i made the most delicious chicken salad of all time (with a secret ingredient you can probably eyeball). you have to make it the next time you have leftover chicken hanging around. i used grilled chicken. let me be frank here….i think the chicken is the most important component in chicken salad. sure, you could use roasted chicken, or any chicken. i’m not judging and i’m sure any chicken would make a decent chicken. but i used a whole chicken that i spatchcocked myself, then dusted in a homemade spice rub. i then grilled said chicken on a big green egg (but any charcoal grill will do). the key is the flavor. my goodness there’s nothing like a grilled whole chicken. nice smoke from the charcoal and seasoning all up in it. spatchcocking is easy enough, you just cut the backbone out, flatten and throw it cut side down on the grill. (here’s a quick video tutorial if you need it) it cooks for far less time and that’s important bc it won’t get dry and/or rubbery. that said, you could use chicken pieces. the key is the smoke and the seasoning anyway.
all this to say, IMO grilled chicken makes the tastiest chicken salad.
if you want to make it here’s how:
for the spice rub: (enough to cover 1 whole chicken. you could double or triple the recipe and keep it in a jar which is what i do. and i use it on every meat i grill. just omit the fresh herb if you plan to store it)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried thyme or a tbsp. of fresh.
for the chicken salad:
2 cups leftover grilled chicken, picked and shredded
¾ cup mayonnaise (please use hellmans. i can’t be held responsible if you use anything else)
2 stalks celery, small dice
1 sweet nectarine, cut into chunks. (yes i said nectarine. trust me. must be sweet and ripe. yes, you could use grapes but i fucking hate grapes and they aren’t in season and just use the nectarine ok?)
1 medium shallot, minced (you could use any onion really)
1 drizzle agave syrup or honey (i used agave)
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
if you’ve got a buttery croissant lying around do pile some of this chicken salad on it.
have a great weekend.
