Am constantly trying to satisfy my endless craving for something just a little bit different.  Today, I smoked a whole chicken.  I think that checks the box.  And, I must say, YUM!!!

Smoking a  whole chicken? In your kitchen? On your stove top? Really?

I live in an apartment complex (at the moment) and the aroma of the smoked chicken (reminiscent of a wood burning oven) has wafted down the hallway and around the corner.  Hopefully I have not offended any of my neighbors.  No knocks on the door from unhappy (or hungry) neighbors thus far…

It may be preferable to smoke the chicken on a grill or in an outdoor smoker, but city dwellers don’t always have the luxury of outdoor space.  For those of you with no outdoor cooking options, you can do this right in your kitchen.  All you need are some wood chips — hickory, cherry, mesquite, pecan, etc. — I used a combination of hickory and cherry wood, which impart a subtle smoky flavor.

And, well, you need a chicken.  I’ve been waiting patiently for spring chickens from my local farmer.  Fresh, never frozen, pasture-raised chicken.  It’s worth the wait.  I salt-brined the chicken for 36 hours.  From there, into my makeshift smoker as follows:

The wood chips are placed at the bottom of a pan or wok.  Next, the chicken is placed on a wire rack or tray, and you tent the whole thing with foil to form a tight seal.  This keeps all the moisture in, resulting in a super moist and juicy chicken.  I smoked my 3-pound whole chicken for 30 minutes and then finished it in the oven to crisp up the skin.  While this works quite nicely, I am eager to try this in an outdoor grill/smoker; just need a backyard or some outdoor space (will settle for a rooftop or balcony).

I like the subtle smokiness of the chicken and feel it adds a little something extra to the salad, but you could easily substitute with roast chicken; although, that little bit of smoky flavor is darn good.

You can enjoy this tasty bird on its own.  It would also make a mean chicken salad or pulled bbq chicken sandwich.  Last, but certainly not least, the smoked chicken would be a great addition to a soup (thinking smoked chicken tortilla soup) or stew.  Sky’s the limit.

Today’s salad is ideal as a light and tasty lunch or dinner, and a great way to utilize all the wonderful spring produce — spring peas, pea shoots, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots…

I paired the salad with an Asian-style dressing.  The dressing offers a nice balance of salty from the fish sauce, sweet from the piloncillo (unrefined sugar) or palm coconut sugar, sour/tart from the lime, and a little heat from the Thai chiles (you can seed the chiles to tame the heat), along with a good amount of ginger, garlic, and shallot.

When the thermometer reads 165 degrees (in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone) and the juices run clear, your chicken is done.  If you don’t have a meat thermometer, I highly recommend getting one.  It will most definitely save you a lot of heartache in the kitchen.  Nothing fancy is necessary, an inexpensive $10 thermometer will do the job.

You’ll want to let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes or so before you dig in…

The salad ingredients…

These are just a few ingredients you can use in your salad.  Change it up, adding whatever you like, whatever is readily available, and what’s in season (from top to bottom).

Spring peas — when they’re this fresh and tender, you can eat them in their entirety, the peas, the pods, the whole thing.

Pea shoots — the delicate and sweet leaves, tendrils, and buds/blossoms of the green pea plant are a great addition to a salad.  You can see some of the pea pods still attached.

Cabbage — shredded green or purple (or a combination) is the basis for this salad.

Herbs — you can use any combination of herbs.  I love Thai basil, but you could also use Italian basil, cilantro, and/or mint.

Cucumbers — love the small, crisp Persian cucumbers.  Armenian and Suyo Long are also favorites.

Chiles — used Thai chiles in the dressing and some mild Fresno chiles in the salad.

Lime — adds a nice acidity to the dressing, balancing the saltiness from the fish sauce.

Sweetener — you’ll want to balance the fish sauce dressing with some type of sweetener, such as unrefined sugar cane, palm coconut sugar, or even honey.  Below is an unrefined [Mexican] sugar called piloncillo, which I found at a local international market.

Garlic –along with ginger (minced/grated), it goes into the dressing.