#10DaysofTailgate: Maize and Blue Chicken Salad

On this, the second Saturday of the #10DaysofTailgate event, which is hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, I have decided to put a spotlight on my other college football team – The Michigan Wolverines. My dad is a UM alum so I grew up bleeding maize and blue. And even still, I have a soft spot for the University of Michigan and those Michigan helmets!

When Not Ketchup stepped up and offered participating bloggers a sample of one of their dipping sauces I immediately knew that I’d be signing up for their Blueberry White Pepper flavor. Because when it’s football season, red is out of the question! On the back of the bottle is the slogan “Leave the red stuff for the kids.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the flavors of the Not Ketchup. Before receiving my bottle I was thinking of creating a barbecue sauce with it. After all, ketchup is included in most barbecue sauce recipes. I thought of doing Maize and Blue sliders and using cheddar cheese for my pop of yellow. But when I tasted this unique dipping sauce I decided to go in a different direction. The blueberry flavor is nicely balanced by the white pepper and the sauce is rounded out by the tang from the apple cider vinegar.

With such a light and flavorful sauce I decided to make chicken salad instead. I knew that mayonnaise would mellow out the tartness of the sauce while fresh apple would still keep it bright and light. The beauty of chicken salad is that you can add in whatever flavors you like! I have never had a chicken salad with corn in it before, but I knew that I could satisfy my “maize” requirement with a little corn. And as a bonus, the grocery store had yellow tomatoes! My original recipe chicken salad is bright and refreshing. It isn’t drowning in dressing and has many textures and unique flavors to satisfy any pallet. I encourage you to order a bottle of Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup and give this recipe a go!

I decided to poach chicken for my chicken salad. I like using poached chicken for chicken salad because poaching allows the chicken to absorb extra flavor and by cooking it in liquid it ensures the meat will stay moist. I even got to test out the Thermopop by ThermoWorks! With nine colors to chose from, I was ecstatic to find that I was sent the orange one! Remember – red is out of the question during football season. I have gone though a few different temperature gauges in my short cooking career. The very first one I had I broke by leaving it in the oven. (Please note: The ThermoPop is not designed to be left in the oven.) After that I bought a digital one as well as a candy thermometer. Neither of these devices compare to the ThermoPop. Not only do their bright colors make it a fun kitchen gadget, but it also means it won’t get lost in my drawer of utensils. It comes with a matching “sheath” to keep the probe free from dirt and damage when not in use. The ThermoPop is also easy to use. A simple touch of the front button turns the device and backlight on (the backlight will automatically turn off after 10 seconds to save power), a button on the back will adjust the temperature from degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius, and probably the best feature, another button will rotate the large digital display 90 degrees. There’s no more twisting your head in awkward angles to read your thermometer and there’s no need for a magnifying glass to read the temperature either.

Maize and Blue Chicken Salad

Ingredients for chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Steps for chicken:

1. Fill a pot with 2 quarts water. Add ingredients for chicken.
2. Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and let cool before cutting into bite sized cubes.

Ingredients for chicken salad:

• 3 C cooked, cubed chicken (recommended recipe above)
• 1 C diced apple (I used honeycrisp)
• 1/2 C diced yellow tomato
• 2 ears roasted corn, kernels removed (or 2 C)
• 2/3 C blueberries
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1/3 C mayonnaise
• 1/4 C buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup
• 1/4 tsp dried mustard
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

Steps for chicken salad:

1. In a large bowl gently toss together chicken, apple, yellow tomato, corn, blueberries, and scallions.
2. In a small bowl whisk together mayo, buttermilk, Not Ketchup, dried mustard, cayenne, and salt.
3. Gently coat chicken salad with the dressing.
4. Serve on toasted buns, in lettuce cups, wrapped in a tortilla, or with crackers.

I do still want to make a barbecue sauce and a salad dressing with the Not Ketchup, and I know it would be fantastic over wings. The possibilities are endless. So leave the red stuff for the kids and order some today!

Thank you Erika and Jesse for sponsoring our event.

Disclaimer: I was provided a bottle of Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup and a ThermoPop from ThermoWorks through this event, however all opinions and statements are my own.

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more tailgating recipes today:

Starters

Chicken Bacon RanchTaquitos by Things I Make (for Dinner)

 Cherry Chipotle Glazed Wings by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Firewired Pancetta-Wrapped Seafood by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains
Savory Duck Handpies by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

Slow Cooker Smoky Date Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Smokey Red Lentil Chili by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Thai Beef Skewers by The Pajama Chef

Sips

Apple Cherry Spice Cocktail by CafeTerraBlog

Dips

Kicked up Spinach Dip by Miss Laura’s Kitchen

Pizza Dip by Making Miracles

Sweets
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Hard Pretzels by The Spiffy Cookie