Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe is a hearty mix of grilled chicken, avocado, corn, onions, cilantro, and lime juice. It’s loaded with flavor and texture and makes an easy, healthy lunch or dinner.
I used to not eat avocado and know I eat them almost every day. I didn’t guacamole because I didn’t like avocados. Now, chunky guacamole is one of my favorite foods.
AVOCADOS ARE SO HEALTHY!
Avocados are considered a superfood. They are heart-healthy and nutrient-dense. (Nutrient-dense foods are those that provide substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients with relatively few calories.) One-third of a medium avocado has 80 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making it a great nutrient-dense food choice. As well, it’s virtually the only fruit that contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Pair those healthy avocados with more vegetables and grilled chicken and you have a healthy and easy meal or side dish!
AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE
- Chicken – I roasted extra chicken when I made Chicken Doritos Casserole for this recipe. You can use boiled, roasted, grilled, or rotisserie chicken. As well, you can use canned chicken, but I’m not a fan of canned chicken so I don’t recommend it. I also don’t think boiled chicken has many flavors so if you’re cooking it yourself season the chicken really good and roast it instead. Picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocer will make the prep time of this recipe really quick!
- Red onions – I don’t like the flavor of raw onions, but I do love them pickled. Pickling onions takes away that really strong flavor. Plus, the pink gives a nice pop of color. Pickled onions are so versatile. You’ll find yourself adding them to so many dishes. I wrote this recipe and post on No Cook Pickled Red Onions. For this salad, I literally microwaved 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar for 1 minute until it was almost boiling. I poured the hot vinegar over the diced onions and let them sit about 10 minutes. I did this step first and they were ready after I had all the other ingredients prepped.
- Corn – I used a steam-fresh bag of corn. It’s the kind you microwave. You can also use fresh or canned. If you have fresh corn, you can grill it for another layer of flavor. I microwave the bag of corn according to the package instructions. Then I put it in a cast-iron skillet and charred it a little. I smelled wonderful!
THE FLAVOR ENHANCERS!!
- Cilantro – I used about 1/3 cup of fresh chopped cilantro. You can use more or less depending on your taste. Personally, I think the cilantro and lime juice is what makes this salad stand apart.
- Green onions – Use just the green tops and slice thinly!
- Salt, pepper, olive oil, lime juice – I added 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to bring out the flavors. I probably used just 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. (I’m not a big pepper fan.) For the olive oil, use extra virgin olive oil. It’s the most flavored and fruity. I squeezed the juice of one lime into my salad. You may want to go with half of the lime. I reallllllly like lime!
AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD SUBSTITUTIONS AND SUCH
- You can add pasta to this salad to make it heartier and make it go further.
- Substituting shrimp for the chicken will make a nice salad.
- As well, I sometimes serve it in a tortilla wrap, a lettuce wrap would be delicious too!
- Feel free to add other vegetables. Of course, tomatoes would be a nice addition. Jalapenos fit the theme nicely too if you like heat. If you’re looking for more protein, add boiled eggs. Bacon, mango, radishes, and black beans would be yummylicious in this salad too!
While you’re here, check out these recipes
- Tangy Vinegar Slaw
- Tex Mex Coleslaw
- Homestyle Coleslaw
- Best Cobb Salad
- Skillet Mexican Street Corn
- Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles
Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium chicken breasts cooked and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 2 medium avocados pitted and diced
- 1 cup corn roasted, canned, fresh, or frozen can be used
- ½ cup red onion minced, pickled if you prefer
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup green onions green tops only, sliced
- 1 medium lime juiced (about ¼ to ⅓ cup)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil optional
Instructions
- Soak onion in hot vinegar if you want them pickled. See the post above for details. You can put them in raw if you prefer.
- Cook corn according to package directions or until tender if you're using fresh corn. If you want to roast the corn, you can grill it or put it in an iron skillet and heat until it's charred a little.
- Dice avocado and squeeze a little lime juice over them to prevent them from turning brown.
- Combine chicken, avocado, corn, red onion, green onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, lime juice, and olive oil. Gently toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Chill or serve immediately. You can make this a few hours in advance, but I wouldn't make it more than 3 hours in advance. The avocado breaks down quickly.
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at my recipe index or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck
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