Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

This avocado chicken salad recipe introduces a hearty mixture of grilled chicken, avocado, corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, red kidney beans, and lime juice. It’s full of invigorating flavors and textures, allowing you to enjoy a healthy meal with pleasure every National Avocado Day (July 31).

Is This Avocado Chicken Salad Healthy?

We believe the answer is yes, avocado chicken salad is generally a healthy dish. This salad is packed with healthy fat, lean protein, and tons of vitamins and minerals.

We all know chicken breast is an amazing source of lean protein— that’s an indisputable fact around here. Then why avocado for the salad?

Avocado is considered a superfood, as it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods that are widely available on the market. It’s loaded with healthy fats, fiber, and is an important source of nearly 20 different vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, E, K, and B-6.

An avocado (which weighs about 201 grams) contains 322 calories, of which 77% of the calories are from fat. It is actually the only fruit that contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid, to be precise).

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This amazing fruit also provides riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Main Ingredients

In this avocado chicken salad recipe, besides the juicy and savory chicken, you’ll have fresh and vigorous flavors from the avocado and the combination of vegetables.

1. Chicken Breast

For any chicken dish, we always recommend you cook a fresh batch of chicken so the leftovers (if any) can last for a longer period. Either boiled, grilled, or poached chicken can work beautifully in this salad.

However, for quick and easy preparation, please feel free to use store-bought rotisserie chicken or canned chicken to toss in your salad.

2. Avocado

For this avocado chicken recipe, it’s important to start with ripe avocados. Always look for avocados that have some dark brown spots on the skin; this indicates the avocado is ripe enough to eat.

The chosen avocado should be neither too green nor overripe— the inside flesh should be soft and bright green, but not mushy. This is because, when tossing the avocado in the salad, you’ll need it to break down a bit to act as a binder between other ingredients.

In short, the avocado needs to remain creamy when combined with the chicken without turning the entire salad sloppy and muddy. 

If you want to use avocado to replace traditional mayo, you can even mashed, or puree it to super fine and smooth so it will coat the chicken completely. On the other hand, if you love a chunky salad where you can take a bite of everything, simply cut the avocados into large chunks instead.

In case you can’t find a ripe avocado, packaged guacamole is also second to none. Packaged guacamole does not brown quickly, and it can save you a lot of time for preparation.

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3. Dressing

In this avocado chicken salad recipe, the dressing includes only four ingredients: ground black pepper, salt, olive oil, and lime juice. The dressing is light in taste, herby, and slightly tangy, perfect to balance the richness and savoriness of the chicken and avocado.

At times you can go with an olive oil and mustard dressing for a super simple salad or a tasty Southern appetizer. It’s all up to you!

What Else Goes With

The avocado chicken salad is a protein-rich meal, so it’s suitable for work lunches or dinner. Not only can it make a quick and fulfilling meal for you, but it also allows you to customize it in many ways.

Here are some suggestions for additional ingredients to play with the recipe a little bit.

1. Mango

Mango can add a touch of sweet and sour taste to this salad while helping to round out the flavor at the same time. It also comes with a fun texture and gives you something more to chew besides the creamy avocado and the crisp, juicy cherry tomatoes.

2. Sandwich

Needless to say, this dish can easily be turned into an amazing chicken salad sandwich filling.

It’s suitable for sandwiches, crepes, or lettuce rolls. Stuff it between some toasted whole-wheat bread and pile it high with tomatoes and romaine lettuce to create low-carb, high-fiber wraps.

3. Greek Yogurt

Although avocado is enough to make the salad smooth, you can consider adding Greek yogurt or sour cream for more flavor. Of course, this would increase the nutritional values of the salad accordingly, including the total calories and fat.

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Looking for another recipe to serve the family? Whether you want an easy dish at home or something perfect for lunch, we have the perfect accessories.

FAQ

1. How Many Calories?

This avocado chicken salad provides 235 calories per serving.

2. How Long Does It Last?

Avocado chicken salad can keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Cover the salad tightly with plastic wrap to slow down the browning of the avocado and put in the fridge.

However, please note that the browning is simply unavoidable; all we can do is slow it down. Normally, the browning will happen within 1-2 days after preparing.

If you want to make this salad in advance, it’s best to prepare everything except the avocado. When you are ready to eat, mash the avocado and add it to the salad right before serving.

3. Can You Freeze This Salad?

Yes, you can. Simply follow the same storing process as when refrigerating, but this time, put it into the freezer.

Avocado chicken salad can remain edible for 2 months in the freezer. A word of warning, though: the salad will become murky and squashy after reheating, which can be unattractive.

Awesome Chicken Salads to Try

Fill your belly with this super lean chicken salad, Chinese-styled. Apart from julienned veggies, it has crispy strands of fried egg noodles that basically make the salad a healthy snack.

Or, try making this Waldorf salad to satisfy your sweet tooth. The dressing is rich and tangy, but it coats chunks of grapes that add tons of sweetness and nutrients.

Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote

In this avocado chicken salad recipe, besides the juicy and savory chicken, you'll have fresh and vigorous flavors from the avocado and the combination of vegetables. Finally, the addition of lime and coriander can also brighten the whole thing. Vibrant and attractive colors in one bowl of salad!

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2021-01-28

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• cook TIME 40 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 50 mins

• COURSE Side Dish
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 235 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 6 oz skinless boneless chicken breast
• 7 oz avocado (cubed)
• 3 oz sweet corn
• 2 oz cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 2 oz red onion (diced)
• 2 oz unsalted dark red kidney beans
• 3 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
• 2 tbsp scallions (chopped)
• 3/8 tsp salt (divided into 1/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (divided)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 2 tbsp lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Rub the 6 oz whole-piece chicken breast with 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper and 1/8 tsp of salt. Let rest for 5 minutes.

2

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low, add the chicken, and sear for about 10 minutes until golden on both sides.

3

Allow it to cool down and then chop into chunks.

4

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 2 tbsp lime juice.

5

Toss the chicken, 7 oz avocado, 3 oz sweet corn, 2 oz cherry tomatoes, 2 oz red onion, 2 oz dark kidney beans, 2 tbsp scallions, and 3 tbsp cilantro together with the dressing.

6

Serve immediately or chill first, if desired.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 235Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g

25%

Saturated Fat 2g

13%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Cholesterol 31mg

10%

Sodium 245mg

11%

Potassium 550mg

16%

Carbohydrate 14g

5%

Fiber 5g

21%

Sugar 2g

2%

Protein 12g

24%

Vitamin A 196IU

4%

Vitamin C 13mg

16%

Calcium 21mg

2%

Iron 1mg

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: Avocado Chicken Salad, Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe, How to Make Avocado Chicken Salad