Mr. Hawthorne Makes Most Excellent Smoked Chicken Salad.

I'd bought a whole chicken the other day, cut into pieces, for 99 cents a pound. I used half the chicken for a tamarind chicken dish and Mr. Hawthorne is hickory smoking the other half in our new favorite kitchen gadget - our stove top smoker.

Smoke with the skins on. We have 1 breast, 1 leg, 1 thigh, 1 wing, and a back with basically no meat on it.

A smoked chicken leg is a thing of beauty.

Mr. Hawthorne minced 2 stalks of celery, about 1/2 cup, and chopped and toasted an equal amount of almonds.

Mr. Hawthorne removed every piece of chicken from the bone ...

... and added it to the celery and nuts.

Next he put in two heaping tablespoons of sweet relish.

He's starting out easy on the mayo. One heaping tablespoon.

Mix well and taste test.

Needs another heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise.

And a kiss of Old Bay.

Mix well. S & P to taste.

I had to try some immediately

On a Ritz.

Goooooood cracker.

Exxxxxxxxcellent chicken salad. Well done, Mr. Hawthorne

Smoked Chicken Salad Roll Ups.

The Hawthornes just got a new kitchen gadget. It's a stove-top kettle smoker.

Pour in the chips in the bottom of the pan.

Put in the drip pan and fill with water. Grill rack goes in. Bird on top.

Cover and smoke for 2+ hours at 190 - 210 degrees. And I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of my chicken when it was done.

But if I had taken a picture, it would have looked something like this. A smoked chicken is not going to last long in the Hawthorne Household. Even without the Hawthornelets, that poor bird didn't have more than 24 hours. After a few smoked chicken sandwiches on buttered and toasted whole wheat bread, with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced cucumber, and diced red onion, we were ready to finish off this bird with a smoked chicken salad.

Smoked chicken salad wrapped in Romaine leaves. Light and smoky. Nice contrasts.

Here's what's left of our chicken.

Mr. Hawthorne started picking the chicken. Dixie is very interested in this.

Dixie is extremely interested.

Dixie is actually able to channel that chicken into her mouth.

Mr. Hawthorne is a very good picker.

Mr. Hawthorne thinly sliced one stalk of celery ...

... finely minced it ...

... and added it to the chicken.

A spoonful of sweet relish.

And mayo.

Mix completely. And taste-test. Adjust if you think you're missing something. This was spot on. Loved the smokiness, the crunch and brightness of the celery, and the sweet/tart of the relish. The only thing that could possibly make this any better ... ... is to wrap up all that smoky, meaty goodness in the sweet, crisp, greenness of a Romaine leaf.

One must admire and appreciate self-contained foods. Here's a Rosie Tip #613: After making a chicken, tuna, or turkey salad, add some more mayo and seasonings the second day. The meat has already dried out a bit. Add a few teaspoons of mayo and taste test for the seasonings. You'll be able to bring it up to a new, bright level. With tuna, add a bit of lemon juice.