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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 been eyeing this recipe for weeks. I finally made it for lunch today and am so glad I did! One tip, if the dressing is too tangy for you, add a bit of honey. Also, if you don’t have fresh corn, roasted corn is a great substitute. So yummy!
I’m glad you love it Cassie! Thanks for sharing your great review and tips for other readers!
So good! I made this tonight as an entree and served it with Pull-apart Cheese Bread. It was perfect together. The dill and lemon make the salad refreshing!
Awesome, I’m glad you like it Beverly! Thanks for sharing 😀
I swapped the corn for a cup of red bell pepper. Was pretty awesome!
What a great suggestion! Thanks for sharing your suggestion with other readers Jevon!
I made this today and it was delicious!
I’m glad you like it Nikki! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Any idea what the nutritional information is on the chicken avocado salad?
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 Cher!
It was thank you. I am new to keto and was curious if it would fit in it.
I subbed leftover cocktail shrimp for chicken and cilantro for dill. The corn fresh from the cob was worth a few minutes of extra work. Really delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome Shelley! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Can I use canned or frozen corn instead?
Hi Eleisha, I would still 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
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was amazing. A new family favorite
You’re welcome Tammy! I’m happy to hear that you love it! Thanks for sharing your great review!
What can I use in place of dill? Don’t care for dill.
Hi Rob, you could just omit it or use cilantro instead. I hope you love the salad! 🙂
I made this it was fantastic !!!!
I’m glad you love it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
If using canned chicken, how many cans would you use?
Hi Paula, 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 🙂
I was wondering how you got 6 servings for a side and 4 for a meal? What was your serving size? I am doing the keto diet and would like to know so i can figure out my portion sizes for my protein fats and carbs
Hi Amanda, I don’t have nutritional info available due to time constraints, but this makes about 6 cups of salad – I hope that helps! 🙂
Can I used dried dill in a pinch?
Hi Jessica, fresh is best but if you use dried dill, I would make the dressing first and let the dill sit mixed in with the dressing ingredients while you prepare the rest of the salad.
I could not find fresh dill today – how much dried dill should I use instead? Many thanks.
Hi Sandra, it is ok to omit the dill and you will still have great results, but if you still want to use the dried dill, I would start with 1 tsp and make sure you mix it in with the dressing and let it sit for a little while before adding it to the salad so it can soften. I would probably just omit the dried dill and just use chives before adding dried 🙂
Many thanks – I didn’t have time to get fresh chives so used the dried dill in the dressing as you described. It was a truly awesome salad, many, many thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Sandra! I’m glad you love it! 🙂
Any clues as how to tell if an avocado is ripe? I cut one today that was NOT ripe…flavor was good but it was HARD! I have not tried this recipe yet but it sounds delicious enough I’m giving it a 5!
Hi Linda, I usually tell by feel – if it has some give when you press your fingers on the outside, it should be ripe. Also, if you pop off the stem, it should come off easily and will be green underneath, that is also a sign of ripeness.
Press near the stem end. You want quite a bit of give there, but not on the entire fruit. Same is true of peaches, etc. overly ripe avacados are pretty gross, though I eat them anyway, because I adore avacado.
I want to make this ahead of time for a lunch at work. Would the lemon/oil dressing help to stop the avocados from browning?
Hi Laura, that will keep the avocado from browning. If storing overnight, place plastic wrap directly over the salad to keep as much air out as possible which will also help to keep avocados from browning.
I didn’t see cucumbers in the recipe.
Oh goodness, I was completely thinking of my avocado tuna salad!! I updated that reply. Thanks for catching that!! 🙂
LOVE this recipe – I “beefed” it up with red capsicum (peppers) and cucumber… and then sprinkled a bit of feta over the top. Scrumptious! It certainly lends itself to a number of veggie variations, and I do agree, the fresh corn is definitely the best.
I’m glad you love it just as much as I do Mary! Thank for sharing your great review!
What is the nutritional value of this salad?
I don’t typically include calorie counts because of the time constraint that I have. I really need to hire some help to do that for me! When I need a quick answer though; I have used Caloriecount.com (their recipe analyzer is free).
Hi Natasha! I live in Pakistan and avocado is not easily available. Can you suggest a substitute? Can’t wait to try this.
Hi Bina, I really don’t have any other substitutes that would work. You could omit it and use more of everything else, but there’s nothing quite like avocado to replace it.
Perfect salad! I could eat this every day!
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your great review Janell!
I can’t eat corn. What would be a good substitute?
Hi Reba, you could just increase the other ingredients or simply omit the corn – it will still taste great 🙂
I’m following weight watchers and wondering how many smart points are in a serving of this. I made it and it’s delicious! Can you post nutritional information? Thanks!
I’m glad to hear you love it Lisa! 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!
It is 17 smart points per serving
Thank you Ellen! 🙂