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Chicken Salad

I love a chicken salad sandwich, but I like the chicken salad itself to be full of flavor and not plain and boring. So when I make chicken salad, I start with a whole chicken because I like both white and dark meat, and because I want to have a lot of chicken salad to go around. Then I put pickles, apples, grapes, eggs, and pecans in it, so that it’s a rich, filling salad that’s great on its own with Ritz or saltine crackers, or on a toasted English muffin, or on other bread as a sandwich. Should you have any leftover barbecue chicken (see page 31) or smoked chicken (see page 40), you can scale down this recipe based on what you have and make a smaller amount of the chicken salad with the leftovers.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds)
9 to 10 cups chicken broth or water
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
2 cups chopped apples
2 cups halved seedless red grapes
1 cup chopped pecans
8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the chicken and broth in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the meat is ready to fall off the bone, about 45 minutes.

    Step 2

    Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate; set it aside until it is cool enough to handle. Then pull the meat from the bones in large pieces, discarding the skin and bones.

    Step 3

    In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the mayonnaise, relish, apples, grapes, pecans, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Serve over greens or in a sandwich.

Cover of the cookbook Smokin' With Myron Mixon featuring the chef and a double rack of saucy glazed ribs.
Reprinted with permission from Smokin' with Myron Mixon by Myron Dixon with Kelly Alexander, © 2011 Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
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