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
I have a question, if using canned chicken, how many ounces do you recommend using??
Hi Nancy! I would use 2 cans for the full salad 🙂 I made it the other day with well drained canned chicken and it was very enjoyable 🙂
8 oz. equals 1 cup… but the more chicken the better… I would double it, especially going by weight…
An old adage is:
A pint’s (16 oz.) a pound, the world around! 16 oz = 1 # (lb.)
I loved this recipe! I’m a student meal prepping for the week, so I tried to make it a bit hardier. I added sliced cherry tomatoes, red onion sauteed with rosemary and garlic, chopped romaine, and doubled the corn. It’s fantastic! I can’t wait to take it for lunch.
I love that you incorporated this into your meal plan! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with us, Thomas!
Hi Natasha,
What is the serving size on the Nutrition facts?
Hi Kathleen, This recipe makes for 6 servings as a side dish. 🙂
This was an amazing salad!! I made this yesterday for my husband and I and there weren’t any left overs! He asked me to make it again tonight.
That’s the best! Thank you for sharing this amazing review with us, Erika!
You go girl ! have it again tomorrow to
Looks yummy but soooo much sodium!
Bacon is high sodium, up to 500mg per ounce! We used lean bacon for this recipe and that number is still pretty significant. I hope this helps 🙂
I made this recipe twice now and I love it. Its so refreshing. It’s definitely a keeper! I would give it a rating of 10 stars if I could.
You are so nice! Thank you for your awesome review, Diana!
Great dish for a hot August night. After I fried the bacon I cooked the chicken in the same pan after pounding it out. We loved it and will make again. I added black olives and tomatoes. I enjoy your blog and find your recipe’s fantastic. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much Linda! Thank you for the great review!
Such an amazing recipe! YUMMY! I’m new to your blog but am becoming a fan fast. Thanks for the great videos and delicious recipe ideas.
Cindy, I’m so happy you discovered our blog! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Amazing. I can’t stop eating it. I left out the boiled egg.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Carrie!
Great recipe! The flavors are great together and it’s easy to make. I’m adding some homemade rosemary ciabatta on the side.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Jan!
Love this! A friend made it for a get together and now I am hooked. I tried it tonight with some fresh Arugula from my garden. Loved the additional flavor it added.
That’s great, Julia! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
I have one word for the avocado chicken salad…. AMAZING!!!! Was really easy to make. Cooked bacon while I shredding the chicken (store bought rotisserie) and avocados. I also added tomatoes, cucumbers & red onion. I used canned sweet corn (no salt added). I used dry dill. The lemon and olive oil dressing is light yet flavorful. This recipe gets 2 thumbs up.
Thank you for that awesome review Jennifer!! Wow! I’m all smiles
Thank you for this delicious recepie. The entire family loved it and it was so so filling.
You’re welcome! Thank you for the awesome review!
I made the avocado chicken salad for my son and his wife who eat a very clean paleo diet and they loved it. Thank you. Can’t wait to try more recipes from your website.
That’s so great! I’m happy this worked for their diet!
Made this tonight – delish! Did change a few things since I didn’t have bacon – added red bell peppers and jalapeno. Hubby liked it too 🙂
Hi Diane! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Thank you eva so much Natasha for sharing your Avocado, Chicken Salad recipe.
I made it tonight and my husband loved it (he’s not a salad man), he loved it so much that he wants it again sometime this week for tea. If you could have seen the mixing bowl I made it in there should of been enough for 2 nights tea.
My darling of a pig husband eat the whole bowl. I had left over mash & mix vegies so I heated that up to go with the salad was incredibly awesome. So once again thank you so much, the dressing so easy and just toped it off loved every bit of it thanks.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new family favorite!
This is a fantastic salad. I’ve made it several times with a couple changes. I like to add halved grape tomatoes to the salad and a tablespoon of homemade mayo to the dressing. Prefect for hot summer days when you just don’t want a hot meal.
Yes! I completely agree with you Denise this is a perfect dish for summer! Thank you for the great review!
I am going to make this the night before so I have it ready for company arriving for lunch. Do I put the dressing on it before refrigerating it for the night or wait until I am ready to serve it. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Jeannie, I would add the dressing and omit the salt then add salt just before serving. The dressing will keep the avocados looking fresh and green. Also, the salt will draw moisture out of the salad as it sits so we usually just season to taste before serving.
Thanks so much for responding! I will let you know what my guest say. They will love it i’m sure!
I look forward to it!
Good to know i did mine night before with half the dressing the added the avocado and other half of dressing right before serving I was worried the avacado would brown if I did that night before. I didn’t think about the salt drawing out the moisture.
I’m so happy I could help!
So I made this for a work bbq potluck. It was a huge hit! And it’s been deemed a staple. Thanks for posting it!
That’s awesome! Thank you for the great review Angela!
I just made this and I did add the hard boiled eggs. It is delicious 😋
A keeper recipe for sure!
I’m so happy you found a keeper recipe! Thank you for sharing your amazing review with me! 🙂
Made this & added a can of black beans (rinsed)….delicious!
Thank you for sharing your addition with us! Sounds amazing!
Sooo yummy! I’ve tried lots of chicken salads similar to this but could never find *the* one.