Avocado Chicken Salad

Easy and Healthy! Avocado chicken salad with avocado, chopped cooked chicken, apple, celery, and onion. No Mayo!

Avocado Chicken Salad
Elise Bauer

The concept is simple—a quick, basic chicken salad that uses mashed avocado as a binder instead of the more traditional mayonnaise.

That was my idea as I set out to repeat the success we had with our Avocado Tuna Salad. It would be a "sequel" of sorts, hopefully a sequel more like Toy Story 2 (brilliant!) than the second Bridget Jones (yikes).

Nailed it! At least I think so. You will be the final judge.

The unexpected ingredient in this chicken salad is chopped apple. Apple brings sweetness, tartness, and crunch to the chicken salad, helping to round out the flavors.

Avocado replaces the fat of the mayonnaise, but not the seasoning. So we're adding salt, pepper, and a good dose of lime juice. I'm also adding plenty of chopped fresh cilantro, you could easily use parsley instead.

Avocado Chicken Salad

Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Servings 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken

  • 1 ripe avocado, seeded and peeled (see How to Cut and Peel an Avocado)

  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro or parsley

  • 2 teaspoons lime juice or a tablespoon of lemon juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Pinch freshly ground black pepper

  • Sandwich bread or salad greens

Method

  1. Place the chicken, avocado, apple, celery, and red onion in a medium bowl. Gently mash the avocado with a fork and stir it around so that everything gets well mixed.

    avocado-chicken-salad-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    avocado-chicken-salad-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  2. Add the cilantro or parsley, lime juice or lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add more lime juice or salt to taste. If the mixture seems a little dry, you can stir in a teaspoon or two of olive oil.

    To store, place in a bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap so that no part of the chicken salad is exposed to air. Will keep a couple of days in the fridge.

    Serve on sandwich bread, toasted bread, or salad greens (I recommend arugula or watercress for extra zing).

Links:

Avocado Tuna Salad here on Simply Recipes

Avocado Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing from Framed Cooks

Apple, Avocado, Arugula Salad from Tracy of Shutterbean

Chicken Avocado Salad from Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen

Raw Kale Salad with Apple and Avocado from Cookie and Kate

Avocado Chicken Salad
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
494 Calories
34g Fat
33g Carbs
22g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 494
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 44%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 51mg 17%
Sodium 399mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 16g 58%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 29mg 143%
Calcium 51mg 4%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 1317mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.