14 Vintage Chicken Dishes No One Seems To Make Anymore

Chicken has long been a staple in most meat-eating families in America. This is not surprising as it's a versatile ingredient that lends itself to various cuisines and cooking methods. From the 1950s onwards, as home cooks became more confident in cooking styles coming from elsewhere in the world, chicken dinners became more exciting as they incorporated new ingredients and progressed beyond a standard roasted bird.

From French haute cuisine in the form of cordon bleu, to rustic chicken cacciatore that was first eaten by hunters, there is a huge variety of classic chicken dishes that were big hits during the 20th century. Though some, such as chicken Kiev, have stood the test of time, others have failed to fit into modern cuisine and are rarely talked about anymore. Whether you want to take a trip down memory lane, or you're looking to make a retro chicken dish for dinner, let's take a look at 14 vintage chicken dishes that nobody makes anymore.

Chicken cacciatore is the ultimate in Italian comfort food: rustic, simple, and packed with flavor. Translating as hunter's chicken, it is so-named as it was a stew that hunters would often rustle up with whatever meat they had caught that day. It is the ultimate example of taking humble ingredients and turning them into a dish that is satisfying and delicious.

This dish is thought to have originated in Renaissance Italy, and the original recipes would likely have featured rabbit or pheasant, as well as wild vegetables that were foraged during the hunt. The 20th-century version most commonly featured chicken as the star and had the added ingredient of tomatoes, which didn't make their way into Italian cuisine until the 1700s.

As it's usually made with thighs and drumsticks, it's economical and you can be sure there is plenty of flavor throughout. It is a one-pan dish, as the chicken stews in a flavorsome broth of tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers, and wine. Mushrooms and olives are often added, which contribute an earthy and briny flavor respectively. While chicken cacciatore has passed its heyday, it is an incredibly easy dish to prepare. Once slicing and chopping are done, you can simply leave it to simmer away and do its thing. It may have taken more than two hours to cook, but it was usually worth the wait.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who would go on to become the longest ever reigning monarch of Great Britain, took place in 1953. To mark the occasion, Le Cordon Bleu, London was tasked with organizing a celebratory luncheon, serving 350 people a special meal on that day. Starring on that menu was poulet Reine Elizabeth, which went on to be known as coronation chicken.

Co-founder of the London school, Rosemary Hume is credited with inventing the dish, which consisted of chicken cooked in wine, coated in a curry cream sauce, and served with rice. The recipe developed as it became more popular over the decades, often incorporating apricots, mayonnaise, and sometimes sultanas. It still had spicy undertones which give it such a unique flavor and made it a popular filling for sandwiches and baked potatoes in the decades that followed. Though now not as popular as it once was, coronation chicken is a tasty retro dish that can easily be whipped up in a large batch and added to sandwiches or salads throughout the week, bringing back memories with its classic subtle spice and creamy texture.

Despite the royal-sounding name, chicken à la King is unlikely to have such noble origins as coronation chicken does. There are many stories surrounding the inspiration behind this dish, but the most probable one suggests that the dish was created at the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brooklyn, New York, at the turn of the 20th century. Charles E King claims that the first ever chicken à la King was made for his parents — who owned the hotel — by the head chef at the time.

Whatever the origins, chicken à la King eventually became popular in the second half of the 20th century and was a popular dish at fine dining restaurants and fancy hotels. It featured chicken doused in an indulgent, creamy sauce made with heavy cream and sherry, with added veggies such as mushrooms, carrots, and garden peas to lighten the dish and contrast the richness. It was often served with toast or noodles and was a substantial and filling meal. As tastes moved toward lighter and fresher dinners, chicken à la King lost its appeal, but it can be a fun dish to whip up in the kitchen if you are in the mood for some nostalgic comfort food.

Chicken forestière is a classic, rustic French dish that is based on the idea of eating food from the forest. Mushrooms are one of the main features of the sauce, which is creamy and luxurious, taking it in a totally different flavor direction than the Italian hunters' chicken, which has similar roots.

