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
How many calories is this pre serving? wanting to make this for dinner tonight!
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 Eden!
I took the fresh option all the way through so dished it as a “warm” chicken avo salad … awesome for dinner … I’ll be keeping this one up the sleeve when I’m looking to impress a special lady 🙂
I’m glad you like the recipe Greg! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
Made it tonight. It’s fantastic!!!
I’m glad you enjoy it Jacquelyn! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Aaaaaammmmmaaazzziiinnnggggg!
I’m glad we agree Anita! Thanks for sharing 😀
Nevermind I found it!!
Any idea of the calories??I’m sure it’s a lot but it would be nice to know.
What could you use instead of dill? Don’t like dill.
Hi Becky, you could try cilantro or just omit the dill and you will still have a great tasting salad 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner for my husband and myself. It was delicious and so easy to prepare. I bought a rotisserie chicken which seriously made it super fast to throw together. My husband likes Ranch dressing so I just added the dressing for the recipe on the side. I will definitely be making this again. What a great salad for a warm summer evening.
I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Marisa!
I used canned buffalo chicken breast. For the dressing I left out the oil. It’s really good.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your tip with other readers Kathy!
Hi can you use the corn in a can?
Hi, I would highly recommend freshly cooked corn when it is in season, it adds a truly awesome pop of sweet flavor in the salad that is hard to match with canned. In winter, I use canned or frozen so it will still work 🙂
Do you have the nutrition values?
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 Nancy!
This was seriously delicious! My husband rarely enjoys salads but as soon as he heard bacon and avocado he asked for a bowl of it! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Marina! I’m glad you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
I’m planning to make this for company this weekend. What additional side dish could I add as a complement?
Hi Doris, because this salad is sort of a meal in itself, I would suggesting serving this chicken salad as an entree, or in sandwiches, pita pockets and even as a filling for lettuce wraps. This avocado chicken salad is deliciously versatile. You might serve it with pockets and butter lettuce leaves on the side so folks can build their own. I hope that helps! 🙂
Enjoyed your video and I will be making this fresh salad!!!!
I’m glad you like the video Shirley! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
I made this tonight for dinner. I was so easy and so good. Did the preparation during the day then later, mixed it all up. It’s a keeper 👍
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe Jennifer! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So good! My new fav. salad!!
Awesome! I’m happy to hear that Danette! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Good morning I’m making the avocado chicken salad, my question is should I serve it right away or can I refrigerate it with the dressing on?
Hi Amy, I found that this is still good the next day after being refrigerated (although for parties or feeding a crowd, it tastes it’s best on the day it is made). If refrigerating, cover directly over the surface with plastic wrap since air on the avocado will cause it to brown faster.
How long will left overs last/stay good for?
Nicole, I thought leftovers the next day still tasted great. You probably don’t want to keep it longer than that since the avocado will start to brown. If storing overnight, cover directly over the surface with plastic wrap to keep the air out and refrigerate.
So easy. Great summer recipe for us or for a party. Meyer lemons make the dressing especially tasty. Thanks.
You’re welcome Myrna! I’m glad you like it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can you make this ahead of time or does it get too soggy?
I thought leftovers the next day still tasted great. You probably don’t want to keep it longer than that since the avocado will start to brown. If storing overnight, cover directly over the surface with plastic wrap to keep the air out and refrigerate.