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
This chicken avocado salad is still one of my FAV recipes. I generally leave out the egg – sometimes add a few cherry tomatoes. Today I used purple onion (what I had on hand) and added it to chopped romaine. Makes for a lighter main dish at lunchtime (plus gives me left-overs.
I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog, DeAnna! That’s so great!
Something besides dill you would recommend i n this? Looks yummy!
Hi Tina, I would skip dill and just leave it out. You can add more of the chives if desired.
I love your cooking
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes, Sukainaa!
Could you use lemon infused olive oil instead of fresh lemon and olive oil? And by the way, I love your recipes. Cant wait to try this one. Thank you for all you do.
Hi Debra, the fresh lemon will definitely give you better and more lemon flavor than just oil infused with lemon flavor.
Delicious! Made with fresh lemon as suggested…my husband, nor I can get enough. Thank you.
I prepared the chicken with a sous vide and some seasoning. Happy bellies!
Hello Debra, that is great to hear! I hope you and your husband will love every recipe that you will try.
I loved this salad!! It’s such a great summer salad. Would it work if you used either crab or shrimp instead of chicken? Or are the flavors only meant for chicken? Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shylo! I haven’t tried that substitution, but it may work. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
I made this salad several times two summers ago and it was a hit with my family. I had forgotten all about it until I popped back on your website the other day while meal planning. We made it last night and oh my goodness, now I remember why we loved it so much! We served it on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce and red cabbage and it was incredible…. This salad is definitely going back into our meal rotation!
I’m so glad you re-discovered this family favorite, Holly!
I subbed the corn for cucumber and also added cashews. My husband is on his second bowl!
Yay, good to know that your husband loved it!
Hi Natasha,
I made this last night for my wife and I. I added 4 chopped up hard boiled eggs to it. One word.
Deeeeeeelicious!
Will have the leftovers tonight in a wrap.
When I make this again (and I will for visitors), I am thinking I’ll have a bowl of walnuts and a bowl of dried cranberries on the table to add as toppers.
Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Cheers,
Gil
Yum! so good! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with me Gil!
ya did it again !! Its great to see such a dedicated chef so creative. Do ya sleep in da kitchen ? been cooking for 70 years and James ,Jimmy < Beard would have loved your Versatility He was so cool ta know , I have to go with what I have on this one ,, thighs,Celantro and lime juice will let ya know how it turned out My garden is producing a 9 inch long flat Italian streengless bean its awesome picked fresh cucumbers this AM, the pickling variety " Good Eating " Joseph
Thank you for your good comments, Joseph. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Love your recipes and want to try this salad, but it has a lot of sodium, is there a way to reduce it?
Hi Anna, feel free to reduce the salt level used in this recipe.
I love all your recipes, but this truly was amazing. Thank you. You should also try the Lahaina, Kaanapali area of Maui.
Thank you for your good comments and suggestion, Thomas!
my dream is to have a direct course with you! I think you are awesome
Aww, that’s the best! I’m so inspired reading this! Thank you!
Cooked with kids for a Memorial Weekend gathering today and made three dishes from your site. This was the 3rd time we made this and got so many compliments. We sometimes add cherry tomatoes. Also made the tres leches for a girl who said the one she had at a Mexican restaurant was not good but loved yours. And we made the cream puffs and guests were impressed. Thank you!
You are very welcome! I’m happy that the recipes are always a hit, thanks for sharing that with us! I hope you and your friends will love every recipe that you will try.
This salad is a family favorite! We have added a can of rinsed black beans, and swap out the dill for one bunch of chopped cilantro. I like to add some diced jalapeño to my portion. I think we may add pepitas next.
Yum! Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Emelem!
I also always substitute cilantro for the dill, and I love the thought of adding black beans. I’m making this for the weekend, so I think i’ll give that a try! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Melanie! I hope you love it!
This is simply great. I’m a fan of your website & recipes.
I don’t see where this recipe says how many it’s serves? I imagined 4 ( size of your famy)
I have to serve 12 people. Would I triple it?
Plus what best way to shred rotisserie breast? Maybe show us that sometime .
Kind regards
Dot
Ho Dot! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! The serving size can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving.” This recipe serves 6 as a side. For 12 people, as a side, I would double it. Hope that helps! To shred chicken breast, you can use two forks and rip it apart or a mixer works too! Once the chicken is cold, make sure you remove the bones, turn your mixer on low speed and slowly mix away until shredded, don’t overdo it though! I hope this helps!
I buy my rotisserie chicken from Meijer and they always sell some chickens shredded. Not sure if you live near a Meijer.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
SO good. When I say I can eat this everyday, I mean I can eat this EVERYDAY. It’s so easy and delicious. My one and half year old also approves!
Wow! That’s so great! I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog!
Natasha,
All of you’re recipes are AMAZING! That’s the comment I heard from friends. They loved the Cobb Salad….DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much!
Susan
Wow, that is so heartwarming. Thank you so much for this great feedback, I appreciate you sharing it with us, Susan.
I wonder if adding pasta to this salad if it would be good?
Hi Cristal, I haven’t tried that, but several of our readers served this over or with pasta and loved it.
I love, love, LOVE it! I made this specifically for my lunches this week. Taste tested tonight and omg so good. I can’t wait for lunch time tomorrow! I’ll be making this a lot. Thank Natasha!
Love it! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Pam. Thank you for your awesome review!
How come all your recipes are so good!
That’s so sweet of you, Peggy. Thanks a lot!