As French cuisine became more popular in the 50s and 60s, not in small part due to Julia Child's passion for it, chicken forestière made its way onto restaurant menus and home recipes, as a tasty dish that felt a bit fancy. The creamy sauce, rich with the aromatic flavor of herbs, often had a splash of wine added to elevate it, and the whole thing felt like a comforting culinary hug. Like many of these vintage chicken dishes, it seems that what made it so popular a few decades ago — the rich, creamy sauce and satisfying feeling of comfort — is perhaps the reason it doesn't often appear on modern menus.

Coq au vin is a vintage French recipe that likely dates back centuries, but it became a household recipe after Julia Child introduced it to the nation in the 1960s. It is rustic French cuisine at its best, something that Child was determined to share her passion for through her cookbooks and TV show. It is an elegant dish that is also fairly easy to make at home, which made it a huge hit in the second half of the last century.

Traditionally, this dish was made with rooster — "coq" translates as "rooster" — but in modern and international versions it was often made with chicken. Besides poultry and wine, you will also find mushrooms, carrots, and onions. This is a dish that requires slow simmer and can't be rushed. Though rarely seen on modern restaurant menus, coq au vin is actually a great slow cooker dish, as you can leave it unattended to infuse and cook slowly, and you still get a hearty and delicious retro meal.

If you ever attended a dinner party in the 70s, the chances are that some sort of roulade was featured at some point. Rolled, stuffed meat is an old-school technique that was mostly associated with classic European cuisines, namely French and German. Once a prominent dish in the 1970s, roulade is rarely seen these days and is certainly past its heyday.

Literally meaning rolled chicken, the beauty of chicken roulade was that it could be stuffed with virtually anything you wished. While cream cheese and herbs was a fairly common option, there were many elaborate variations of this classic. Preparation mainly included flattening the chicken breast, adding the filling to the middle, and rolling tightly into a cylinder before baking in the oven. Though slightly forgotten, chicken roulade is the ideal way to impress guests by showing your impressive cooking skills without sweating over a hot stove for hours. You can be creative with fillings and include meat, spreads, and veggies to create fun and festive dishes such as this walnut-crusted cranberry chicken roulade. Besides being tasty and easy to prep, when sliced into medallions, this dish also looks great on the plate.

Chicken Stroganoff may not have been the most popular Stroganoff version — beef is traditionally used to make this classic — but it was a tasty poultry option that fitted nicely into the nation's obsession for hearty, indulgent dinners in the 50s and 60s. Originating in Russia, the sauce is usually made with sour cream, mustard, and paprika, making a rich and tasty accompaniment for tender chicken. Mushrooms were also typically included to impart some earthy notes and add even more depth.

In an era where the vast majority of meals were home-cooked, chicken Stroganoff offered a straightforward option that would keep the whole family happy. The chicken and sauce could all simmer in one pot, and the dish worked great with rice and vegetables on the side. The tangy sauce helped elevate the chicken from ordinary to something a little more enticing, and though it is rarely seen nowadays, the bold flavors still charm anyone who gives this retro dish a try.

Seeing lemon chicken on a menu can be a little confusing as there are many popular dishes that go by that name. The one that makes our list was a classic in the heyday of rich, home-cooked comfort food, but it hasn't quite retained its popularity in our modern era of clean eating and fresh produce.

Buttery lemon chicken was a one-pot delight that was easy to rustle up on evenings where time was scarce. Chicken breasts are floured and fried until crispy, while a rich sauce made with butter, garlic, and lemon juice was made to pour over the top. The whole dish could be ready in 20 minutes, and the contrast of the rich butter sauce with the zing of lemon to give it brightness made it a popular family dinner. Often served with roasted potatoes or rice, it was a dependable weeknight meal that kept everyone satisfied.

Forget the controversy of Hawaiian pizza, in the 60s and 70s, the ultimate combination of fruit with savory flavors was apricot chicken. With a sauce made from canned apricots or a jar of preserve, it was an easy dish that added a tropical element to weeknight family dinners.

The beauty of this dish is how apricots add a sticky quality to the sauce, but the brightness of the fruit still comes through. In a similar way to pineapple ham, you get a dish that is both bright and fruity, rich and sticky, and the apricot flavor pairs brilliantly with chicken. The entire dish can be baked in the oven, either with apricot preserve coating the chicken, or canned apricots that break down into a sticky, delicious glaze as the chicken cooks. Served on a bed of fluffy rice or alongside some steamed veggies, apricot chicken is a classic dish from a bygone era, but it served its purpose as an elegant meal that only needed one pot to be washed by the end.

