recipe
Salpicão de frango: Brazilian chicken salad
A chilled shredded-chicken salad with carrot, corn, green apple and a creamy lemon dressing. Includes safe poaching and cooling, optional raisins and a crisp potato-stick finish.
Plus chilling the chicken to 40°F or below.
About 6 side servings or 4 light meals (estimated)
Plan ahead: Poach and shred the chicken ahead, then chill it to 40°F or below before mixing. Add potato sticks only at serving.
Ingredients and method
About 6 side servings or 4 light meals (estimated)
Planning estimate: 40–55 min · Moderate. Plus chilling the chicken to 40°F or below.
Plan ahead: Poach and shred the chicken ahead, then chill it to 40°F or below before mixing. Add potato sticks only at serving.
Timing guide: Allow time to bring the poaching water to a simmer, then roughly 15–20 minutes to cook the chicken. Shredding, vegetable preparation and dressing take another 20–25 minutes. Refrigerating the chicken until cold is an additional wait.
Method
- Place the chicken in one layer in a wide 3–4-quart saucepan. If a breast is thicker than about 1 inch, split it horizontally into two flatter pieces first. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, measured salt and enough cold water to cover by about 1/2 inch. Use a separate board for raw chicken; wash hands and utensils before preparing salad ingredients.
- Bring the water just to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, leave the lid slightly ajar and maintain gentle bubbling, not a rolling boil. Check after about 12 minutes and continue as needed, often 15–20 minutes depending on thickness. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of each piece; all must reach at least 165°F (74°C) before removal.
- Lift the cooked chicken onto a clean plate and use two forks to pull it into bite-size strands. Spread in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly while still warm; do not wait for it to cool on the counter. Chill until the chicken is 40°F (4°C) or below before mixing. Discard the poaching aromatics; do not add the cooking liquid to the salad.
- When the chicken is cold, wash and prepare the carrots, scallions and apple. Drain the corn well. In a large mixing bowl, stir the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and pepper together. Fold the apple cubes into the dressing as soon as they are cut.
- Add the cold shredded chicken, grated carrot, corn, scallions and optional raisins. Fold until evenly coated, keeping the strands distinct. Taste and add salt only if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, checking that the salad is at or below 40°F.
- Spoon into a chilled serving bowl, or serve small portions and keep the remainder refrigerated. Add potato sticks only to the portion being eaten now. For a buffet, nest the serving bowl in ice and keep the salad at or below 40°F.
A chicken salad with sweet and crisp pieces
Salpicão de frango combines shredded chicken, vegetables and a creamy dressing. This version includes green apple for a crisp, tart bite, corn and carrot for sweetness, and potato sticks for a dry crunch. Raisins are optional; leave them out without replacing them if you prefer.
The recipe uses commercial mayonnaise and needs no homemade egg dressing. A saucepan, instant-read thermometer, box grater, two forks and a mixing bowl are enough; a pressure cooker is unnecessary.
Start with raw chicken or a safely chilled shortcut
The main method poaches thawed breasts, checks their temperature and chills the shredded meat before assembly. Water should just move around the chicken; vigorous boiling is unnecessary. The thickness of each piece determines its cooking time.
For a shortcut, replace the raw chicken and all poaching ingredients with 1 pound (450 g) cooked, skinless, boneless shredded chicken, roughly 3 loosely packed cups. Use chicken that was safely cooked and promptly refrigerated, and start at the dressing step. Its existing storage time still counts: making salad does not restart the clock.
Allow roughly 40–50 minutes for preparation and cooking, plus chilling. Cooling in a shallow layer may take 1–2 hours or longer; check the temperature rather than relying on that estimate. Starting with cold cooked chicken shortens the work considerably. These are planning estimates.
Avoid a watery salad or soft potato sticks
Measure the corn after draining. Keep the chicken cooking liquid out of the bowl, and use the large holes of a grater for carrot shreds that stay distinct. The dressing should coat the ingredients rather than collect underneath them.
Buy thin ready-to-eat potato sticks for batata palha. Raw grated potato and frozen shoestring fries need separate cooking and are not the topping specified here. Keep the sticks in their dry package until serving; refrigerating them mixed into the salad softens them.
Commercial mayonnaise commonly contains egg and may contain soy. Mustard and potato-stick ingredients vary, so read their labels. This version adds no cream or nuts, but that does not establish an allergen-free claim for every packaged ingredient.
Make ahead and keep cold
Keep covered at 40°F or below and use within 3–4 days of cooking the chicken, sooner if any ingredient has an earlier limit. For the best texture, add freshly cut apple and potato sticks near serving. Chicken salad does not freeze well.
Refrigerate promptly during preparation. Discard perishable salad left without refrigeration or ice for more than two hours total, or one hour above 90°F. Lemon juice and mayonnaise do not make the finished chicken salad safe to leave warm.