Chicken Avocado Salad is super healthy, packed with lean protein, healthy fat and delicious flavor! It makes a delicious quick lunch. Tossed with a homemade dressing made with fresh lime juice and cilantro, you will love this salad! Dairy-free, paleo, Whole30 and naturally gluten-free.
Chicken Avocado Salad is what we are enjoying this summer! We love this recipe because it is healthy and really simple to make. Tossed with a homemade dressing made with fresh lime juice and cilantro, you will love this salad! Dairy-free, paleo, Whole30.
Really healthy, there is no heavy mayo in this salad! It gets all its natural creaminess from ripe avocados.
So easy to make, this chicken salad is super quick to put together and is packed flavor. When the temperatures are soaring, you will be loving this naturally creamy and healthy low-carb salad.
One of my all-time favorite combos is grilled chicken with avocado slices. It’s the natural creaminess of the avocado with the chicken that I can’t resist. Mom made two super tender whole roasted chickens the other day. This salad came together with some of the leftover roasted chicken. I typically make a chicken salad with a little mayo and other ingredients. Now if you don’t have any roasted chicken leftover or chicken breasts, use a rotisserie chicken.
It basically was an inspiration by putting together what I had on hand. I had nice and ripe avocados, red onions, fresh cilantro, juicy limes, and also, the most gorgeous blackberries. The idea was to add a little bit of sweetness to this fresh summer salad.
If you are cutting back on carbs, this salad is delicious just the way it is straight out of the bowl. Or if you have pita on hand, you can stuff it inside. Another idea is to make a sandwich with your favorite multi-seed bread (that’s what we did!). The burst of fresh lime juice in the homemade dressing, cilantro and the natural sweetness from the juicy blackberries makes this salad simply irresistible!
Super fresh and so flavorful, I could eat this salad every day!
How to make this avocado chicken salad recipe:
The only thing to plan for when making this salad is having the most ripe, yet not too mushy avocados. I bought some avocados a couple days ago and left them on the counter. When I was ready to make the salad I made sure they felt a little soft but not mushy.
So keep that in mind if you can’t find the perfect avocados at your local market, keep your avocados on the counter and check them when you’re ready to make the salad.
As for the chicken, mom made two lovely roasted chickens at the beginning of the week and the goal was to use some of the chicken breasts shredded in a salad. A rotisserie chicken would work great!
When you’re ready to make the salad gather up all your ingredients.
If you’re using your own roasted chicken or rotisserie, shred up the chicken (or cut it up into bite sized pieces) and add to your bowl.
Add in the diced avocados, red onions, cucumbers, salt, pepper, chopped up cilantro and your fresh lime and olive oil dressing. Stir it all together to combine. You could even stir it until the avocado breaks down, which would make the salad even more creamy.
What other fruit or vegetables could be added into this healthy salad?
Here are some ideas to inspire you:
- spinach
- green or red peppers
- scallions
- shallots
- radishes
- sugar snap peas
- shredded carrots
- roasted corn
- cherry tomatoes
- olives
- peaches
- mangos
- papaya
- blueberries
- strawberries
These are just some ideas and honestly, any thing could work. Whatever you have on hand and what inspires you. Mom brought over two containers of gorgeous blackberries, so one container got tossed on top of the salad.
Otherwise, I would have used blueberries. The dressing and the cilantro really brings it all together. I know some people do not like cilantro…if that’s the case, you could use fresh parsley or dill in its place.
Some tips on keeping the avocado green and delicious:
The first and most important tip is to not cut the avocado until you’re ready to eat the salad.
As soon as you cut the avocado into pieces, squeeze some fresh lemon juice all over them.
If you’re using less avocado than the recipes calls for, be sure to keep the pit in the half you’re not using and keep it in the fridge. I would use up the rest of the avocado the next day
How to serve low carb chicken salad:
There are different ways to enjoy this salad:
- Lettuce wraps: So if staying totally low-carb, this is the easiest way to serve it.
- Tomato: Take some ripe summer tomatoes and hollow them out. Serve the chicken salad right in the tomatoes.
- Tortillas: There are some really nice low-carb tortillas or if you’re not low-carb, use your favorite regular tortilla.
- Pita: If you’re not low-carb, stuff it in your favorite pita bread.
- As is: Yes, do what I usually do and eat it right out of the bowl!
Some other salad recipes to enjoy:
- Sweet Summer Corn and Cucumber Salad
- Whole30 Broccoli Salad
- Warm Tuna Nicoise Salad
- Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad
Chicken Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- SALAD
- 2 cups shredded chicken I used our homemade roasted chicken (rotisserie would work fine)
- 2 avocados cubed
- 1 English cucumber diced
- ½ red onion diced (or use scallion or shallots)
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped (or use dill or parsley)
- DRESSING
- 4 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or a mild flavored oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add dressing ingredients to a mason jar and shake well (or add to a bowl and whisk together).
- Check the flavoring and add more lime juice, or salt and pepper, if needed. You could also add a bit more of fresh herbs if you feel it needs something more. If you have cilantro and dill, you could add a combo of the both of them.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to mingle before serving. You could also serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken: We used our homemade roasted chicken, but you could use rotisserie chicken, or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and diced).
- Dressing: Comes together so easily. It's key to use fresh lime juice (or lemon)and if you're not following Whole30, add a bit of honey or coconut sugar to sweeten it a little. You could also add a touch of red pepper flakes to spice it up a little.
- To store: the avocado will brown, so press plastic wrap tightly over the salad and push it down to make sure it's sealed. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
