Today I made the best chicken salad with smoked chicken which was cooked on my Traeger wood pellet grill using a well-loved Kelly’s Kitchen Creation seasoning, Uncle Wally’s Spice Blend. Order it HERE.

Another twist to this newly created chicken salad is that I added chopped dried figs to add a little sweetness and adds just the right amount of fruit, which is fairly common in a cold chicken salad. I have had versions with diced apples and grapes, halved many times.

This smoked chicken salad is ready to spread on top of a cracker or smear onto a homemade dinner roll. As long as it’s kept refrigerated, it will be fresh for at least a few days.

INGREDIENTS

• chicken thighs
• Uncle Wally’s Spice Blend
• 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 5 ounces dried figs, chopped

Season both sides of chicken with spice blend while heating up the Traeger grill on “smoke” setting. Place chicken evenly on grill then smoke for 2.5 hours. Turn grill to 350 F degrees to cook 30 minutes. Remove from grill and place on a tray covered with paper towels to absorb excess fat while cooling.

When chicken has cooled down, discard the skin and the bones and reserve the meat.

Cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces to yield about 2.5 pounds. My husband helped himself (with my blessing) to three pieces of hot, grilled chicken from this batch, so I ended up with 7 cups of cubes chicken for this recipe.

Put the cubes of chicken into a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed, then refrigerate until serving. Serve as a sandwich filling on bread or pita bread or as an appetizer with crackers.

Keep the smoked chicken salad refrigerated when it’s not being served.