Avocado Chicken Salad (Printable)
Tender chicken and creamy avocado tossed with crisp vegetables and lime-garlic dressing for a light, protein-packed lunch.
# What You Need:
→ Proteins
01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (about 2 medium breasts)
→ Vegetables & Fruits
02 - 2 ripe avocados, diced
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 small cucumber, diced
06 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
→ Dressing
07 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
09 - 1 clove garlic, minced
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Optional Add-ins
12 - 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
13 - 1/4 cup sliced almonds
# Directions:
01 - Dice the chicken breast, avocados, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes. Finely chop the red onion and fresh cilantro. Mince the garlic clove.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, diced avocados, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, diced cucumber, and cilantro.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and ground black pepper until well blended.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss until everything is evenly coated, taking care not to mash the avocado.
05 - Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese and sliced almonds over the top if desired, then toss lightly to incorporate.
06 - Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving for a chilled option.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in the time it takes to rinse your cutting board and text someone back.
- The avocado does all the heavy lifting for creaminess so you never miss the mayo.
02 -
- Avocados will brown no matter what you do after about four hours so this is not a make ahead recipe for tomorrow.
- Adding the dressing right before serving instead of earlier keeps the cucumber from going watery and sad.
03 -
- Salt the diced cucumber lightly and let it drain in a strainer for ten minutes before adding it to the bowl so your salad does not puddle at the bottom.
- Use the ripest avocado you can find because it acts as part of the dressing, coating everything in richness without any mayonnaise at all.