Salpicão de Frango

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 3-liter pot
• •Box grater
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Shallow serving bowl or platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the chicken

   Put the chicken in a pot with the water, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring it just to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook gently until the thickest piece is cooked through, about 18 to 25 minutes. The liquid should barely tremble, not boil hard. Boiling beats the chicken up and leaves you with dry strings, and then you'll blame the salad.

   Thighs stay juicier, breasts shred more neatly. Both work. Use what is cheap and good where you shop.
2. 2

   Cool and shred

   Lift the chicken out and let it cool until you can handle it. Shred it with two forks or your fingers into thin pieces, then toss it with 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. That little splash brings back moisture, but don't drown it. Wet chicken makes a loose salad.

3. 3

   Prep the vegetables

   Grate the carrots, dice the celery, chop the olives, and make sure the corn and peas are cooled and well drained. Pat them dry if they look wet. Cold salads punish laziness here: extra water thins the dressing and leaves a puddle at the bottom of the bowl.

4. 4

   Treat the apple

   Dice the apple small and toss it right away with the lemon juice. The pieces should stay pale and sharp, not brown and tired. The lemon protects the color and gives the salad the little lift it needs against the creamy dressing.

5. 5

   Make the bind

   In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, yogurt, olive oil, mustard if using, black pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Taste it. It should be creamy, bright, and a little salty, because the chicken and vegetables will soften the seasoning once they join the bowl.

6. 6

   Mix the salad

   Add the shredded chicken, carrots, corn, peas, apple, celery, olives, raisins if using, and parsley to the bowl. Fold with a big spoon until everything is coated but still distinct. Stop when it looks evenly dressed. Keep stirring and you'll crush the vegetables into paste, and nobody asked for that.

7. 7

   Chill and finish

   Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, so the flavors settle and the salad firms up. Right before serving, spoon it into a shallow bowl or platter and scatter the potato sticks over the top. Last minute means last minute. Add them early and they turn limp, which is a very silly way to lose the best part.

Chef Tips

• •The honest shortcut: use leftover roasted chicken if you have it. It saves time and tastes good. The cost is that you don't control the salt, so taste the dressing before you add more.
• •Skip powdered chicken seasoning. You already have onion, garlic, bay, salt, and the chicken itself. That's flavor, not imitation.
• •Raisins are a family debate, not a moral crisis. Put them in if your table likes the sweet bite. Leave them out if people start making faces before dinner.
• •Add potato sticks only at the table. If you're taking salpicão somewhere, carry them in a separate bag and crown the bowl when you arrive.
• •For a greener plate, serve this with arroz soltinho, feijão, and sautéed couve. That's the pê-efe doing what it always does: solving dinner without drama.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook and shred the chicken up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge with a spoonful or two of its cooking liquid.
• •Mix the salad without potato sticks up to 1 day ahead. Stir once before serving and adjust salt if needed.
• •Add the potato sticks only at the last minute so they stay crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)