99. Chicken-Aspic Vegetable Salad & the End of DiS! 1972

THIS IS IT MY FRIENDS. IT’S THE LAST CARD.

And it is the one that we’ve all been waiting for, in all its shiny, towering, glory–No. 99 Chicken-Aspic Vegetable Salad!

chicken-aspic-vegetable

3 whole chicken breasts
5 cups boiling water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 celery tops
2 carrots
2 sprigs parsley
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. unflavored gelatin
3-1/2 cups cooked vegetables (asparagus, carrots, corn, brussel sprouts, celery)
1-1/4 cups mayonnaise
3 black olives
salad greens
tomato wedges
paprika

Place chicken breasts in a kettle. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water; add to chicken, bring to boil, skim. Add next 5 ingredients. Cover, bring to boil and simmer until chicken is tender. Cool chicken and broth quickly. Remove skin and bones from chicken breasts (irregular pieces of chicken are combined with vegetables in mold) Skim fat from broth.

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water; heat until gelatin is melted then combine with 4 cups broth. Correct seasoning, chill until syrupy. Add cooked vegetables and chicken chunks to 3-1/2 cups of chilled broth. Pour into a 2-quart mold, chill until set. To remaining 1/2 cup* chilled broth add 1/4 cup mayonnaise, mix until smooth and pour over chicken breasts to glaze them. Decorate each breast with 1/2 black olive, chopped parsley and a sprinkling of paprika.

To serve: Unmold vegetable aspic, garnish with greens. Arrange chicken breasts on platter, garnish with greens and tomato wedges. Makes 6 servings.

Dressing: Thin remaining 1 cup of mayonnaise with a little chicken broth. Add lemon juice if desired.

*If broth sets, heat it a little before adding mayonnaise.

As soon as it was released from its mold, it started to slowly collapse and inch its way to the end of the plate.

DSCN1828DSCN1829I would like you to notice that I did try to replicate the ring of asparagus in a pretty pattern around the mold.

closeup

A for effort.

Too bad that I shit the bed on the rest of it.

It needed more gelatin to hold its shape. I don’t know if that was my fault or the recipe’s.

I even made the glazed chicken breasts and painstakingly topped them with olives and parsley. I cut them bite-size in case they were edible and anyone else wanted to try them:

DSCN1812DSCN1814

No one did.

99. was a momentous waste of food. It’s good that the rest of the food at my Christmas Parade Party Buffet was yummy.

But now I can say that I did it.

So, after five long years and 118 cards, we have officially come to the conclusion of Dinner is Served 1972… 

…and the beginning of Dinner is Served 1973.

BECAUSE I FOUND THE SERIES! ALL 84 OF THEM!

Dinner is Served Box The new box The new beginning 1973 cards

1973 preview
I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but 1973 looks to be more bonkers than 1972

I’m gonna start on them very soon!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reading DiS! 1972 and for all of the likes, comments, cookbooks (!) and moral support over the past five years.

I think I’m gonna take a bit of a vacation, so in the meantime, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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33 thoughts on “99. Chicken-Aspic Vegetable Salad & the End of DiS! 1972

  1. you know they still put chicken ala king in recipe card sets? But they try to make it healthier …..like having you boil the chicken

    if I remember tho they made this and other card sets for decades and some to this day ……

  2. I’m thrilled to hear that there are culinary adventures yet to come! Enjoy a much-deserved break. If 1972 was any indication, I’ll be buying some stock in Tums. 😉

  3. Congratulations!
    Thank goodness Dinner is Served in 1973, too.
    Also, I knew chicken a la king would be in there. It would not be a 1970s recipe box without chicken a la king.

  4. Oh thank god-I was seriously worried it was all over.

    If the recipe cards follow society generally, then ’73 was definitely more bonkers than ’72 as I remember it. Actually, all I remember was Watergate (not the salad) and getting chicken pox. The ONE chance to watch all the TV I wanted, and what was ON? Hearings. Yay, 1973.

    Have a great sabbatical. Looking forward to Polynesian Tuna. Mmmmm.

  5. I’ve loved seeing all your dinner adventures, especially since I remember my mom and grandma serving similar dishes in the 70’s. Can’t wait to see 1973, especially the chicken a la king, which is infamous in our family (mom made my protesting brother eat it and he got revenge on her – all over the kitchen table!).

  6. For a minute I thought this was the end of your blog.. Scary thought. I’m looking forward to your recipes for 1973. Enjoy your vacay!

  7. Huzzah! I knew you could do it. Can’t wait for more adventures from 1973. Take a well deserved break, you’ve earned it.

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