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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I just made this with a smoked chicken breast. SPG on the chicken. Brought to an internal of 180 degrees. Cooled over night.
4 strips of Bacon.
1 tbl of thyme (not a dill fan)
i bunch of scallions.
Rest was the same just 50%.
Very tasty!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Phil!
Very good and I even forgot to add the dill. Treated as main dish.
So glad you loved the recipe!
Hi, Natasha,
I’ve made this salad a few times as my husband doesn’t eat mayonnaise. I wanted to make it again, but one of my diners can’t eat olive oil. Is there a substitute for olive oil in the dressing or is there a salad dressing that I can purchase that you recommend will go well with this salad?
Hi Gena! We use olive oil because of the flavor it adds but you can replace with another oil of your preference.
Gena, I sometimes substitute avocado oil in place of olive oil. It is just as delicious!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Donna!
The recipe is easy and so delicious.
I enjoy your tutorial videos very much 🙂
I’m glad to hear that, Andrea! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha! I made this salad the other night and it was delicious but I thought it could have had a little more flavor. Any suggestions for extra herbs/spices so that it’s a little less bland?
Hi Ella! We’ve had great success with the flavor in this salad, but you can definitely increase the amount of the seasoning already used in this recipe (dill, chives, salt, and pepper). I used fresh herbs, not dry. I hope that helps!
Egg was not in the directions so I didn’t add one. Recipe was perfect. I used rotisserie chicken. One breast and on thigh. Cooked an ear of corn in the microwave for 3min. I added the avocado to the dressing before mixing into the rest of the salad. Just under 1t of salt was perfect. Next time I’m going to try adding a mango.
Hi Cheryl, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! That’s right, the egg is not in the directions since we note in the account “For extra protein, add 2 hard boiled eggs”.
We love this salad! I always fry the avocado & corn (separately) in a frying pan first, add lime juice. it enhances the taste of both and we quite like this salad luke-warm!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Linda!
Help! Realized I don’t have EVOO.. can I use spray EVOO or vegetable oil ?
Hi Joanne! I am not sure about the spray. I think it could work but I worry about the other additives it could contain that may effect the taste. Another oil could work too, it just wouldn’t have the wonderful taste that extra virgin olive oil provides.
This was so good!
I did substitute 1/2 a cucumber for the corn and I added the 2 hard boiled eggs but, other than that, I followed the recipe.
Even my husband, who doesn’t care for avocado, liked this.
Definitely on my meal rotation. Thank you!
That’s amazing, Pam! Thanks for the feedback!
I used half a cucumber instead of the corn too and it turned out great
You definitely want fresh dill. You can substitute dry dill but taste and add more if necessary. I did not add enough. Try to use an avocado that is ripe but still fairly firm. Mine was a little too soft. And add the avocado dead last and stir it in before or as you add the dressing. Otherwise the edges get mushy and everything turns green. Also, pour the dressing over the salad as soon as you make it or the salt and pepper just goes to the bottom of the measuring cup. If you let it sit give it a good stir before you pour. This was pretty good was good and I’ll probably make it again. I
Hi Karen! Thank you for the feedback. Glad you liked the recipe.
I make this all the time at home and for my office – people ask for it!! I add a little Dijon mustard to the dressing. So yummy!
That sounds delicious, Whitney!
This recipe is outstanding, and it makes me feel so good about eating healthier afterward. Is there an alternative recipe for pescatarians?
Hi Adam, thanks a lot for your good comments and feedback. I honestly haven’t tried a substitution for it to advise.
Love this recipe. So easy and delicious! I added tomatoes for my husband and he loved it too!
I’m so happy you both enjoyed this recipe, Wendy. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I really enjoyed this recipe! I always check with Natasha’s Kitchen first whenever I’m trying to make something delicious. I followed the recipe, except i used Two 10 ounce canned chicken, drained. I only had avocado oil on hand and it substituted fine. my lemon provided 4 Tbl spoons of juice so I used 4. I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. I served this on a warm tostada shell and it was so filling!! Yummy 10/10 !
Thank you for sharing, Domma!
This sounds great, except my wife won’t eat avocado. Guess I’ll just have to cut it in half and add black olives because she doesn’t like those either.
Hi Joseph! I hope you love the recipe. 🙂
I , even when i am not looking for a recipe, enjoy reading your posts.
Hi Dianne! Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoy my blog.
Sometimes I add spiral pasta for a little more filling, especially when I have alot of guest so it will go further.
I love, love love all your recipes! You never disappoint!!
What a great idea, Rhonda! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes.
LOVE LOVE this recipe!! We have made it several times over the past few weeks in our house. Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort!!
You’re welcome, Larissa. We’re so glad that you love it so much!
Can I add cilantro to this recipe instead of dill? I know they really arent the same.. just trying to use up some cilantro I have on hand!
Hi Janna, cilantro will work! One of my readers mentioned they tried this with cilantro and loved it!
I don’t like dill. Could I replace it with parsley? Or do you have any other ideas to replace the dill?
Hi Jamie, one of our readers shared that they used parsley and liked it too!
Natasha, you are fantastic & I have improved my cooking just because of you. I’m a famous sculptor who sadly has been ill with chemo cancer for two years . You have helped me heal & cook again. Plus I love to see your adorable children come in to eat & enjoy your delicious food. Thank you
I’m so happy you love our recipes, Ann! Thank you so much for your compliment and encouraging words. Food truly is a way to our hearts and our health. I’m happy to hear you are healing and cooking <3 Blessings to you, Ann! ❤️
ANN, your sculptures are stunning! Truly! I’m sorry to hear about your medical challenges. Prayers up for you. I am an artist & writer – not famous, lol, but from one artist to another – all the best in your recovery!!