Our shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing will make you a gently spiced salad, partly inspired by Mexican esquites or street corn in a cup. Shredded poached chicken is combined with sweet corn kernels, diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and avocado, doused in a salsa macha dressing, and sprinkled with Mexican cotija or crumbly white cheese and fresh coriander (cilantro).
If you made the classic homemade salsa macha recipe we recently shared – or you have a jar of your favourite salsa macha in the fridge – and you love a good shredded chicken salad, then please try our shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing. It’s deliciously addictive. We just finished a big bowl but I’m making it again this weekend.
If you’ve enjoyed our other shredded chicken salad recipes, which are some of our most popular chicken breast recipes and some of the most searched-for chicken recipes on our site – my favourites are this bang bang chicken salad recipe, Vietnamese chicken salad recipe and Lao shredded chicken salad recipe – you’re going to love this salad, too.
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Shredded Chicken and Corn Salad with Spicy Salsa Macha Dressing
I have a thing about spicy salads. If you’re like me, you’re going to love this shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing. It will make you a gently spiced salad, partly inspired by Mexican elotes or street corn.
I can happily tuck into a salad of plump tomato quarters, doused in plenty of fiery chilli oil, and sprinkled with crispy fried shallots and sesame seeds. A splash or two of aged fish sauce finishes it off nicely. I have to confess that’s my idea of a perfect salad.
It’s the contrast in textures and flavours that I really love. It’s that combination of cold, fresh salad veggies – juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, crunchy cucumbers, zingy shallots – juxtaposed with the warmth of a couple of spoonfuls of spicy chilli oil and a scoop of the sediment of crisp chilli flakes from the bottom of the jar.
In the case of this shredded chicken and corn salad recipe, as Mexican elotes or street corn was partly my inspiration, I use homemade Mexican salsa macha as the dressing instead of Sichuan chilli oil, and sprinkle on a salty, soft, crumbly white cheese. In a perfect world, it would be Mexican cotija, but sadly we can’t source it here.
I add pulled poached chicken to the salad – just-cooked, so that it’s still soft and succulent – as much for the flavour and texture, as for the protein. It makes for a more filling salad and a very satisfying main course.
Skip the chicken to make a vegetarian salad. It also makes a great side to tacos or topping for tostadas, and a fantastic filling for burritos. Just a few tips to make this shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing.
Tips to Making this Chicken and Corn Salad with Salsa Macha Dressing
I only have a few tips to making this shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing, as it’s super easy, especially if you’ve already made the salsa macha or have a jar in the fridge.
The recipe is even easier to make if you have some poached chicken breasts in the fridge. Terence and I are perpetually poaching chicken breasts and always seem to have a container of the things in the fridge to put in salads, noodles or sandwiches. Of course you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken.
Chicken breast is one of the most affordable proteins here in Cambodia, as locals prefer brown chicken meat, which is more expensive, to white chicken. We love chicken thighs for chicken curries and chicken stews, but poached chicken is perfect for salads.
Tips to Poaching Chicken Breasts
If you’re poaching chicken breasts for this shredded chicken and corn salad recipe, poach twice as much as needed. They keep in the fridge for a few days and you can use shredded chicken breast for everything from rice porridges and rice soups to pulled chicken tacos. You can also save the poaching liquid to make chicken stock.
To poach chicken breasts, all you need to do is lay the raw chicken breasts in a pot large enough so that the breasts are lying flat on the bottom and pour in enough room temperature water so that the chicken breasts are completely covered. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.
We recommend using a fine mesh strainer to skim off any scum and use a digital kitchen meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to prevent over-cooking. Poke the thermometer into the thickest part of the breasts and when it reaches 74°C/165˚F remove the chicken breasts and set them aside to cool.
If you’re planning on saving the poaching liquid to make a stock, boil it for another ten minutes, then set it aside to cool a little before using the strainer to once again strain the liquid. Pour it into a big glass jar if you’re going to use it within a few days, or into plastic ziploc bags to freeze it.
When the chicken breasts are cool enough to touch, use two forks or clean fingers to pull the chicken meat apart – which is why shredded chicken is also called pulled chicken – and if you’re not preparing the salad straight away, refrigerate the chicken until you’re ready.
I use canned corn kernels for this recipe when it’s not corn season. All the other vegetables are fresh, crunchy and juicy. As this recipe was partly inspired by the Mexican street food corn, I sprinkle on some crumbly white cheese and fresh coriander (cilantro) – and sometimes add a squeeze of lime – but it’s a versatile salad that you could really make your own.
Chicken and Corn Salad with Salsa Macha Dressing
Ingredients
- 150 g chicken breasts poached and shredded
- 1 can corn kernels - drained
- 1 cucumber sliced lengthways and in quarters - sliced lengthways and in quarters
- 12 cherry tomatoes - sliced into quarters
- 1 purple shallot - finely diced
- 1 avocado - firm, ripe, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp salsa macha
- 100 g Mexican cotija or crumbly white salty cheese
- 1 tbsp coriander - (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- First poach the chicken breasts: place the chicken breasts in a pot large enough so they’re sitting on the bottom of the pot; pour in just enough water to cover the chicken pieces; bring the water to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, and simmer until you can poke a thermometer into the widest part of the breast and the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F). Remove and when the breasts are cool enough to touch, shred the chicken pieces into chunky strips using two forks or your hands.
- To a large bowl, add the shredded chicken, drained corn kernels, cucumber pieces, cherry tomatoes quarters, finely diced purple shallot, diced avocado, and combine well.
- In a small dish, stir the extra virgin olive oil and salsa macha to create a dressing. Pour half over the salad and combine well.
- Transfer the salad to a serving plate, sprinkle on the crumbly Mexican cotija or white salty cheese, drizzle on the rest of the salsa macha dressing, sprinkle on the fresh coriander, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Please do let us know in the comments below if you make our shredded chicken and corn salad recipe with salsa macha dressing as we love to hear how our recipes turn out for you.
Wow. I decided to make this after just looking at the photo – it looks so fresh. I used some grilled corn leftovers from a BBQ the day before and it really added a smoky flavor to the salad. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mary, love to read this! So many of our recipes are created from leftovers – as it’s far more satisfying than standing in the fridge door just eating them out of a container, which I used to find myself doing. Everybody is looking for ways to be frugal, too, these days – ourselves included – so I like the idea of creating a really delicious dish out of leftovers that looks like it was made from scratch. Thanks for dropping by!