Cranberry Apricot Smoked Chicken Salad
A sweet, savory, and smoky delight perfect for smoked chicken leftovers! Tender smoked chicken is tossed with a tangy dressing, dried cranberries, and apricots for an effortless, festive dish.
Equipment
- Grill/Smoker
- Smoking Wood Chips Or Chunks (Oak or hickory are best.)
Ingredients
Smoked Chicken
- 1 3-Pound Whole Chicken
- 1 Tsp Seasoned Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Salad
- 1 Deboned 3-Pound Smoked Chicken Remove the skin too.
- ¾ Cup Miracle Whip
- ½ Cup Chopped Celery
- ⅓ Cup Dried Cranberries
- ¼ Cup Chopped Green Onion
- ¼ Cup Diced Dried Apricots
- 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tsp Hot Sauce Your favorite.
- 1 Tsp Chopped Fresh Dill
- ½ Tsp Liquid Smoke Optional
- ½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
Instructions
Smoked Chicken
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using your hands rub the spice mixture up under the skin of the chicken, covering as much of the meat as possible. Sprinkle the extra bit of seasoning over the chicken.
- You can tie the legs of the chicken with some butcher twine, if need be, but it’s not necessary.
- Place the chicken on the smoker once it’s fully heated and let it smoke for around 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F at the thickest part of the breast.
- Once the chicken is done, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Salad
- Remove the skin of the chicken and pull as much meat off of it as possible. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the miracle whip, celery, apricots, cranberries, green onions, paprika, liquid smoke, dill, hot sauce, and mustard. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the chopped chicken to the bowl and stir until evenly coated.
- Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours. You can technically eat it immediately, but the flavors get much nicer when it’s left to chill for a bit. Enjoy!
Notes
- To store, place the chicken salad in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing.
- You can use real mayo in place of the miracle whip, if you prefer. However, it’s important to note that it will change the flavor, pretty noticeably.
- We like to use oak or hickory when smoking chicken for salads. They give a pretty robust smoke flavor so you can choose a milder smoking wood like apple or cherry.
- You do not want the chicken skin in your salad. It doesn’t blend well with the other textures. This is why it’s important to season under the skin before smoking.
- Cooking time will vary from smoker to smoker and chicken to chicken. This means that you shouldn’t be focusing on the time as much as the internal temperature, as it’s the true indicator of when the chicken is done.
Nutrition
Serving: 6g