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Top-down view of a bowl of Mexican chicken salad with shredded chicken, peas, carrots, and sour cream in a large bowl.

Mexican Chicken Salad (Ensalada de Pollo)

mylifeinbalancegroup.com/mexican-chicken-salad/
Mexican chicken salad combines tender shredded chicken and a creamy sauce with mixed veggies, fresh cilantro, and jalapeños for TONS of flavor! One of my favorite dishes from my time in Texas and California.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 55 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 8 servings

Equipment

  • Large skillet with lid
  • Tongs
  • large mixing bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover if needed
  • internal meat thermometer
  • 2 forks or hand mixer, or stand mixer; to shred chicken
  • Silicone spatula
  • serving bowl

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (trimmed)
  • 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken broth

For the Mexican Chicken Salad

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup full-fat sour cream
  • 3 cups mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans; defrosted if frozen)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup diced jalapeños (or pickled jalapeños)
  • ¼ cup jalapeño brine (plus more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
  • fresh lime juice (optional)

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • lime wedges
  • saltine crackers
  • tortilla chips
  • tostadas
  • 8-inch flour tortillas

Instructions

To Cook the Chicken

  • Place 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in large skillet and set skillet on stovetop. Pour 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken broth into skillet, covering chicken. Set heat under skillet to medium-high and bring liquid to boil.
  • Once chicken broth begins to boil, immediately reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and cover skillet with lid.
  • Simmer chicken, covered, on medium-low heat 20 minutes, then check doneness. To check doneness, remove one chicken breast from skillet and place in large mixing bowl. Insert internal meat thermometer into thick area of chicken. Chicken is ready when thermometer reads 160° Fahrenheit. Return chicken to skillet and continue simmering, covered, as needed until target temperature is reached. Check temperature often to avoid over-cooking.
  • Once target temperature is achieved, transfer chicken breasts to mixing bowl and set aside to rest 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, shred chicken breasts with two forks, hand mixer, or stand mixer. See Notes.

To Make the Mexican Chicken Salad

  • When chicken is shredded as desired, add 1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup full-fat sour cream, 3 cups mixed vegetables, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, ¼ cup diced jalapeños, ¼ cup jalapeño brine, and 1 teaspoon salt to mixing bowl. Gently stir together all ingredients until well incorporated.
  • Taste chicken salad. Add additional jalapeño brine if needed to brighten flavor. Add additional salt as needed.
  • If desired, add squeezes of fresh lime juice, tasting salad after each addition, until desired flavor is achieved.
  • Transfer prepared chicken salad to serving bowl and serve immediately. Alternately, cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

  • Chicken: Instead of cooking chicken specifically for this recipe, you're welcome to use 2 ¼ pounds shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco or another store. You can also use leftover salsa chicken, or any leftover chicken that was seasoned lightly.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Make sure your chicken broth doesn't contain any hidden gluten.
 

To Shred the Chicken

  • Shred by Hand (Pulled Chicken): Using your hands/fingers, pull the chicken apart until completely shredded. Pieces can be as big or as small as you like.
  • Shred with Two Forks: Use one fork to steady the chicken while shredding the chicken with another fork. Work in small, short strokes, moving forks away from each other.
  • Shred with Hand Mixer: Break the chicken into manageable chunks and place them in a large bowl. Use the standard attachments on your mixer and set mixer to a medium speed. Mix until chicken is completely shredded.
  • Shred with Stand Mixer: Use the standard paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until chicken chunks are completely shredded.
  • Shred with Food Processor: Break up the cooked chicken breasts into chunks first, and work in multiple batches. Add chicken to food processor and use the plastic dough blade attachment to avoid your chicken turning to mush. Process for 30 seconds or until uniformly shredded. Repeat until all chicken is shredded.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 422calProtein: 30gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 1054mgPotassium: 677mgTotal Carbs: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 11gVitamin A: 3672IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://mylifeinbalancegroup.com/mexican-chicken-salad/