Palta Rellena con Pollo
Para Picar y Empezar (The Front Porch Snacks & Starters)
Halve a ripe avocado, catch the pit with a heavy knife, and scoop the pale flesh with a standard soup spoon. Palta rellena is an honest, working-class classic of the midday menú. The truth lies in the broth. You gently poach the chicken with aromatics, shred it by hand, and then use that exact same golden liquid to boil the potatoes and carrots. Fold the meat and vegetables together with Hellmann's mayonnaise, packing the shell until the dark green skin yields. Squeeze a heavy wedge of lime over the top right before it hits the table.
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breast3/4 lb
- celery stalk1 med
- white or yellow onion1/2 med
- carrot1 med
- garlic2 large cloves
- kosher salt1 tsp
- bay leaf1 med
- black peppercorns1/2 tsp
- Yukon Gold potato1 med
- carrot1 large
- frozen green peas1/2 cup
- frozen Peruvian choclo1/2 cup
- sugar1/2 tsp
- anise seeds1 pinch
- mayonnaise1/3 cup
- limes2 med
- Hass avocados2 large
- fresh cilantro1/4 cup
- lettuce leaves4 large
- hard-boiled egg1 large
- black olives4 med
Method
- 01
Build the flavor base.
Place the chicken breast, celery, onion, the roughly chopped carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns into a saucepan with the salt. Add just enough cold water to cover, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer for twenty-five minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- 02
Shred the chicken and save the liquid.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a board to cool. Do not dump the broth. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out and discard the spent celery, onion, and carrot. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks or your fingers to shred it into fine strings so it properly catches the mayonnaise later.
- 03
Cascade the broth into the vegetables.
Bring the reserved, strained chicken broth back to a boil and drop in the finely diced potato and carrot. Cook for eight to ten minutes until tender, tossing in the peas for the final two minutes, then drain thoroughly and let them cool. If using Peruvian choclo, boil it in a separate small pot of water with the sugar and anise seeds for ten minutes, then drain. If using standard sweet corn, just toss it into the broth with the peas.
- 04
Mix the salpicón.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled, shredded chicken and the cooked vegetables. Fold in the mayonnaise, the juice of half a lime, cilantro, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Taste it—it should be savory, creamy, and have a bright, acidic pop.
- 05
Execute the leveling cut and prep the avocados.
Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and peel them gently. Because avocados are inherently unstable, shave a paper-thin sliver off the rounded bottom of each half so they sit perfectly flat on a plate. Immediately squeeze fresh lime juice all over the exposed flesh and sprinkle with salt and pepper to halt oxidation.
- 06
Stuff and plate.
Lay a crisp lettuce leaf on each plate and set an avocado half on top. Scoop a heaping mound of the chicken salad into the cavity, garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg and a black olive, and serve immediately.
Notes
Sourcing the choclo.
Look for frozen bags of Goya choclo in the freezer aisle of your local Latin market. It has a large kernel with a starchy, slightly sweet chew that standard sweet corn simply can't replicate.
From Cook Peruvian in America.