Chicken Salpicon Salad

I first heard about this marvelous recipe for Chicken Salpicon Salad on a Martha Stewart show. This recipe is from Peru, and combines chicken with veggies and fried shoestring potatoes. Martha made it all from scratch, of course.

But I knew there had to be an easier way to make it. And there is!

First, use rotisserie chicken, just because that’s the best way to get the most tender meat. And second, use fried potato sticks, also called shoestring potatoes, that are packaged in a cardboard can in the snack foods aisle

There is one caveat to this recipe. You can’t add the potatoes until you are serving the salad, otherwise they will get soggy. The combination of tender chicken and veggies, crisp salad, and super crisp potatoes is just fabulous.

Tips for the best Chicken Salpicon Salad:

• The best cooked chicken comes from a rotisserie chicken purchased from the supermarket. Sorry to tell you that, but it’s true. It is extremely difficult to cook tender chicken at home. I have tried multiple ways and I use a rotisserie chicken every time  now.
• Buy the avocado a few days ahead of time and let it ripen at room temperature before you make this salad. The avocado is a crucial part of the recipe and you can’t skip it.

Why this recipe works:

• The mustardy and flavorful salad dressing is perfect with the chicken, veggies, and avocado. Shred the chicken from the whole rotisserie bird while it’s hot, so it will absorb some of the dressing as it cools.
• Add the avocado at the last minute along with the potatoes. Otherwise they will oxidize and turn brown.
• You could add other veggies to this recipe, such as sliced mushrooms (but they will turn brown), corn, chopped zucchini or summer squash, or even cooked green beans.