| Smoked
Chicken Salad
By Rodney Worth ó
The Peasant & The Pear, Danville, CA
Makes 6 (sandwiches or 50 hors d'oeuvres)
Ingredients:
4 8-oz. boneless, skinless chicken
breasts
1 DíAnjou or other firm pear, cored, cut into 1/2"
wedges
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 C dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/4 C pecans, roughly chopped
1/4ñ1/2 C mayonnaise
Apple wood chips for smoking
Procedures
for the chicken:
Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, light
a charcoal or gas grill and prepare it for indirect cooking.
Coat
chicken breasts lightly with olive oil and season with
salt and pepper. Scatter wood chips over charcoal or place
them in a smoking box on the grill. Place chicken on grill
and cook over indirect heat until the thickest part of
the largest chicken breast reaches an internal temperature
of 165† F, about 20 minutes. Let chicken rest and cool
completely, then roughly chop into 1/2-inch chunks. Alternatively,
the chicken may be cooked in an indoor or outdoor smoker
following manufacturer's directions.
Procedures
for the pear:
Heat oven to 450† F. Coat pear wedges lightly with olive
oil, salt and pepper. Scatter wedges on an ungreased cookie
sheet and roast for 7 minutes. Cool pears completely and
roughly chop into small pieces.
To
Serve:
Toss chicken, pears, shallot, cherries and pecans together
in a large mixing bowl. Stir in just enough mayonnaise
to hold all ingredients together. Season with salt and
pepper to taste.
For
sandwiches, divide
the mixture into six equal portions and serve with lettuce
on toasted wheat bread.
For
hors d'oeuvres, spoon 1 tablespoon of
the salad on crostini or baguette slices and garnish with
micro greens.
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