Chicken Vitel Toné | BEST RECIPES【Recetas123】

Name: Chicken Vitel Toné
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 800 g of chicken breast (2 medium breasts); 1 carrot (1 medium carrot); 1 onion (1 medium onion); 1 celery stalk (1 stalk); 2 bay leaves (2 leaves); 1 tsp of black peppercorns (1 teaspoon); salt to taste of salt; 250 ml of white wine (1 cup); 300 g of mayonnaise (1 1/4 cups); 170 g of tuna in oil, drained (1 can); 4 anchovy fillets (4 fillets); 30 g of capers (2 tablespoons); 15 ml of lemon juice (1 tablespoon); 60 ml of strained poaching broth (4 tablespoons) (optional); 20 g of capers, for garnish (1 tablespoon) (optional); 2 hard-boiled eggs (2 eggs) (optional)

No Argentine Christmas Eve or New Year’s table is complete without a platter of vitel toné, and the chicken version is the one most home cooks reach for when they want something lighter and more budget-friendly than the classic veal original, without losing the dish that made it famous.

The recipe crossed the Atlantic with Piedmontese immigrants in the late 19th century, who brought their “vitello tonnato” with them and adapted it to whatever ingredients they found in their new home. Over time, chicken became a common stand-in for veal in many households, especially when cooking for a crowd or trying to keep the holiday menu a little lighter.

Today, chicken vitel toné is served cold, sliced thin and blanketed in a creamy sauce of tuna, capers, and anchovies, a standing appetizer before the Christmas roast or turkey.

Preparation

Poach the chicken, place the chicken breasts in a pot with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, white wine, and salt to taste; cover with water and simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
Cool the chicken and save the broth, remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool to room temperature; strain the broth and set it aside, since you’ll need it to thin the sauce.
Make the tuna sauce, blend the mayonnaise with the drained tuna, anchovies, capers, lemon juice, and a splash of the reserved broth until you get a smooth, creamy sauce.
Slice the chicken thin, once cooled, cut the breasts into thin slices and arrange them in layers in a deep serving dish.
Coat and marinate, spoon a generous layer of tuna sauce over each layer of chicken, finishing with a layer of sauce on top; cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the best flavor.
Garnish and serve, just before serving, garnish with capers, lemon slices, and chopped hard-boiled egg, and serve well chilled as an appetizer.

Tips for Best Results

Don’t overcook the chicken, or it will turn dry; pull it as soon as it’s cooked through.
Make this dish a day ahead, since the flavor actually improves after resting in the fridge overnight.
If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with a little more of the strained poaching broth.
Use good-quality tuna packed in olive oil for the most authentic flavor.

Traditional variations

The original, more traditional version is made with veal (classic vitel toné) instead of chicken.
Some families add unflavored gelatin to the broth for a firmer texture that’s easier to slice.
A touch of mustard is sometimes stirred into the sauce for extra punch.

How to Serve

Chicken vitel toné is always served cold, sliced thin and generously coated in sauce.

It’s a fixture on Argentine Christmas and New Year’s tables, served as an appetizer before the roast or turkey.

Recommended sides

Homemade bread or breadsticks (grisines)
Russian salad (ensalada rusa)
A chilled glass of white wine

A Bit of History

Vitel toné arrived in Argentina with Piedmontese immigrants, who brought their original “vitello tonnato” recipe and adapted it with the ingredients available in their new home.

Over time, many Argentine families started making it with chicken as a lighter, more affordable alternative to veal, without losing the dish’s signature tuna sauce, and today it’s just as popular at year-end celebrations.