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    Home » Recipes » Smoked Foods

    Smoked Chicken Salad

    Published: Apr 26, 2022

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    Jump to Recipe -

    If you're a fan of smoky flavours, this smoked chicken salad will ruin you for all other chicken salad sandwiches. A bit of work, BIG payoff!

    A bowl of smoked chicken salad.

    A few weeks back, we scheduled a big smoking day. Part of the drive was to actually photograph some of our favourite smoked foods, for future blog posts.

    Really, though? We were both just really in the mood for a smoked chicken salad sandwich. *That* was the huge motivator for all of that planning, prep, and work!

    Oh, was it EVER worth it!

    It had been far too long since I’ve done up a batch of my smoked chicken salad recipe. Honestly, this sandwich is one of the best parts of having a smoker.

    Using smoked meats - and Cold Smoked Mayonnaise - just brings so much flavour to an otherwise regular chicken salad.

    I love how the crunch of the celery and onion - and the flavour of the parsley - brings some great texture contrasts and different flavors to an otherwise very basic chicken salad sandwich.

    Sure, it would be a ton of work - smoking the mayonnaise and chicken separately - to just make this recipe from scratch, but once you’ve done up some smoked mayo, you’ve got it on hand for several weeks, at least.

    So, next time you’re smoking anything, throw on some extra chicken, and try this recipe! It’s a great way to elevate some classic comfort food!

    A smoked chicken salad sandwich.

    Ingredients

    This is a simple recipe, with very simple ingredients... but a couple of those ingredients are the result of earlier work:

    Smoked Chicken

    We use our Smoked Chicken Breasts, with or without dry rub.

    Any barbecue rub on the chicken will influence the final flavour of the chicken salad, so just keep that in mind!

    Anyway, that post has all kind of information on smoking chicken, either in a smoker or using a charcoal grill. This recipe can be made the same day - after the chicken cools - or the next day, even.

    I usually prefer breast meat for chicken salad, but if you’ve smoked up a whole chicken - or some extra chicken thighs - feel free to use those for all or part of the ~ 4 cups of chicken.


    Several pieces of smoked chicken breast on a bed of lettuce.

    Freshly Smoked Chicken Breasts

    Smoked Mayonnaise

    We make Cold Smoked Mayonnaise in the cooler months, and enjoy using it to elevate all kinds of dishes.

    The deviled eggs you get with using smoked mayo? *Chef’s kiss*.

    A close up view of a bowl of cold smoked mayo.

    Homemade Smoked Mayo

    Smoked Sea Salt

    This recipe calls for Smoked Sea Salt as just an additional layer of smokiness, but it’s definitely optional. If you don’t have any smoked sea salt, feel free to use regular salt.

    Everything Else

    Celery
    Red onion
    Fresh parsley
    Black pepper

    A bowl of smoked chicken salad.

    How to Make Smoked Chicken Salad

    The full recipe follows at in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through with some additional tips and info

    Jump to Recipe

    Chop your smoked - and cooled - chicken into small, bite sized pieces.

    I usually aim for ½ inch pieces, you’re looking for about 4 cups of chicken, when you’re done.

    A 2 part image showing smoked chicken breasts being chopped up.

    Slice each rib of celery into 2-3 long strips, chop into small pieces. Chop red onion to desired size.

    A 5 part image showing celery, onion, and parsley being chopped up and added to a bowl with the chicken.

    Place chicken, celery, red onion and parsley in a large bowl, stir to combine.

    Add smoked mayo to the mixing bowl, stir to combine.

    Note: You can use more or less mayo, to your tastes. This will also depend on how juicy/dry your chicken is

    Taste the chicken salad before seasoning with smoked sea salt and black pepper. The amount of seasonings you’ll use will vary wildly based on how the chicken was seasoned before smoking.

    A 5 part image showing smoked mayo, smoked salt, and pepper being added to the bowl of smoked chicken salad.

    Cover smoked chicken salad with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container. Chill for 30 minutes before serving, if possible.

    This chicken salad should be good for 3-5 days from the day the chicken was smoked.

    Always store chicken salad in a fridge, as foodborne pathogens are a risk when mayonnaise based salads are held at room temperature for too long

    A bowl of smoky chicken salad.

    How to Serve Smoked Chicken Salad

    As a sandwich: We love this on some grainy bread, with a little bit of lettuce. You can add a slice of tomato, some bacon, and/or cheese if you like, IMHO it really doesn’t need anything.

