When it comes to easy and comforting meals, Ensalada de Pollo Mexicana is always a winner.
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This creamy Mexican chicken salad is perfect for picnics, family gatherings, or even as a quick weekday meal.
Serve it with crackers, tostada shells, chips, or inside a sandwich for a dish everyone will love.
Table of Contents
🐓 Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Yellow mustard
- Lemon or lime juice
- Salt
- Chicken
- Potato Cubes
- Canned Carrots
- Canned Peas
- Canned Corn
- Pickled jalapeno (optional)
Additions and Substitutions
🌟 Instead of mayonnaise, you can use all sour cream, Greek yogurt, or blended cottage cheese for extra protein. Mexican crema makes a great substitution.
🌟 Canned peas, carrots, and corn are used in this recipe. Swap out for frozen and thawed veggies. Or use chopped celery or a can of mixed vegetables.
🌟 Want to add more veggies? Thaw frozen spinach or frozen green beans and add to the bowl.
🌟 It’s very common for people to use the jalapeño brine to add spice to the sauce, but this is completely optional.
👩🏼🍳 Step by Step Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon or lime juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Add the cooked shredded chicken and stir until well coated.
- Drain the cans.
- Gently fold in the potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn until everything is combined.
- Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Enjoy with saltine crackers, on tostadas, tortilla chips, and topped with pickled jalapeños.
🫙 How to Store Leftovers
- This salad is not recommended for freezing since the creamy base can separate once thawed.
- Store any leftover Ensalada de Pollo Mexicana in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- It will stay fresh for up to 3 days. Be sure to give it a good stir before serving again, as the dressing may settle.
- Do not leave this out at room temperature for too long because of the creamy mayo sauce.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! Ensalada de Pollo Mexicana tastes even better after a few hours in the fridge.
Absolutely. Using leftover or rotisserie chicken makes this dish super quick and easy. You can even swap out the chicken with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
It’s great with Arroz Mexicano and Frijoles de la Olla.
📕 Origins of Ensalada de Pollo
Ensalada de Pollo, or Mexican chicken salad, has roots that go back to the Russian Olivier Salad. In Venezuela, cooks began making a dish called Ensalada de Gallina by mixing leftover chicken stews with mayonnaise, inspired by the original Moscow creation of Chef Lucien Olivier. Over time, this idea traveled to Mexico and took on new flavors. Today, Ensalada de Pollo is made with chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes, and a creamy dressing that sometimes includes jalapeños, making it a favorite for parties and family meals.
🍗 More Mexican Chicken Recipes
- Entomatadas de Pollo
- Chicken Mole Enchiladas
- Chicken Tinga Tostadas
- Pollo a la Diabla
- Caldo de Pollo
- Milanesa de Pollo
- Pozole Blanco
This Ensalada de Pollo Mexicana is a simple yet flavorful dish. With just a few easy steps, you’ll have a salad that’s perfect for potlucks and fiestas. Give it a try and see why it’s a favorite in so many Mexican homes.
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Ensalada de Pollo
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- Juice of ½ lemon or 1 lime
- Salt as desired
- 4 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 cup potato cooked and diced
- 1 8-ounce can carrots drained
- 1 8-ounce can peas drained
- 1 8-ounce can corn drained
- pickled jalapenos + brine (optional)
Instructions
- In a container, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon, salt.
- (If adding the jalapeno brine, add 1 tablespoon of the brine here).
- Mix until combined.
- Add the chicken and mix well.
- Then add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Taste for salt.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Serve along with saltine cracker, chips, or a tostada and top with jalapeños.
Video
Notes
- Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes! This dish tastes even better after a few hours in the fridge because the flavors have time to blend together. - Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely. Using rotisserie chicken makes this recipe quicker and adds extra flavor.
Fantastic recipe and great dressing. And thank you so much for sharing some history – it was great to find out a bit more details.
So glad you enjoyed this!
Wow, this is actually a hybrid of potato-vegetable salad and what I usually consider chicken salad. Love how many vegetables are combined in this. And we are definitely into a yogurt-mayo mixture as you use here.
So glad you enjoyed this!
We made it with leftover chicken and it was delicious!
So glad you enjoyed this!
This recipe came just in time when I was breaking my head as to what to make this weekend. I am in love with how simple this is to assemble.
Simple and delicious!
You have just inspired my lunch for tomorrow! I am a big fan of a mayo-based veggie salad and I can’t wait to try it with chicken!
Glad you liked it.
SO easy to make! This recipe is awesome, and something I’m going to make regularly when we get to have guests over again. Would be so good as a dip! We enjoyed it on sandwiches as an easy lunch.
Right? So easy and delicious. Glad you enjoyed it
Ha! I am with your gringo husband. This recipe is pretty close to typical midwest potluck fare. The kind where old ladies meet and play bridge… or where I am hanging out with them. No matter where it is from, this is a great recipe and tastes great. It is a perfect party recipe and glad I found your interpretation of it.
So glad you enjoyed this!
Ha! I love it. Food is the language of people…and it travels with them, wherever they go. I find these kind of cherished recipes that transcend borders so very interesting.
Thanks for your comment.
Thank you for giving me a simple faster
Simple is sometimes better
I haven’t tried putting con and peas in my chicken salad. This looks delicious and I’ll try it next time I make chicken salad.
I love ensalada but I don’t know how to make it so I always end up ordering it which is a little expensive. Time to make my own now, thanks for the recipe!
Oooo this looks delish! I’m def going to have to make this soon. Yum!
Oohhhhhh my goodness this looks absolutely delicious! So refreshing in this hot weather, gonna make with my kids for lunch today! Thanks for the inspiration!
Yum! Reminds me of a potato salad but with Mexican flavors.
I need nothing more for my Dinner with this colorful and healthy and yummy combination to this salad. A meal by itself.
Looks delicious. I am a Mexican food lover and I always search for food. Glad I found this. Absolutely cooking this for my family.
We are huge Mexican food lovers. This looks so good. I would love this for dinner any night of the week. Looks like a great side dish for a bbq party too.
This looks so delicious! I love the addition of potatoes and peas. I need to make this for my next get together!
I’m so glad I was able to find this recipe! I work at a high school and last night our students put on a Festival of Nations to represent all of the cultures and nationalities that make up our student body. The table representing Mexico served this with homemade tortillas and it was seriously the best thing I tasted all night. I cannot wait to make it at home!
Love this recipe; it’s the reason I keep canned veggies on hand, usually prefer fresh or frozen. I make it with tuna for my husband, but next time I will try chicken!
Yes! Definitely agree. With chicken, it’s great. Hope you like it.
Yum Yum..what a combination of wonderful flavors! Love it