Chicken and Papaya Salad
(1 vote)
(1 vote)
Difficulty:
easy
Difficulty
Preparation:
35 min.
Preparation
ready in 6 h. 5 min.
Ready in
Ingredients
for
4
- For Smoked Chicken
- 1 whole chicken (giblets removed)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)
- In Addition
- smoker grill (set up for indirect grilling)
- lump charcoal
- fruit Wood chip (soaked in water for 30 minutes before using)
- instant read Meat thermometer
- For Pistachio Pesto
- ½ cup good-quality olive oil (plus extra as needed)
- 2 cloves garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1 ½ cups Basil (lightly packed)
- ¼ cup shelled, roasted Pistachio (plus extra for sprinkling)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 pinch kosher salt (or to taste)
- freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)
- For Papaya Salad
- 2 ripe Papaya (peeled; halved; deseeded)
- 2 cups sliced, fresh Strawberries
- 1 small Red onion (peeled and finely chopped)
- 16 ozs cooked, smoked chicken (thinly sliced)
- 4 ozs mixed greens
- 1 fresh Lime sliced (for garnish)
Preparation steps
1.
For Smoked Chicken:
2.
In a large pot, cover chicken with a salt water brine (salted water should have the approximate saltiness of sea water). Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3.
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
4.
Prepare the grill and light the charcoal. If using a side smoker box, place the lit charcoal next to the side vent door, then stack the unlit charcoal going towards the grill (not on top of the already lit charcoal). Allow the smoker temperature to get between 250°F-300°F / 120ºC-150ºC. Place the chicken in the smoker and close door.
5.
While smoking adjust the vents from time to time to keep the cooking temperature between 250°F-300°F / 120ºC-150ºC. Two or three times during the smoking process, add a handful of wood chips on top of the lit charcoal. (Once every hour or hour an one half works well).
6.
Cook until the thickest part of the breast meat measures around 170°F / 77ºC on an instant read thermometer, usually about 3 1/2 hours.
7.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the smoker and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.
8.
For Pistachio Pesto:
9.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine olive oil, garlic, and basil. Secure lid and pulse until the basil is roughly chopped, about 6 to 8 times. Add remaining ingredients, secure lid once again and pulse about 6 times or until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse puree. Add a little extra olive oil if the pesto is too thick. (May be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. )
10.
For Papaya Salad:
11.
Slice the prepared papaya lengthwise into thin wedges. Divide the sliced papaya, strawberries, chopped onions, sliced chicken and mixed greens among serving plates. Garnish with sliced lime and drizzle with pesto. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve.
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