Ensalada de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Salad) (2024)

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.

I have beautiful memories of celebrating my earliest birthdays in Chihuahua, Mexico where I was born. Family, friends and neighbors would gather in our beautiful, quaint white house built by my father’s incredibly skilled hands.

There was always a variety of mouthwatering foods that were served on these occasions. But one food that is as vivid as my memories of those joyful celebrations is my mom's chicken salad.

I have had many variations of chicken salad, but none compare to my mom's. Most of the Mexican chicken salads I have tried always have peas. I hate slimy, green peas!

Fortunately, my mom’s chicken salad has no peas in sight, and that's only one of the reasons to love this ensalada.

Why You'll Love This Ensalada de Pollo Recipe

• Mix of Flavors and Textures: This recipe combines soft, tender, shredded chicken with slightly crunchy potatoes and carrots and pairs perfectly with sweet apples, crisp celery, and crunchy nuts.
• Nutritious and Healthy: Such an easy and delicious way to pack in protein, fruit, veggies, and healthy fats. Plus use compatible mayo for a Whole30 option.
• Rich and Creamy: I like to load up my salad with lots of mayo for an extra creamy result. Also, I tend to use homemade mayo, which I truly believe is much richer and tastier than the store-bought kind. But what type of mayo you use is really up to you, either way I guarantee the salad will be so good!
• Great for Parties: Growing up my young mind couldn't grasp how such a simple dish was actually the perfect party food. However, as an adult and after hosting baby showers, bridal showers, and birthday parties I’ve realized that a good chicken salad is easy to make, easy to serve, and leaves your guests full and satisfied.
• Perfect for Leftover Chicken: You don’t have to wait to make this dish for a party or special occasion. There were many days when my mom would expertly turn leftover chicken into her amazing salad. It is also great with rotisserie chicken.

The Ingredients

• Cooked Shredded Chicken: Make shredded chicken, use leftover chicken or shred a rotisserie chicken.
• Potatoes: I use russet potatoes, these are the ones I usually have on hand. Yellow potatoes or red potatoes will also work, just be sure to follow the directions closely and not overcook the potatoes so that they don't fall apart.
• Carrots: Like the potatoes, the carrots are cooked until a little tender but still crunchy.
• Celery: Fresh celery adds crunch and freshness.
• Apple: A crisp, sweet apple is the best kind to use in this recipe. I recommend honeycrisp, gala or red delicious.
• Chopped Nuts: Chopped nuts add protein and crunch. I personally prefer to use chopped pecans because they're my favorite type of nut. However, almonds and walnuts are also very tasty in this dish.
• Mayonnaise: Use your favorite mayonnaise or make your own. Homemade mayo is easy to make and is creamy, delicious, and healthy.
• Pickled Jalapeño Juice: The tangy, spicy, vinegary taste of pickled jalapeño juice blends perfectly into the mayo and accentuates all of the flavors. It is truly a key ingredient in Mexican chicken salad.
• Salt and Pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

1. Cook Vegetables

• Add 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 tender but still crunchy. If they are still too hard after 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.

2. Mix Chicken

• In a large bowl mix shredded chicken, apple, celery, mayo, chopped nuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add Cooked Vegetables

• Peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces
• Dice the carrots and add both the vegetables to the chicken mixture.

4. Mix and Adjust Seasoning

• Mix everything together again.
• Taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, and mayo based on your taste.

5. Add Jalapeño Juice

• Add a couple tablespoons of the juice from pickled jalapeños.
• Mix again and serve.

How to Serve

Apart from parties, this Mexican salad is great for lunch and dinner.

Serve it on top tostada shells or with some saltine crackers or gluten-free crackers.

You can also serve it on top of a bed of lettuce, scoop it up with crunchy cucumbers, or in lettuce wraps.

How to Store

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

I don't recommend freezing it. Freezing will make the oil in the mayo separate, making the chicken salad oily and unnapetizing.

Substitutions

If you cannot have eggs, here are two recipes for egg-free mayo:

• Plant-Based Whole30 Mayo
• 4-Ingredient Egg Free Mayo

Tips and Variations

• Add diced pickled jalapeños for added spice and flavor.
• You can also leave the pickled jalapeño juice if you prefer.
• I sometimes like to top my salad with hot sauce.
• If you are unlike me and enjoy the taste of peas, you can add a ½ cup of green pease.
• Add an extra apple if you like the sweetness.
• Or add red or green grapes for varied texture and for another touch of sweetness.
• 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.

I hope you enjoy!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW IF YOU MAKE THIS OR TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM @EVERYDAYLATINA.

More Salad Recipes

• Salpicón (Mexican Shredded Beef Salad)
• Tuna Salad Lunch Bowl
• Nopalitos and Roasted Red Pepper Salad
• Sweet Potato Taco Bowl
• Whole30 Sweet Potato and Avocado Salad

Recipe

Originally published July 8, 2019. Updated post March 2023.

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