This Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe has so much flavor and the perfect texture! We swap mayonnaise for fresh avocado, so it’s creamy but light and satisfying. I know, I know classic chicken salad recipes usually have mayo, but you will never miss it!
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Helpful Reader Review
“This salad is always on rotation, my son asks for it and he loves the leftovers for lunch the next day. It really is hearty and yummy!“ – Eva ★★★★★
Easy Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe
This avocado chicken salad recipe is a winner, and it is well-loved by adults and children. Since I first posted the video, it went viral with over 50 million views, making it one of the most popular recipes on my blog. Funny enough, this recipe came about from a craving I had driving home from my night shift back when I worked as a Registered Nurse!
It’s quite a bit different than our classic Chicken Salad, but everything about this is good, from the tender bites of chicken, creamy avocado, sweet corn, and crunchy bacon. Plus, you’ll want that fresh lemon dressing on all of your salads.
My son is particularly smitten with this chicken avocado salad and requests it for his birthday. It was in his top 3 requests, so you can imagine I made it for his birthday and as often as I can throughout the year. By the way, his other two were this Shrimp Dip and Caesar Salad. I love this kid.
Avocado Chicken Salad Video
You’ll love my lighter chicken salad with avocado. It’s just as creamy, flavorful, and filling as using mayo, but this is a dish you’ll feel great about eating often! If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this chicken salad tastes just as good the next day – perfect for a to-go lunch. You all are always requesting work and school lunch ideas, and I hope you love this one!
Ingredients for Avocado Chicken Salad
This Avocado Chicken Salad has such simple ingredients, and you may already have everything you need to make it (I just love it when that happens)!
- Chicken – shredded or cubed. I use rotisserie or Roast Chicken to make prep easier, but you can also use well-drained canned chicken or Bake Chicken Breasts before shredding or cutting them into bite-sized pieces.
- Avocados – I use two avocados. You’ll want nearly ripe or perfectly ripe avocado for this salad.
- Corn – You’ll need 1 cup, or 1 ear of corn. You can rinse canned corn, cook frozen corn, use Grilled Corn or Boiled Corn. You can also microwave unshucked corn for 3-4 minutes. If you want to keep this salad Paleo, just omit the corn.
- Bacon – I prefer lean cuts of bacon (see how to cook bacon without a mess). If you’re looking to cut fat, I use turkey bacon instead.
- Herbs – Dill and Chives – If you prefer you can swap the dill with cilantro or the chives for green onions
- Dressing ingredients – lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Hard-boiled eggs – Optional, but these add great protein to the salad. Peel, cut, or quarter, and then add to the salad ingredients.
Substitutions/ Variations
We love this just as it is, but you can use these easy substitutions to make it your own.
- Protein – omit the chicken or swap with hard-boiled eggs, leftover shrimp, or chickpeas
- Veggies – swap the corn or add other seasonal veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, or red peppers
- Pasta – Try mixing in a cup of bowtie pasta or any small-shaped pasta.
- Add heat – chop jalapeno or add a shake of red pepper flakes to the dressing.
Helpful Reader Review
“Stellar recipe!! Used turkey bacon for the first time ever and could NOT tell a difference, thanks for the tip! Also used a cup of frozen corn and just heated It up in pan until it got a little char to it. D-E-L-I-S-H😋” – Sam ★★★★★
How to Make Avocado Chicken Salad
- Dice or shred two chicken breasts or 2 cups of rotisserie chicken into a mixing bowl.
- Peel and dice avocado into bite-sized pieces. Careful! I’ve met too many people with avocado-cutting injuries. Add the pieces to the bowl.
- Add the corn, onion, bacon, and dill to the bowl.
- Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and then pour over the salad ingredients. Toss to combine. Add the hard-boiled egg if using, but don’t stir too vigorously after adding them.
How to Serve Avocado Chicken Salad
This avocado chicken salad is deliciously versatile. It is a protein-packed salad so it’s perfect for work lunch or meal prep and the lemon keeps it fresh and vibrant. Serve this chicken salad:
- As a main course salad alongside crusty Sourdough Bread
- In Croissants, Pita Bread, Hamburger Buns, Tortillas, or Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Or scooped up with Pita Chips or Sourdough Crackers
- In lettuce cups for chicken salad lettuce wraps
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
This is a great salad to Make-Ahead because it tastes even better once the flavors meld the next day.
- Make-Ahead: If you know you won’t be serving it immediately, wait to cut and add the avocado until right before serving. Mix the salad and cover. Refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve.
- To Refrigerate: Cover leftovers with plastic wrap directly over the surface of the salad. This will help to slow the browning of the avocados. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
This Avocado Chicken Salad recipe is one of my (and my son’s) very favorite salad recipes; seriously tasty and easy, hearty but feel-good food at the same time. It’s a win-win-win! Try this easy chicken salad today.
