Today's Case:

Olive Chicken Balls

From: Joan S
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2023 9:08:12 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: Seeking Chicken meatball recipe that was in 
         Ladies Home Journal magazine in 1978
 
I am looking for a recipe that was in the April 1978 issue of the Ladies Home Journal 
(cover of magazine attached). It is for chicken meatball with an olive in the middle.

On 9/24/2023 10:16 PM, Joan Strickland wrote:
ISO recipe from April 1978 Ladies Home Journal, section was titled Chicken Cookbook! 
30 Terrific Recipes. #17 Olive Chicken Balls. Pop-in-your-mouth appetizers. Pictured 
on page 122 of the magazine.
My Mom made these for me when I was a child and I loved them! Most of my adult life 
I have searched for the magazine in her stash of recipes and old magazines. I found 
that magazine tonight (3/09/2022) in a drawer full of recipes in her office. My heart 
lept when I realized ‘this is the correct magazine’!!! After all these (40+) years! 
I flipped to the recipe section and found the item pictured and it showed that the 
30 chicken recipes began on page 126. I made my way to page 126 and proceeded to look
for recipe #17… to my disappointment the back portion of the magazine was missing and
the last recipe that was included on page 134 was recipe #16! 
Please, if anyone has recipe #17 for the Olive Chicken Balls, please send it ... and 
mention the name of the recipe in the e-mail subject line.

Kindest Regards, Joan

Hello Joan,

The first thing that my search uncovered was your previous request for this recipe from a year and a half ago on "Vintage Recipe Project". It appears that you have had no response to that request.

I had no success looking for that particular issue of Ladies' Home Journal or for any recipe that mentioned the Ladies' Home Journal or the chicken cookbook article. If you so desired, you could most likely find that issue of LHJ for sale online at Ebay or at another site that sells old issues of magazines.

I kept searching, not keying on Ladies' Home Journal, but rather keying on the recipe name, "Olive Chicken Balls." I believe this led to success. On this site: TJ Recipes, I found a scanned clipping of a recipe with that exact name. It did not mention Ladies' Home Journal, but it has the correct name, it fits your description, and it is obviously a clipping from a magazine or newspaper. It even has the number "17." and the statement "pictured on page 122" as part of the title. You can directly view the scan itself here: Olive Chicken Balls

I have also transcribed it below and I am attaching a copy of the scan to this reply. I feel fairly certain that this is the recipe that you are seeking.

Phaed

https://tjrecipes.com/tims-moms-cookbooks/appetizers-2/olive-chicken-balls/

17. Olive Chicken Balls
    pictured on page 122

"A splendid little appetizer using canned chicken."

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup unsifted allpurpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
4 cans (5 oz. each) chicken, flaked or
   2-1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups dried bread crumbs
1 cup small pimento-stuffed olives, halved
Salad oil for deep-frying

In medium saucepan melt butter or margarine. Add onion and
sauté until tender. Stir in flour, salt, nutmeg and cayenne
until smooth. Graduallypour in milk, stirring constantly, and
cook until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Boil 1 minute
stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chicken,
1/3 cup chopped parsley and 1 cup bread crumbs. Refrigerate
until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Roll a teaspoon of the
chilled chicken mixture around an olive half to form a ball.
Repeat until all chicken mixture is used. Combine remaining
bread crumbs and parsley. roll balls into bread crumb mixture
to coat well. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

In deep fat fryer, heat 2 inches salad oil to 375ºF. on deep
fat thermometer. Fry balls, a few at a time, until brown.
Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. (Keep cooked
appetizers hot in a 300ºF. oven while cooking remaining.)
Continue frying remaining balls. (Can be made ahead. Cover and
freeze up to 1 month. Heat ina 350ºF. oven until heated through,
about 15 to 20 minutes.) Serve hot. Makes about 6 dozen. About
45 calories each.