Chicken salad may be simple, but the taste is far from basic!

Here's what you'll need:

• Whole chicken
• Southern Hospitality BBQ Rub by Gulf Coast Smoke
• Bacon
• Mayonnaise 
• Celery
• Onion
• Jalapeño
• Salt and pepper

The Chicken

Chicken is the most important part of chicken salad. There are many ways to prepare chicken: you could use breast only, thigh only, boil it, bake it, and even grill it. I find you get the most flavor by cooking a whole chicken, and to cut down cook time, spatchcocking it. 

To spatchcock a chicken, use very sharp kitchen shears and cut out the spine of the chicken. Then, turn the chicken breast side up and press down against the breast to break the breast bone. Remove the breast bone and the chicken will now lay completely flat. Next, season the chicken with salt and pepper. I don't put the skin in the chicken salad, therefore, I prefer a simple salt and pepper mixture on the chicken. In the end, the crispy skin makes for a nice snack!

To make this chicken, I used the Traeger Ironwood 650 with B&B Post Oak pellets. Smoke the chicken at 350°F for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest while you get the other components together.

The Process

In a pan, cook 4-5 slices of bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and add 1 whole jalapeño. Let the sides of the jalapeño blister and remove from the pan. (The jalapeño does not need to fully cook. You want the skin to blister for easy removal, and the jalapeño will have a slightly tender but still crisp texture.) Let the jalapeño cool, and then, remove the skin and the seeds from the inside. Finely dice the jalapeño. 

Finely dice 2 tablespoons of white onion and 3 tablespoons of celery. Chop the bacon as well. Shred the chicken by hand or with a fork. In a bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, bacon, celery, onions, and jalapeños with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Southern Hospitality BBQ Rub. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper as well. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to eat.