Updated: Oct 16
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It all started with a beer-butt chicken…
After Cowboy smoked a six-pound chicken, we had plenty of beautifully seasoned chicken left after dinner.
Rather than simply reheating it, I decided to give those leftovers a classic Southern-style second life.
This chicken salad keeps things simple: smoked beer-butt chicken, boiled eggs, crisp celery, creamy mayonnaise and a little Dijon mustard.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you keep coming back to.
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Tools from the Kitchen:
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spoon or rubber spatula
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Ingredients:
2 cups pulled or chopped beer-butt chicken
2 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
1–1½ celery stalks, finely diced
½ cup mayonnaise, plus more if desired
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish, optional
½–1 teaspoon pickle juice, optional
⅓ teaspoon black pepper
Salt, to taste
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Prepare:
Pull the chicken from the bone then give it a rough chop. A combination of shredded chicken and small chunks gives the salad a great texture.
Peel and roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs.
Combine the chicken, eggs and diced celery in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Dijon, yellow mustard, relish and pickle juice, if using.
Fold the dressing into the chicken mixture until everything is evenly coated.
Add black pepper and taste before adding salt. The smoked chicken is already seasoned.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Notes from the Kitchen:
Start with ½ cup of mayonnaise and add more only if you want a creamier chicken salad.
The smoky seasoning from the beer-butt chicken does a lot of the heavy lifting here, so there’s no need to overwhelm it with additional spices.
Serve it on toasted bread, a croissant, crackers, lettuce leaves—or just grab a fork.
This is leftover chicken with a second act.
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