Avocado Chicken Salad
Summer is coming to an end and it is time for some healthier meals to start incorporating into our diet! This is where this avocado chicken salad comes in! If you are anything like me, summer means ice cream, eating out, and not really caring about calories! Now, that summer is coming to an end and it is back to school season; meal prep and healthier meals are needed. This avocado chicken salad is the perfect creamy chicken salad to prep ahead of time and enjoy for days to come. It keeps great in the fridge and is super versatile.
You can enjoy this avocado chicken salad in lettuce wraps, low-carb tortillas, or on top of your favorite salad for the perfect source of protein and nutrients. It goes great not only for your lunch but for your kids too! They can get in their greens while enjoying this yummy recipe. To save you even more time on this prep, you can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that as opposed to cooking the chicken yourself. I often will poach chicken for my chicken salad which you can learn how to do here. I did this for this recipe but grilled leftover chicken would also work great.
The creamy avocado sauce comes together so quickly with just a few ingredients and the pulse of your food processor. You can really add on whatever you like to this avocado chicken salad too whether that be red onions, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, nuts, or feta.
How is this Avocado Chicken salad so creamy?
Two things make this chicken salad creamy without any mayo!
- The Avocado! Avocados are such a fabulous subsititute for a healthier, heartier, and more nutrient packed chicken salad. It offers creaminess when whipped that mimics that of yogurt or mayo.
- Olive oil! While only a little bit is necessary, 1-2 tbsp at most; olive oil is primary for a silky smooth sauce. Not only does it help loosen the sauce from the thickness the avocado gives but it adds just the perfect flavoring too. The only one I use which is readily available in all supermarkets is Filippo Berio brand. They have various types of olive oils too. Some perfect for baking, grilling, sauteeing, or others just great for frying or dipping. In this case, I use Filippo Berio’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is neutral enough to not overpower the flavors of the sauce and truly comes together beautifully. Olive oil is also one of the best sources of fats to use in your cooking for health purposes!
For other similar recipes, check these out: refreshing chicken salad, avocado egg salad, shrimp avocado salad
As always, I would love to see your creations and hear what you think! Leave a comment below and be sure to share with me on my Instagram as well!
Avocado Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken breasts, cooked, cubed or shredded
- 1.5 Avocados, ripe, pitted
- 1 Lemon's juice
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Fresh Basil leaves
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top, optional
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend together all the ingredients other than the chicken and red pepper flakes. Pulse until it comes together into a creamy dip-like consistency.
- Add it to the cooked chicken and mix well until the chicken peices are evenly coated.
- The chicken can be grilled, poached, or roasted. To poach chicken, check out this recipe method above in the blog post which was used for this recipe as well! Regardless, this would be fantastic with leftover grilled chicken or rotiserrie.
Notes
Delicious! Easy and well written! Easy ingredients as well! Can be modified in so many ways!