Avocado Chicken Salad

Make your next lunch an unforgettable one with this delicious and easy avocado chicken salad recipe – it’s a healthy twist on a classic!

Are you looking for a delicious, yet simple way to spruce up your lunch or dinner menu? This flavorful avocado chicken salad recipe is the answer!

Made with simple, fresh ingredients like chicken, celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic powder, paprika and much more – it’s the perfect combination for any meal. Our avocado chicken salad is full of zesty flavor, rich textures, and nutritious ingredients – it will satisfy even the most discerning palate.

Plus, its light yet creamy texture delivers an extra boost of flavor that will tantalize your taste buds.

So get out your cutting boards and pull up this recipe – it’s time to whip up some mouthwatering avocado chicken salad!

How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad

Using a rotisserie chicken is super quick and easy. You could also use leftover baked or grilled chicken, but you can also start with raw chicken ahead of time and throw it on a grill pan on the stovetop for a little grilled flavour.

You can also poach your chicken. Simply add your raw chicken to a large pot with chicken broth or water and bring to a boil Turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the pot and chop it up once cooled enough to touch.

How to Serve Avocado Chicken Salad: 

You’ve got a couple of options for serving this chicken salad:

Croissants – Make a sandwich using a flaky, buttery croissant.

Crackers – Spoon a little chicken salad on a cracker or tortilla chips and eat it like a dip.

Salad – Serve it on a bed of greens such as romaine lettuce.

Lettuce wrap – A great low carb option, a lettuce wrap is fresh and healthy.

Tortilla – Enjoy a classic wrap using flour tortillas.

Bread – Or just serve it in a classic style on sandwich bread.

Variations on Chicken Salad

This healthy chicken salad recipe is completely customizable. Try these ideas:

Add nuts – Try adding chopped walnuts, cashews, pecans, sliced almonds, or pine nuts for a nutty crunch.

Add fruit – For a touch of sweetness and extra crunch, add halved grapes or chopped apples.

More Veg – Halved cherry tomatoes are amazing here too.

Switch up the herbs – I used dill here but try fresh thyme or tarragon instead. Chives are another great option, and if you are into cilantro, fresh cilantro offers a whole different flavour profile.

Spice things up – A little minced jalapeno or red pepper flakes adds a nice kick.

How to Store Chicken Salad

Store chicken salad in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigeratorfor up to 3-4 days. Do not leave chicken salad out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

I do not recommend freezing chicken salad.

About the Ingredients for Avocado Chicken Salad

This chicken avocado salad is very versatile and made with simple ingredients.

Chicken – A fully cooked, store-bought, 2-pound rotisserie chicken should provide around 7 lbs of chicken. Use both the white and dark meat. You can use all chicken breast instead if desired.

Veggies – Celery and red bell peppers

Seasoning – Paprika, dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Thyme and tarragon also work well here in place of the dill. Try using fresh herbs in this easy avocado chicken salad instead of dried.

Aromatics – I used both red onion and green onion. You can use chives as a replacement for either. I would not recommend using fresh garlic cloves here, just a touch of garlic powder is enough.

Mustard – Dijon mustard adds a complex tang to the chicken salad.

Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice made with fresh lemons is best but you can substitute with bottled lemon juice or even lime juice.

Mayo – The avocado mayo can be replaced with 3 ripe avocados, mashed. You can also replace half of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

Avocado – You will want a perfectly ripe large avocado for this. If you can’t find perfectly ripe avocados use a package of guacamole instead.

Looking for More Chicken Recipes?

Check out more of my favourite recipes for chicken!

A delicious, easy to make chicken dish that is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. This skillet bruschetta chicken will be a family favorite!

This delicious and easy-to-follow bacon wrapped jalapeño popper stuffed chicken recipe is perfect for a quick and tasty weeknight meal.

This easy cranberry chicken recipe is a delicious way to feed the family over the holidays or any time you want a good home cooked meal.

How to Make Avocado Chicken Salad

Yields: 10 Servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Chill time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 7 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dill weed
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup green onions
• 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise
• 1/2 avocado

Directions:

Chop the celery, red bell pepper, and red onion into small cubes and place them in a large bowl.

Add the garlic, paprika, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, dill weed, parsley, green onions, and mayonnaise into the bowl.

Mash the avocado in a separate bowl with a fork until smooth and add to the mixing bowl.

Mix everything together until fully incorporated.

Make sure the chicken is cold, as it is easier to remove the meat. Hand shred and use a fork to remove the white and dark meat from the chicken. Remove all the white and dark meat and place it on a cutting board and roughly chop. Do not include the skin.

Place the chopped chicken into the medium-sized bowl and fold into the mixture until fully coated.

Top with fresh green onions for garnish and flavour.

Chill for 1 hour before serving.