenty – and the recipe tasted fine. I also thought that 500° F. seemed very high – so I baked at 425° F. until the bread crumbs were lightly browned and it was hot and bubbly (about 15 minutes). The recipe says it serves four. In my opinion, if this is served as the main dish, that it is a little skimpy for four, so I listed it as 3-4.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Escalloped Celery with Chicken

Servings: 3-4
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups celery, diced into 1 inch pieces

water

1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup diced cooked chicken

3 tablespoons pimento, diced

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup celery water (reserved when celery is drained after cooking)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup fine dry plain bread crumbs

Put diced celery in a saucepan. cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the celery is tender (about 10-15 minutes). Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the celery water.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 425° F. In a skillet, using medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; then stir in the flour. Gradually, add the milk, cream, and celery water while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce thickens. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Add the cooked celery and diced chicken. and stir to combine. Put in a 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and using 1 tablespoon of butter, dot with small pieces of butter. Put in oven and bake until hot and bubbly, and the bread crumbs are lightly browned.

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