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
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- Maroulosalata – Greek Lettuce Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Taco Salad
- Classic Tuna Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
Made this salad on Saturday – and it’s hands down the best recipe with avocado (I hate avocados). I loved it. And it is extremely easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re so welcome, Alina! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
How can you tell if an avocado is ripe? I tried making your avocado chicken salad twice now. The first time the avocado was too mushy. When I made it again last night, the avocado was hard so I threw the cut up pieces in the trash and just used the remaining ingredients.
Hi Susan, check for to be sure the avocado is not too green in color, should be firm but slightly soft to the touch, also pulling the stem – if the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado comes off easily and you find green underneath, you’ve got a good avocado that’s ripe and ready to eat.
Do you have keto recips
Hi Ginette, we have several on our blog including this Avocado Cucumber Shrimp Appetizer. Most of our recipes that are not Keto have suggestions in the comments on how readers made them Keto friendly. I hope that helps.
Can i add vinegar to the dressing? much love from Uganda Natasha
Hi Rahma, I haven’t tried that with this recipe to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I could eat this every single day. In fact it is our go to during Quarantine. I add a 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup to the dressing for a little sweetness! Thank you so much!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Natasha’s, thank you for offering to me help me. I want to just read and see what you share with us. I love to see all of your recipes. You make it look so easy. If I think of a problem I need help with I will write you a note.
Thank you so much!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
looks very tasty i would use white pepper & paprika instead
We make this as a meal. My family can’t get enough of it. We love it.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Tips to improve dressing? It was awful. Even my husband and son who will eat anything had to add honey to tame it. I don’t like honey so I skipped dinner. Any other ideas?
Hi Meredith, I am always happy to help troubleshoot. My best suggestion would be to use fresh lemon juice and not from concentrate.
It’s a little tart. I added a little extra olive oil to tame it. It is wayyyy to strong alone so if you tasted it before you added it probably not good. I had a few people who had the Salad love it and i followed the recipe with a little more olive oil.
Oh em gee! This recipe was super simple, easy and delicious! Only thing we omitted were the eggs, because I forgot! But it still tasted delicious! Thank you!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Claudia!
Can I use baked chicken thighs?
Hi Melissa, absolutely! That would work great.
I try this recipe and it is now my favorite….It is just amazing. I really like all your recipes…thank you so much
Hi Nicole, that’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
I am looking forward to making this! Would this be good for a weekly meal prep? How does the avocado hold up for longer than a day?
Hi Liz, I have kept it refrigerated up to 2 days. I think this is the very best when it is served the same day but the avocados will be fine until the next day because the lemon juice in the dressing preserves them. To be safe, I would suggest placing plastic wrap directly over the salad to keep the air out which is what causes the avocados to brown.
thanks for the tip
I am not a big fan of dill. And recommendations for something to use in its place?
Hi Sara, You could just omit the dill and the salad will still work. You could also try some finely chopped cilantro or evenly parsley, adding them to taste if you prefer to substitute.
This was really good! My whole family loved it and each had more than one serving. They all commented on how good the dressing was. I added cucumbers and tomatoes. This salad is the best ever and will definitely serve it again.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Molly!
Love your fried rice w/shrimp recipe-My issue is I’m not as organized as I’d lik to be
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Denies, this recipe makes 6 servings as a side dish.
Hi Natasha, I made this recipe for my husband and I and normally he doesn’t like avocado. He absolutely loved your recipe it’s was so delicious. Will definitely make again.
That’s so great Liz! I’m so glad you both enjoyed this recipe!
Looks great. How many WW points per serving?
Hi Susan, I am not familiar with the WW diet so I would not be a good source for that. The best we can offer for nutrition is the nutrition label at the bottom of the recipe card.
Can Mayo be added to the recipe?
Very tasty!! Used Cilantro vs Dill as we had that on hand, added a bit more pepper for bite
Can’t wait to make it again.
Sounds like you found a new favorite Mike! Thank you for that awesome review!
Since I’m a lime lover and I always have them, used it instead of lemon. Excellent to the taste buds, Will try it with lemon next time. I’m sure it will be good too.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Gloria!
This recipe is delicious! I used Szeged Chicken rub to season the breasts and added some hard-boiled egg (2) and baby spinach leaves for extra greens.
If you have digestive issues with green onions (like we have in my household), I swapped the green onion for cooked regular onion. Tasted just as good… and stomachs were much happier lol.
I’ m so happy you all enjoyed that Caryn! Thank you for sharing that awesome review with us!
Cannot have corn is it okay to omit?
Yes, absolutely! You can sub with cucumber.
Made this tonight, my husband ate 2 full bowls! He is a rediculously picky eater. Winner
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!