When you hear the full ingredients list for chicken Marbella, you would be forgiven for questioning the mix of flavors. Chicken, olives, capers, garlic — we can definitely cope with those — but then prunes get thrown into the mix. Not exactly a fruit that we are used to incorporating into savory dishes, but somehow, it works.

This famous chicken dish first appeared in the 1980s in "The Silver Palate Cookbook." It was created in New York rather than Spain, though the name references the Mediterranean influences — Marbella is a Spanish city located in Costa del Sol. As they cook, sweet prunes caramelize and contrast the briny flavor from the capers and the olives nicely. Though it may seem like a strange combination on paper, the distinctive flavors led to chicken Marbella becoming a staple at dinner parties throughout the 80s. In spite of unusual ingredients, the tender chicken and depth of flavor spoke for themselves, making chicken Marbella an iconic dish that feels like Spain on a plate.

When it comes to comforting casseroles, there are few quite so delicious and iconic as chicken Divan. Created in the 1950s at the Divan Parisien restaurant in New York, chicken Divan took the humble casserole and elevated it to a restaurant-quality dish simply by combining a few very simple ingredients.

The main components of the original chicken Divan were chicken, broccoli, cheese, and bechamel sauce, which were all baked until a bubbling concoction was created. The popularity of chicken Divan led to home cooks recreating it at home, with a few shortcuts to cut down on the need for complicated techniques. At-home Divan may have featured chicken soup instead of the silky bechamel, and while this made for a handy quick dinner, it lost the charm and elegance of the gourmet original. The hearty dish doesn't really fit into today's eating trends, so chicken Divan is a dish that has been sadly relegated to retro status.

Chicken cordon bleu is a classic dish that became popular around the middle of the last century, as European cuisine was beginning to flourish in the States. Although it originated in Switzerland, it embodied the French style of cooking that was becoming the obsession of home cooks everywhere. It was an elegant looking dish that could be easily prepared in advance. This made it the ideal dish for dinner parties, allowing hosts to impress guests without spending hours in the kitchen.

Chicken cordon bleu is the ultimate stuffed bird — a perfectly cooked chicken breast, stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, then breaded and fried until golden and crispy on the outside. When sliced open, the melted cheese would ooze out, creating a delicious texture contrast with the crunchy coating. The rich, indulgent chicken would usually be served with simple sides such as fresh veggies or boiled baby potatoes. Chicken cordon bleu was the first introduction to fine dining to many American home cooks, courtesy of Julia Child, and though its popularity has faded, the techniques involved are ever present in modern cuisine.

Chicken Tettrazzini is another baked chicken dish that is hearty, comforting, and delicious, which made it a huge hit during the 20th century. Named after the opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini, it features pasta baked with cheese, vegetables such as fresh peas and mushrooms, and a splash of sherry for good measure. The chicken was pre-cooked, then baked with the rest of the ingredients to create a cohesive, satisfying dish. The cheaper cut of chicken thighs were often used as they added more flavor and stayed moist, and the creamy sauce brought the whole dish together to create the ultimate pasta bake.

Like many other casserole-type dishes of the time, homemade chicken Tetrazzini often involved a few shortcuts for convenience, such as canned soup instead of a homemade sauce, which allowed it to become a speedy family meal that the whole family could tuck into. It became a popular option at large family gatherings, with everyone helping themselves from a huge dish and enjoying the deeply satisfying flavors of this filling meal.

Chicken fricassee is a classic French dish that has more rustic elements than many other vintage chicken dishes from France. The word fricassee means "to fry and then break," and this dish stands apart from other regular chicken stews.

The first step of making a fricassee involves frying the chicken along with vegetables such as onions and celery in a mixture of butter and herbs. Traditionally, the meat is not browned, but cooked slowly to prevent caramelization. The flavorsome stock is then added, and the whole pot is allowed to simmer for around half an hour to create a deeply flavored, complex dish. Cream is added last to create the indulgent texture that makes this simple dish so appetizing. This chicken was often paired with rice or potatoes, creating a filling, satisfying meal that showed off the brilliance of French cuisine without being overly fancy.