Ensalada de Pollo is a Mexican chicken salad made with tender, shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots, sweet apples, and other tasty ingredients. It is topped off with mayo and jalapeño juice for a rich and creamy salad that is full of flavor, protein and a little tangy.
3-4cupscooked shredded chicken (make your own or use half a rotisserie chicken)
2smallpotatoes (or 1 large one)
3carrots
1diced stalk of celery
1peeled and diced apple
½cuphalved grapes (optional)
¼cupchopped pecans, almonds or walnuts
½cup (plus additional for taste)homemade or store-bought mayo (see notes)
2tablespoonpickled jalapeño juice
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cooking Potatoes and Carrots
Peel the carrots and cut them in half. Add the potatoes and the carrots to a pot of water. Bring the water to a boil. Boil the vegetables for about 10 minutes, then check with a fork.
You want the vegetables to be slightly tender but still crunchy. If they are still too hard at 10 minutes, cook them for another 3-5 minutes and check again. The carrots may cook faster than the potatoes, if that’s the case take the carrots out and let the potatoes continue cooking.
When the vegetables are done cooking, set them aside to cool.
Other Ingredients
In the meantime, in a large bowl mix the shredded chicken, the peeled and diced apple, grapes (if using), diced stalk of celery, ½ cup of mayo, chopped nuts, and salt and pepper to taste.
Next, peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces (it will be easy to peel the potatoes with just your hands or use a peeler). Dice the carrots and add both vegetables to the chicken mixture.
Mix everything together again. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt, pepper and mayo based on your taste.
Add a couple tablespoons of the juice from pickled jalapeños. Mix and serve.
Serve on top of crunchy tostadas, with saltine crackers or gluten-free crackers. If you are on Whole30 enjoy it either by itself or with some crunchy vegetables or on a bed of lettuce.
Notes
Add diced pickled jalapeños for added spice and flavor.
You can also leave out the pickled jalapeño juice if you prefer.
For Whole30, use a compatible mayo or a homemade one. Find my recipe for homemade mayo here.
An easy way to cook your own chicken is to cook 2 large chicken breasts with ½ an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. Shred.
Cooked chicken breast should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
Video
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