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You are here: Home / Salads / Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

Last updated on September 2, 2020. Originally published June 10, 2020 9 Comments

Jump to Recipe

  This Healthy Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Salad recipe has no mayo and is packed full of nutritious ingredients! It takes 5 minutes to prepare and is a great way to use leftover chicken! Perfect for a healthy lunch or light dinner! 

front view of an avocado chicken salad sandwich

It’s starting to feel like summer, and with the change in the seasons also comes a change in the foods we crave! Light, fast, and fresh meals seem to be our norm in the warmer months, like this Avocado Chicken Salad!

This recipe comes together in mere minutes, is packed full of nutritious ingredients and is the perfect dish to pack for a picnic in the park! It is an all-time favorite savory recipe of mine. Whenever I make it I have a hard time letting it chill without sneaking bites from the fridge!

overhead view of a salad topped with healthy avocado chicken salad

How to make Avocado Chicken Salad

This healthy chicken salad recipe is a breeze to make, especially if you have leftover rotisserie chicken (or cooked chicken of any kind). It only takes 5 minutes of active prep (and then 30 minutes of chilling in the fridge). We’ll walk through the process together, and don’t forget to watch the video. 

Make the avocado sauce

To begin, make the avocado sauce. Start by mashing the avocado and then mixing it thoroughly with the Greek yogurt (or sour cream). 

two overhead photos showing how to make avocado chicken salad

Next, add the spices and fresh dill and stir to combine. 

two overhead photos showing how to make avocado chicken salad

Add Chicken

Next, add the cooked and chilled chicken to the avocado sauce. Stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout). 

Chill

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Just be sure to cover it tightly to prevent air from getting to the avocado! Chilling really helps the flavors blend and deepen in this avocado chicken salad!

two overhead photos showing how to make avocado chicken salad recipe

Serve

There are many ways you can serve this healthy chicken salad! Here are a few suggestions: 

  • As a sandwich. I suggest making pretzel buns, homemade wheat bread or homemade dinner rolls to make it an even more delicious meal!
  • As a wrap. Serve in in your favorite tortilla or wrap to make it low carb or gluten-free. 
  • Over a salad. I love serving this avocado chicken salad on top of a bed of greens, drizzled with a little homemade balsamic vinaigrette! 

overhead view of a bowl of avocado chicken salad

Avocado Chicken Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions

There are a few ways you can tweak this recipe to make it your own! Here are a few that I have personally tested!

  • Plain Greek Yogurt: All plain Greek yogurt varieties work excellently in this recipe, regardless of fat content. Obviously, a higher fat content will yield a richer, creamier chicken salad. You can also use sour cream in place of Greek yogurt. 
  • Fresh Dill.  Freeze-dried dill works well in this avocado chicken salad recipe. I always keep this Litehouse freeze-dried dill on hand in the winter when fresh dill is harder to come by so I can make this recipe (oh and this tzatziki sauce too)!
  • Onion powder. For a little extra crunch and flavor you can substitute 1-2 TBS of real onion for the onion powder. I cook for kids, so I opt for the powder instead!
  • Garlic powder. You can substitute fresh minced garlic for the garlic powder. 

Cooked Chicken

I recommend using cold, leftover, chicken to make this recipe. But if you don’t have any on hand you can simply boil 2 pounds of chicken breasts in chicken broth (with your favorite spices/seasonings) until fork-tender (see full directions in the recipe below). If you do this you must let the chicken cool before mixing it into the rest of the ingredients! So plan accordingly if you need to cook the chicken first.

overhead view of the ingredients in this avocado chicken salad recipe

How to store avocado chicken salad

Store this avocado chicken salad recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Since there is avocado in this recipe it will likely turn brown if it’s not all consumed the day it’s made.

The greek yogurt & lime juice help preserve it’s color, but be forewarned that while it will still taste amazing, it might become an off-putting color by day two. To prevent this, drizzle extra lime juice over any parts of the salad exposed to the air, then tightly cover the surface with plastic wrap before putting the lid on the container. 

Can you freeze this recipe? 