    As a lettuce wrap: After I went keto, I’ve started serving my portion as a lettuce wrap, surrounded by a couple of big leaves. It’s a great low carb meal!

    On crackers: If you cut your chicken a bit smaller, this makes a nice topping to spoon on crackers as a snack.

    Piped into mini bell peppers: This makes a great low carb appetizer option!

    A smoked chicken salad sandwich.

    Smoked Chicken Salad Variations

    While we love this original recipe as is - as a classic chicken salad, allowing the smoke and basic flavours to take center stage - you can definitely customize it to your own tastes.

    Some suggestions:

    Add Some Fresh Fruit

    Try adding a finely chopped Granny Smith apple or a cup or two of halved or quartered seedless red grapes is a great way to elevate any chicken salad.

    The sweetness of the grapes provides a particularly nice contrast to the hefty smoke flavour in this salad, specifically.

    Add Green Onions

    Depending on my mood, sometimes I’ll swap all or some of the red onions for sliced up green onions. Both types go really nicely with smoked chicken.

    Add Flavours

    Want to toss in 1 tablespoon or so of Dijon mustard? Go for it.

    A dash of worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, or a spritz of lemon juice?

    A bit of garlic powder, chili powder, some celery seeds, or even a sprinkle of the same dry rub you used when smoking the chicken (fresh stuff, not involved with preparing the chicken, please!)?

    Awesome. It’s all good!

    “Mail it in” for the Chicken

    As much as I can say “It’s all about the chicken, the rest of the ingredients are where you can play with it”, you CAN swap out the chicken.

    If you happen to have some smoked mayonnaise on hand, but NO smoked chicken... you can totally shred up a rotisserie chicken or bbq leftovers, and follow the rest of the recipe.

    It won’t be anywhere near as smoky, but the mayonnaise will definitely elevate it.

    A bowl of smoked chicken salad.

    More Smoker Recipes!

    Looking for an excuse to smoke some food? I've got you...

    Back Bacon [Canadian Bacon]
    Cold Smoked Mayonnaise
    Cold Smoked Potato Salad
    Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings
    Crunchy Smoked Bacon
    Hot Smoked Salmon
    Montreal Smoked Meat
    Smoked Cheese Balls
    Smoked Chicken Breast
    Smoked Corn on the Cob
    Smoked French Fries
    Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
    Smoked Mac and Cheese

    Also be sure to check out our recipe sections for Grilling Recipes and more Smoked Food Recipes.

    A smoked chicken salad sandwich.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork for posting on social media! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!

    A bowl of smoky chicken salad.

    A smoked chicken salad sandwich.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 1 vote

    Smoked Chicken Salad

    If you're a fan of smoky flavours, this smoked chicken salad will ruin you for all other chicken salad sandwiches. A bit of work, BIG payoff!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Chill time30 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: main, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free
    Servings: 6 People
    Calories: 259kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Ingredients

    • 3-4 Smoked boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 3 Stalks Celery
    • ½ Red onion
    • 2-3 tablespoon Finely chopped fresh parsley
    • ¾ cup Smoked mayonnaise
    • Smoked sea salt
    • Black pepper

    Instructions

    • Chop your smoked - and cooled - chicken into small, bite sized pieces. I usually aim for ½" cubes, you’re looking for about 4 cups of chicken, when you’re done.
    • Slice each rib of celery into 2-3 long strips, chop into small pieces. Chop red onion to desired size.
    • In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, red onion, and parsley.
    • Add smoked mayo to the bowl, stir to combine.
    • Taste the chicken salad before seasoning with smoked sea salt and black pepper. The amount of seasonings you’ll use will vary wildly based on how the chicken was seasoned before smoking.
    • Cover smoked chicken salad with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container. Chill for 30 minutes before serving, if possible.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

    A smoked chicken salad sandwich.

    Related posts:

    A very close up view of a paneer burger - a pakora battered patty of paneer, with cilantro-mint mayonnaise and a pickled slaw made of red peppers, carrots, and jalapenos, on a bun. Paneer Burger Tandoori Marinated chicken breast with cucumbers, mango, red onions, and a cilantro mint mayo, on a bun. Tandoori Spiced Chicken Burger A sliced loin of smoked Canadian bacon. Back Bacon [Canadian Bacon] A plate of smoked mac and cheese, topped with bacon and jalapenos. Smoked Mac and Cheese
    « Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
    Rye Bagels with Caraway Seeds »

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    Marie Porter


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