Avocado Chicken Salad
You won’t miss the mayo in this creamy avocado chicken salad! With ripe California Avocados, sweet bell pepper, fresh lime, jalapeño and cilantro, it’s a southwest-inspired chicken salad that’s awesome on sandwiches, in wraps, over greens and even with tortilla chips (try it!). It’s the ultimate easy lunch or dinner, and it’s perfect for potlucks and picnics.
Servings: 4 -6 people
Ingredients
- 2 ripe California Avocados, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from 1 chicken)
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cut one avocado in half, remove and discard the pit, then scrape the flesh into a large bowl. Add the lime juice. Using a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. Add the olive oil and granulated garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken, red pepper, jalapeño, scallions and cilantro. Stir to combine, and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the remaining avocado in half, remove the pit, then cut it into slices. Serve the chicken salad with the avocado slices in sandwiches, wraps and salads!
Notes
Do Ahead: The chicken salad can be covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. While the lime juice helps keeps the avocado green, the salad will start to darken after a couple days (but it will still taste good and is safe to eat).
Tips:
- I prefer to buy green, hard avocados and let them ripen at room temperature at home, that way I can eat them right when they ripen (and they won’t bruise on the way home from the market!). Once they darken in color, transfer them to the refrigerator to slow the ripening process.
- For more heat, leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeño (you can also add a whole jalapeño, if you prefer).
- Feel free to swap out the granulated garlic for 1 grated garlic clove.
- For the prettiest slices, peel the avocado instead of scooping it. Cut the avocado into quarters (discard the pit), then peel each quarter. From there you can easily slice the avocado.