No, this is one recipe I do not recommend freezing. It’s best when consumed the day it’s made or the next day.

front view of an avocado chicken salad sandwich

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Avocado Chicken Salad

Healthy Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

Laura
  This Healthy Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Salad recipe has no mayo and is packed full of nutritious ingredients! It takes 5 minutes to prepare and is a great way to use leftover chicken! Perfect for a healthy lunch or light dinner! 
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Chilling time 30 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 115 kcal

Equipment

  • glass batter bowl
  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups
  • spatula

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups shredded or cubed chicken cooked*
  • 1 medium ripe avocado
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp fresh dill or ½ tsp dried
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 TBS lime juice
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, mash avocado.
  • Add Greek yogurt and stir until combined.
  • Add dill, onion powder, garlic powder, lime juice salt, and pepper and stir until combined.
  • Add chicken to avocado mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined.
  • Place in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes for flavors to blend together.
  • Serve on a sandwich, in a wrap or over salad greens for a tasty lunch or dinner!

Video

Notes

How to cook chicken: 

  1. Put chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with water or chicken broth by 2". 
  2. Add spices of your choice (garlic powder salt, pepper, onion powder, herbs, etc.) and bring to a boil. 
  3. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until chicken can be easily shredded with a fork. 
  4. Remove chicken from water and shred. 
  5. Chill shredded chicken in the refrigerator until cool (at least 2 hours).

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Plain Greek Yogurt: All plain Greek yogurt varieties work excellently in this recipe, regardless of fat content. Obviously, a higher fat content will yield a richer, creamier chicken salad. You can also use sour cream in place of Greek yogurt. 
  • Fresh Dill.  Freeze-dried dill works well in this avocado chicken salad recipe. I always keep this Litehouse freeze-dried dill on hand in the winter when fresh dill is harder to come by so I can make this recipe )oh and this tzatziki sauce too)!
  • Onion powder. For a little extra crunch and flavor you can substitute 1-2 TBS of real onion for the onion powder. I cook for kids, so I opt for the powder instead!
  • Garlic powder. You can substitute fresh minced garlic for the garlic powder. 

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 12.6gFat: 5.6gCholesterol: 25.8mgPotassium: 228.9mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.8gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 4.4mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 0.5mg
Keyword avocado chicken salad, avocado chicken salad recipe, chicken salad no mayo, healthy chicken salad, healthy chicken salad recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The photos in this recipe were taken by the talented Jamie from Dishing Out Health. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Lunch, Main Dish, Recipe Videos, Recipes, Salads, Summer Recipes Tagged With: chicken, gluten free, main dish

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carey

    July 15, 2020 at 4:19 am

    5 stars
    I am not a fan of mayonnaise so was very happy to stumble upon this recipe while searching for something a little different for dinner. I made this to go with a green salad last night. It made our salad pop…We loved it!
    I added red onion and baby sweet peppers for crunch and it worked very well. Thanks very much for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Naomi Robinson

    June 11, 2020 at 5:03 pm

    Our 13 year old is obsessed with avocados, so I know he would go crazy for this!

    Reply
  3. Matt Robinson

    June 11, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    5 stars
    Such a light meal for summer, seriously love this!

    Reply
  4. Anita

    July 1, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I both LOVE this recipe! It’s light and delicious! I was almost in a panic because I couldn’t find the recipe again! I think I’ll try minced fresh green onion the next time I make it. 😁 👍

    Reply
  5. Sheila

    April 17, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    I am a big mayo fun but for the avocado chicken salad — I did not mind at all. It was so delicious and quite a refreshing change for someone who would like to try something new.

    Reply
  6. Emily Swanson

    April 10, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    I love greek yogurt with chicken so much more than mayo. I just love the greek yogurt flavor so much more. Chicken salad totally smacks of summer. I love this introduction to spring/summer.

    Reply
  7. Letty / Letty's Kitchen

    April 9, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    5 stars
    Mayo–just say no! Love the sound of this salad–and the color!

    Reply
  8. marcie

    April 9, 2018 at 8:13 am

    5 stars
    It’s spring here for a minute then we’ll get a crazy winter-like rain storm. The weather is all over the place! I’m all about no mayo dressings and I love that you added avocado. This chicken salad screams spring and looks just delicious Laura!

    Reply
  9. Liz @ Floating Kitchen

    April 9, 2018 at 4:40 am

    This is right up my alley! I always say a big fat NO to mayo. I just never liked it and honestly, it kind of freaks me out. Lol. So I always reach for yogurt and/or avocado when making salads like this. So good! Love all the dill – one of my favorite herbs that I think is totally underused!

    Reply

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Hello I’m Laura! I am a former chemistry teacher turned wife and mom of five beautiful babies with one on the way in 2021! I’m a green smoothie addict, lover of the outdoors, and a peanut butter & nap enthusiast! Click here to read more >>

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