Ensalada de pollo – Mexican chicken and corn salad Recipe
Ensalada de pollo is a creamy salad with chicken, vegetables and corn that in Mexico is often served at birthday parties and family gatherings. It’s a bit like Polish vegetable salad, but lighter and more citrusy. It works great as a cold dinner or as a filling for rolls and tortillas.
Ensalada de pollo is Mexico’s answer to Polish vegetable salad – creamy, but lighter thanks to yogurt and lime juice. The combination of chicken, corn, peas and pickled cucumber gives a mix of well-known flavours that the citrus note and fresh coriander transport into a completely different, more summery mood.
Chef's tips
Cook the chicken very gently over low heat – if the water boils vigorously, the meat will turn tough and dry instead of juicy. Take the potatoes and carrot out of the water as soon as a fork slides in easily but the pieces still hold their shape; overcooked vegetables will turn the salad into mush. Season the dressing at the end – after chilling in the fridge the flavour intensifies, so it’s better to start with a little salt and lime juice and add more later if needed.
How to serve
Serve it well chilled in a bowl in the centre of the table with crusty baguette or mini rolls – it’s a great alternative to heavier vegetable salad on a birthday table. For a summer get-together at the allotment you can serve it in tortillas rolled up like wraps, alongside grilled vegetables. To drink, lime and mint water or a light semi-dry white wine works well if you’re serving it as an evening meal for adults.
Ingredients
- chicken breast - 400 g
- potatoes preferably salad potatoes that stay firm after cooking - 300 g
- carrot medium-sized - 2 piece
- canned sweetcorn drained - 150 g
- canned peas drained - 100 g
- pickled cucumber medium, finely chopped - 3 piece
- mayonnaise - 120 g
- plain yogurt thick - 80 g
- mustard mild or Dijon - 1 teaspoon
- lime juice freshly squeezed - 2 tablespoons
- fresh coriander chopped; can be replaced with parsley - 2 tablespoons
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Rinse the chicken breast, place it in a pot, cover with water so it is fully submerged, lightly salt and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the water and set aside to cool. When lukewarm, cut it into small cubes or shred into thin strips.
- Peel the potatoes and carrot, cut into 1 cm cubes and cook in salted water, either separately or together, until tender but not falling apart (about 10–12 minutes from boiling). Drain and cool completely.
- Dice the pickled cucumbers finely. Drain the corn and peas in a sieve.
- In a large bowl mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk into a smooth dressing.
- Add the chopped chicken, potatoes, carrot, corn, peas and cucumbers to the bowl with the dressing. Gently mix with a large spoon so as not to mash the vegetables.
- Add the chopped coriander, mix again and taste. Adjust with extra salt, pepper or lime juice if needed.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes so the flavours meld and the dressing thickens slightly.
- Before serving, gently stir the salad again. Serve chilled, on its own or with bread.
Storage
Keep the salad in the fridge in a covered container for up to 2 days. Stir before serving; if it has thickened too much, loosen it with a spoonful of yogurt or a little extra lime juice.
I often make this salad the day before a bigger gathering – in the evening I mix all the ingredients, and in the morning I just transfer it to a nice bowl and garnish with extra coriander. I always set aside a small container for the next day, because it makes an excellent quick work lunch with a slice of rye bread.
