I promise you will never make another Ensalada de Gallina (a.k.a. Venezuelan chicken salad) after you try this recipe. This is modesty aside, the perfect Venezuelan chicken salad recipe. Trust me.
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What about the name of this recipe?
Ensalada de gallina means hen salad because the original recipe calls for hen meat. However, I make it with cooked chicken breasts because here in the United States, it’s super easy to buy organic chicken breast anywhere. So, technically, this is an ensalada de pollo, but we continue calling it ensalada de gallina.
Why you will love this Ensalada de Gallina?
Besides the fact you don’t need to ask your butcher for a hen, you will love this recipe because it is delicious. It makes the perfect side dish. The main ingredients are shredded chicken, and small cubes of potatoes, cooked al dente.
In addition, it has carrots and crispy diced Granny Smith apples, all seasoned with a sweet and savory mayonnaise-based dressing. Honestly, I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love this salad.
A Family Recipe
This is a family recipe, generously given to me by my Comadre Eirys, the godmother of my son Tomás Eugenio. It was passed to her by Elsy, her mom, a cook extraordinaire. And since the holiday season 2014, it’s been a staple in my kitchen.
The Venezuelan Holiday Salad
This potato chicken salad is synonymous with Venezuela’s Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. But besides the Christmas season, this ensalada de gallina is present in any important celebration, including christenings, communions, and weddings.
That is to say, in Venezuela, this is the salad we serve when there is something important to celebrate.
How do I cook the chicken?
I cook the chicken in water with carrot pieces, the green part of a leek, and a bay leaf. The resulting broth can be saved and used for another purpose. If you don’t have anything in mind to use the broth immediately, freeze it for later. Once cooked and at room temperature, I shred the chicken with my fingers.
How do I shred chicken in a standing electric mixer?
If you want to shred chicken breasts in no time, with your hands, divide the chicken breast into two pieces. Place them in the bowl of a standing electric mixer, and shred the chicken with the globe at low to medium speed. You can also use a hand-electric mixer.
If you choose this method, ensure the chicken is still warm and that there are no pieces of fat. Always process one chicken breast at a time.
Can I use rotisserie chicken to make this salad?
Yes, you can. It may alter the flavor, but you can use rotisserie chicken to make this salad. If this is the case, please take away all the skin and dark meat.
How do I make the mayo salad dressing?
The dressing for this salad is made of mayonnaise. Elsy’s secret is blending the mayo with fresh garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard. Then, onion, finely chopped in brunoise, is added. I prefer to skip the garlic.
Ensalada de gallina with or without green apples?
Elsy also adds finely diced green apples to her ensalada de gallina. For me, the firm, crunchy Granny Smith apples are the ingredient that gives this salad the so-needed crunchy texture and freshness that it otherwise would not have.
Tips to Make the Best Venezuelan Chicken Salad
Although I first shared this recipe in Spanish in December 2014, in the years that I have been making it, I have learned a few tricks that I list below:
- To save time, you can peel, cut, and cook the vegetables the day before and add the shredded chicken and the dressing the day you eat the salad.
- Some people prefer to cook the veggies in boiling water. I like steaming them better. Steam the veggies separately in salted water. This will ensure they are al dente and keep their dice shape.
- Make the mayo dressing in advance and save it, refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Always use Dijon mustard.
- To prevent the apples from oxidizing, add them to the dressing once you chop them and ensure the mayo mixture covers them.
- Go for fresh frozen peas: their color, freshness, and texture are worth it.
- You may need to add a little bit of salt to the dressing.
Substitutions and variations
- If you can’t or don’t want to eat sugar, substitute it with monk fruit in equal amounts.
- You can use canned green peas (petite pois) instead of frozen peas. If this is the case, I like the smallest ones.
- You may add a couple of hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces.
- You may add sweet corn kernels.
- You may use fresh diced pineapple instead of green apples.
- You may decorate your salad with a couple of canned white asparagus.
How do I pair Venezuelan Ensalada de Gallina?
We serve this salad as a side dish for our delicious hallacas during the holiday season. What we call plato Navideño típico (Christmas dish) also includes juicy pernil de cochino (roasted pork leg), and pan de jamón.
To experience the real Venezuelan thing, we drink our delicious ponche crema, and for dessert, we have dulce de lechosa (papaya dessert) and torta negra (a dark cake with dry fruits and spices macerated in liquor.
Venezuelan Ensalada de Gallina Recipe
Without further ado, the following is Elsy’s creamy protein salad recipe. I hope you like it as much as my family and friends. Thanks for subscribing to my YouTube channel and visiting my Amazon shop.
Venezuelan Chicken Salad (Ensalada de gallina)
Ingredients
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 2 cups fresh peas you can use canned, but I prefer frozen ones. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish.
- 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
- 2 cups green apple peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken breasts cooked and finely shredded (about 2 chicken breasts)
- Salt
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 garlic clove puréed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a steamer, cook the potatoes with a pinch of salt until they are soft but firm. Reserve.
- In the same pot, steam the carrots with a pinch of salt until they are cooked but firm. Reserve.
- In the same pot, cook frozen peas with a pinch of salt until they are soft but firm. Reserve.
- Mix the potatoes, carrots, peas, onion, apples, and chicken in a large salad bowl, and carefully combine.
- In a bowl, make the dressing by mixing well the mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and garlic, until it gets a creamy consistency.
- Dress the salad and combine. Garnish with the reserved peas.
Video
Nutrition
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