Chicken salad??

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sela86

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 1, 2014
15
10
Louisiana
NEED TIPS

Planning on making chicken salad, but with a sweet/fruity taste.
Going to smoke chicken thighs with peach wood.
Question: what marinate or rub ingredients can I use to give the chicken a sweet flavor??
Thanks for any help
 
Should of mentioned, I plan on mixing chicken with dried cranberries, grapes in the chicken salad. Maybe a touch of mayo
 
Hmmm, I've smoked plenty of chickens.  I typically prepare a brine and inject with an orange juice base that has brown sugar, then smoke with hickory.  It doesn't really give much of a sweet flavor though, just juicy and enhances the natural flavor of the chicken. 

I'd think your best bet for sweet on the tongue would be your dressing ingredients.  If you're thinking of a mayonnaise dressing you could add a little apple cider, diced apples, sliced grapes, sliced sweet pickles and a little sweet pickle juice, plus pecans to your mayonnaise dressing.  Our smoked chickens never end up in chicken salad but that's how we did leftovers from a smoked turkey last Thanksgiving.  It was fantastic and the smoke really enhanced the salad.  My wife does it and she never measures.  She does the same thing with Costco canned chicken breast for a quick meal.   
 
If your adding dried cranberries and grapes to a chicken salad with smoked chicken, I would personally go to the other end of taste spectrum for flavoring the chicken. Sweet chicken on top of sweet fruits in a cream sauce wouldn't be the best option. The combination of sweet and salty is there for a reason. Stick with a salt based rub for the chicken and get some nice smoke flavor. Those 2 flavors will compliment the other ingredients nicely. If you want the mixture a little sweeter, add a bit of apple cider vinegar. 
 
Try removing the skin and placing orange slices or pineapple on the chicken then reapply the skin   but I think basting it with a sweet sauce might be your best bet.
 
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