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This flavorful avocado chicken salad recipe combines grilled chicken, avocado, corn, and bacon to create the ultimate dish. I love how creamy it is without mayonnaise!
Looking for more hearty salad recipes? Try my rotisserie chicken salad, steak salad, Caesar salad with chicken, and kani salad.
I’m the kind of person who needs a little something in my salads to keep me satisfied and full, and that’s where my chicken avocado salad comes in. It’s loaded with all the good stuff (hello, avocado, corn, and chicken), but the zesty lime dressing takes it over the top.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- No mayo needed. Thanks to the avocado! It’s natural creaminess makes this salad naturally creamy!
- It’s healthy. The chicken provides protein, the avocado provides healthy fats, and the veggies provide fiber. I like to serve it with some sourdough toast or fries on the side to complete the meal.
- Quick and easy. Thanks to pre-made chicken, this recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make.
- It’s versatile. I serve this to my family as a meal in itself, but you can serve it as a side or bring it to a BBQ or potluck!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This recipe is fantastic! Served over a simple romaine and tomato salad for dinner. It was voted a keeper by the entire family.” – Susan
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breasts. Any pre-made cooked chicken breasts can be used. If I’m being lazy, I often shred a rotiserrie chicken or intentionally make my Instant Pot shredded chicken.
- Avocados. The star ingredient in this salad! They add a rich creaminess to every bite and complement the dressing perfectly. They are a fantastic replacement for mayo.
- Corn. Use frozen, canned, or fresh corn kernels.
- Bacon. Pieces of crispy bacon in the salad give it a delicious salty punch. I like to make some air fryer turkey bacon or air fryer bacon to cut back on the fat and also amp up the protein. It’s also the fastest way to cook it.
- Green onion. For a mild onion flavor. Remove the stems and chip up the green parts only. If you’d like to use actual onions, red onions are a good option.
- Dill. Use fresh dill if possible because it has a fresher and lighter flavor than dried dill.
- Lime juice. The main source of flavor and acidity in the chicken salad dressing. You can use lemon juice, too.
- Extra virgin olive oil. For the dressing.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
How to make a chicken avocado salad
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Combine the salad ingredients. Add the sliced chicken breasts, diced avocados, corn, bacon, and scallions to a large bowl.
Step 2- Make the dressing. Stir the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dill in a small bowl.
Step 3- Assemble and serve. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss together, and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make the dressing in advance. Mix the ingredients together in a sealed jar and store it in the fridge. This way, it’s ready to use at a moment’s notice!
- Add the avocado right before serving. Avocados tend to brown very quickly, which doesn’t necessarily affect the salad’s flavor, but it will make the presentation less tasty.
- Let it chill. I like to refrigerate the salad for about 30 minutes before serving. This gives all of the flavors time to meld, making the salad tastier.
- Use other cuts of chicken, like chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins.
- Add other vegetables, like diced tomato, red peppers, fresh cilantro, and parsley are all fabulous additions.
- Make it creamier. I feel the avocado adds plenty of creaminess, but if you want it even creamier, add around 1/2 cup of full-fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Storage instructions
To store: Keep the leftover salad in the bowl or transfer it to an airtight container. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the salad to prevent the avocado from browning further. Place a lid on top and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Avocado Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a salad bowl, combine sliced chicken breasts, diced avocados, corn, bacon, and scallions.
- In a small bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh dill.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything together.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published August 2023, updated and republished May 2024
Proteins from chicken, healthy fats from avocoado, fiber and vitamins from veggies…Amazing!
This was so good!!! I cut the corn by half to make cut the carbs a bit. Yeah I’ma dirty keto-er! 🤣
Avocado in my country is pretty expensive. But for this recipe I should buy it.
Hm dont like avocado very much but wiill try!
Hm dont like avocado very much but this can be good!
Oh my goodness, I am really looking forward to making this on Saturday! It looks delicious and healthy, a win, win. Thank you for all of the time and effort you put in to all of your amazing recipes. You truly are a blessing.
You are so welcome, Kate!
In order to make the avocado chicken salad more keto friendly can the corn be omitted?
Absolutely!
This is a keeper! Yum.
This looks so yummy. I will definitely be making it. I just don’t think you need the corn. Not that it would not be tasty. But corn has no nutritional value so I think why have it.
Marvelous receipe woooooooow,pls bring more
I like your recipes as their nice they look very tasty especially the ones for chicken
This recipe is fantastic! Served over a simple romaine and tomato salad for dinner. It was voted a keeper by the entire family.
It seems very tasty and multi functional
Delicious, used oregano instead of dill. Partner and I loved it!