Smoked Chicken Salad
I created this recipe because I had a hankering for chicken salad but couldn't find a restaurant that made it the way I liked it. Here is what I came up with.
I created this recipe because I had a hankering for chicken salad but couldn't find a restaurant that made it the way I liked it. Here is what I came up with.
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1 cup low fat mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar(also tarragon vinegar is nice)
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning or to taste
- 2 pounds chicken breasts b/s cooked and diced. smoked if you have a smoker, it's nice
- 1 whole apple, slightly tart small diced
- 3/4 red seedless grapes halved or quartered
- Carbohydrate 3.83019583589591 g
- Cholesterol 10.2666666753456 mg
- Fat 7.94341250670701 g
- Fiber 0.0176562502925527 g
- Protein 0.846617709036682 g
- Saturated Fat 1.85791250156711 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (107g)
- Sodium 141.237708452671 mg
- Sugar 3.81253958560336 g
- Trans Fat 0.434639167032929 g
- Calories 87 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix mayo, sour cream, vinegar, seasoning and honey in a bowl and chill.
- Smoke your chicken breast if you have a smoker, grilling would also be good, the smoke adds an extra layer of flavor that I think is out of sight.
- Cool the chicken for a few hours.
- Once it is cooled chop it up into bite sized pieces or however you like it for your chicken salad.
- Add chicken, apple (I like tart but not too tart) but I used a Fuji and it was good too) and grapes with the dressing you chilled before.
- I like to pile this high on a nice chewy bread like a kaiser roll.
- If you want a little more crunch add toasted pecans.
- Also if you like celery it would be fine, I'm just not a fan of it in my chicken salad.
Cold, smoke-kissed poultry meets crisp fruit and a tangy dressing in this balanced preparation. The combination relies on contrasting textures and temperatures to stand out. Chill the dressing for at least thirty minutes before combining to let the honey and apple cider vinegar meld properly.
Start with fully chilled meat that registers below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the refrigerator for food safety. Cooked chicken must cool completely before dicing and mixing with dairy-based emulsions. Store the final mixture in an airtight container for up to three days. Drain any excess moisture from the diced apples before adding them to prevent the mayonnaise and sour cream base from thinning out.
Apple cider vinegar provides the sharpest profile, but tarragon vinegar offers an herbal alternative. Swap low-fat mayonnaise for full-fat Greek yogurt at a one-to-one ratio if a thicker consistency is desired. Tart apples like Granny Smith provide sharper acidity than Fuji varieties, altering the balance of sweetness against the honey.
Handling Leftovers and Poultry Temperatures
Start with fully chilled meat that registers below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the refrigerator for food safety. Cooked chicken must cool completely before dicing and mixing with dairy-based emulsions. Store the final mixture in an airtight container for up to three days. Drain any excess moisture from the diced apples before adding them to prevent the mayonnaise and sour cream base from thinning out.
Adjustments and Alternative Ingredients
Apple cider vinegar provides the sharpest profile, but tarragon vinegar offers an herbal alternative. Swap low-fat mayonnaise for full-fat Greek yogurt at a one-to-one ratio if a thicker consistency is desired. Tart apples like Granny Smith provide sharper acidity than Fuji varieties, altering the balance of sweetness against the honey.
