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.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　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

　　

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.

　　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.