Avocado Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Avocado Chicken Salad Ingredients:
- 2 large cooked chicken breasts, shredded or chopped
- 2 large avocados
- 1 cup corn, from 1 cooked cob
- 6 oz lean bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1/4 cup Chives , (or green onion), chopped
- 2 Tbsp Dill, chopped, or to taste
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, Optional, halved or quartered
Lemon Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Dice or shred the 2 large cooked chicken breasts and place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Peel and pit 2 large avocados, slice into bite-sized pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup of cooked corn (freshly cooked corn is best), toss in chopped green onion, chopped bacon, and fresh Dill.
- Make the dressing – add the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Drizzle the dressing over your salad and toss to combine. Serve with slices of hard-boiled egg if desired.
Notes
**For a healthier salad, you can use uncured turkey bacon which tastes amazing but has less fat. Make-ahead – Mix all the ingredients except the avocado and hard-boiled egg. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add the avocado and egg just before serving. Storage – To store leftovers, cover the dish with plastic wrap, ensuring the wrap is touching to top of the salad to slow the browning of the avocado pieces. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Asian Chopped Salad
- Maroulosalata – Greek Lettuce Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Taco Salad
- Classic Tuna Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
Leaving out the corn woukd make it a low carb option. Brocolli could be used in its place.
Can I use fresh corn on the cob?
You can definitely use freshly cooked corn on the cob. I prefer that to canned corn.
Would love to have nutrician posted for those of us who follow Weight Watchers…this looks delicious….
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Libby!
If using the canned chicken, how many cans should be used?
It is really a matter of how much salad you want to make. I would probably use two of the larger cans, well drained.
Any issues with the avocado turning? That would be my only concern–this looks amazing!
The lemon juice keeps it from browning too quickly and it stays looking and tasting great for about two days. I haven’t tested it beyond that only because the avocado starts to change color.
It looks really yummy. Can you supply the nutritional information? I’m a type 1 diabetic and must count carbs. Thanks.
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Pat!
I’m thinking about using this for my meal prepped lunches (making them Sunday and putting them in 5 containers to eat Mon-Fri). If I cut the egg the day of, do you think the meal will last the week?
Looks amazing!
To be honest, I don’t think any salad with avocado would last that long. It stays great for about two days and after that it starts to discolor.
I tried it leaving both the avocado and egg out and cutting them the day I ate it. It taste perfect! New meal prep, done! Thanks so much!
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it worked well for your meal prep 🙂
My wife and I enjoyed this for dinner the other night and we both loved it. Oh and our son loved it also. Thank you for this!
I’m so happy you all loved it. That is the best! 🙂
I tried this and loved everything about it and I agree, fresh corn is the best in this salad!! Thank you for another yummy recipe 🙂
YES!! I’m so glad you liked it and I completely agree. I love the sweet pop of flavor freshly cooked corn gives.
It was excellent! I also used a lemon cucumber.
Thank you so much for the great review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
How many servings can you get per servings
The recipe serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as an entree.
Now that is a healthy and nutritious meal, minus the bacon of course. Can’t wait to make this recipe. Tank you for the idea.
My pleasure Kathy! Please let me know what you think when you decide to make it!
The photo shows boiled egg, but the video did not show egg being added. Does it make a difference?
Hi Angela, I add the egg at the end just to make a protein packed meal. I added them in the full length video that is at the top off this post. You’re right, it isn’t on the social video only because we have to keep that one to a minute length and the egg is completely optional.
Wondering if it really needs dill? My hubby doesn’t care for it. Thanks looks yummy
Hi Annette, you could omit it and it will still taste great 🙂
Very good salad and salad dressing too,
I will try this tomorrow after Church
Thank you so much Renner! I hope you love it 🙂
Hi Natasha…… I was wondering what I was going to have for dinner tonight …..I am on my way to the grocery store right now …. ! Thank you. Xo
Oh that is just awesome! I hope you love it!! 🙂
This salad looks delicious, however, I dislike Avocado. Could you recommend another fruit to add?
Hi Sandie, you would be missing the creamy aspect without cucumber but I would suggest cucumber as the next best thing 🙂
Hello Natasha!
I am going to make this amazing looking salad today! 🙂
I was wondering if you have the nutritional values for this? Have a family member who has to watch carbs very closely do to heart transplant. Wanted to see if this is something he can eat.
Thanks!
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Tara!
Wow, another beautiful surprise ! Thank you so much !
You’re very welcome and thank you for the compliment 🙂
Delicious! Made it today. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for the amazing review 🙂
Hi Natasha quick question can I used canned corn instead of cooked corn on the cob or will it change the flavor of the salad overall?
Natalya, canned corn will work just fine 😀