Avocado Chicken Salad
Mayo-free chicken salad bound with creamy mashed avocado, lime and cilantro, with crunchy celery, red onion and a little jalapeño.
Nutrition per serving
¾ cup- Net carbs
- 2.9g
- Calories
- 295kcal
- Protein
- 27g
- Fat
- 18g
- Total carbs
- 8.5 g
- Fiber
- 5.6 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Avocado tuna salad: Two cans of tuna instead of chicken — no cooking required, and ready in 10 minutes.
- Skip the poaching. Flake the drained tuna into the avocado dressing with the other ingredients, using only ¼ teaspoon of salt.
BLT: Crispy bacon and juicy cherry tomatoes folded in with chives — spoon it into romaine leaves for a BLT-style lunch.
- Leave out the cumin and jalapeño and use chives instead of cilantro.
- Fold in the bacon and tomatoes with the diced avocado just before serving so the bacon stays crisp.
-
½ tsp ground cuminleave out -
1 jalapeñoleave out - Also add
Estimated cost $7.31 for 4 servings ($1.83 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Put the chicken in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm) and add ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a bare simmer, then cover and cook on low for 12–15 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). Let it cool in the liquid for 10 minutes, then dice and chill.
-
In a large bowl, mash one avocado with the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, remaining salt and pepper until mostly smooth.
-
Add the chicken, celery, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro and fold until coated.
-
Dice the second avocado and fold it in gently so the pieces stay intact. Taste and add more lime or salt as needed.
-
Serve in lettuce cups, stuffed into halved avocados or bell peppers, on cucumber rounds, or with almond flour crackers.
Tips for success
-
Mashing one avocado and dicing the other gives you a creamy dressing plus buttery chunks. - Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut — you will need about 3 cups, diced.
- Lime juice slows browning but doesn't stop it. If you make it ahead, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface.
Storage & meal prep
- Keeps 1 day in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Serve cold
Prep tip: Poach and dice the chicken up to 3 days ahead; fold in the avocado on the day you eat it.
Best eaten the same day. Refrigerate up to 1 day with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosAvocado tuna salad
ProteinTwo cans of tuna instead of chicken — no cooking required, and ready in 10 minutes.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts → tuna
2.9 g net · 240 kcal · 20 g protein · 15 g fat · ≈$1.52 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
BLT
FlavorCrispy bacon and juicy cherry tomatoes folded in with chives — spoon it into romaine leaves for a BLT-style lunch.
- cilantro → chives
- + 6 slices cooked bacon
- + ¾ cup cherry tomatoes
- no ground cumin
- no jalapeño
3.7 g net · 368 kcal · 33 g protein · 23 g fat · ≈$2.31 per serving (+0.8 g net carbs vs the original)
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