Avocado Chicken Salad
This avocado chicken salad is irresistible! Perfect for a light, healthy dinner, it’s also delicious for a quick lunch or great for party food. Bonus: it comes together FAST (15 minutes or less)!
Oh my goodness, this simple and delicious avocado chicken salad is the best stuff ever. The perfect light dinner (and/or super quick lunch), it’s also pretty darn amazing to pull out for party food.
Avocado Chicken Salad Couldn’t Be Simpler
Five salad ingredients, one bowl:
- diced avocados
- juicy bits of corn
- finely chopped red onion (can use green onion or chives!)
- flavorful chopped chicken
- chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Then, a quick fresh and lemony (or limey, if you use limes) dressing is whisked together and poured over the top.
Toss it all together and you have a somewhat messy but totally irresistible combination.
The avocados lend the most delightful creaminess to the crisp corn and tender chicken.
I don’t often love raw onions in my food, but the little morsels of red onion in this salad are super, super tasty in this avocado chicken salad. You can easily sub in chives or green onions for the red onion.
How to serve avocado chicken salad
- Serve on a croissant or bun of choice
- Serve alongside tortilla chips or baguette slices for scooping/dipping
- Serve on its own with a side of fresh fruit
Bonus Tip: this salad is exceptionally tasty with cooked bacon crumbled and dusted across the top (or stirred in!).
A Few Additional Notes:
Chicken: the recipe calls for cooked, chopped chicken. So many options! The flavor of the salad is going to be greatly enhanced if you use a marinated, grilled chicken, but it’s also pretty darn delicious with any of the following:
- rotisserie chicken
- canned, drained chicken (if you prefer it)
- grilled chicken, like this amazing lemon garlic grilled chicken (especially awesome if it’s leftovers; minimal work!)
- quickly cooked stovetop shredded chicken
Corn: frozen, thawed corn works great, as does canned corn that is drained and patted dry. Fresh, sweet corn is exceptional in this avocado chicken salad. No need to cook first! Just slice off the cob and toss in the salad.
Avocado: because avocados brown quickly, if you are making this ahead of time or think you’ll have leftovers, add avocado to each individual serving and not the entire salad (or stir the avocados in right before serving).
One Year Ago: One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Two Years Ago: The Best Zucchini Bread
Three Years Ago: Honey Lime Fruit Salad
Four Years Ago: Balsamic Beef {or Chicken} Kebabs
Five Years Ago: Epicurean Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Lime Dressing
Six Years Ago: Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos
Seven Years Ago: Skillet Cilantro and Lime Fish Tacos
Eight Years Ago: Chocolate-Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
Avocado Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, or a combination of both
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- Pinch black pepper, I use coarsely ground pepper
Salad:
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (see note)
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh (cooked) or frozen and thawed
- 2 medium/large ripe avocados, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Optional Add-ins:
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- Cooked, crumbled bacon
- Feta cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Add optional add-ins if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve immediately. If making ahead of time, mix everything together except the avocados. Refrigerate the salad and stir in chopped avocados right before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally posted August 2019; updated October 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Happened to have all these ingredients and WOW was this a DELICIOUS lunch!!! I had cubed chicken, but think shredded would be even better to soak up the lime dressing. I used Avocado Oil, as that was in pantry. Not sure how well it would keep b/c of the avocado (would it brown?). Added the grape tomatoes and topped with feta as suggested. Could serve on sandwich or straight up. Loved this and will 100% make again.
I’ve made this a few times and I think the serving size is a little off. I think the serving size should be 2. Lol. An avocado per person right? Lol
This was delicious! We added the feta and I loved the slight tang it gave it. Perfect for summer.
I’ve made this so many times in the last three years after I was introduced to it. We love this salad! My kids and grandkids love it as well! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us! I appreciate it!
Thank you so much, JoAnne!
The whole fam loved it, even my almost 1 year old gobbled it up! Thanks for a delicious dinner!
I made this salad several times last spring/summer to my family’s delight. They were so excited when I said that this was on the menu tonight. It is soooo good !!
Nice change and very yummy!
To take this on the go, toast some thick slice sourdough bread and make an open face sandwich with the chicken avocado on top. The bread adds a nice base and portability to a wonderful dish. Kind of like a tangy non stuffy avocado toast.
This was soooo good! My husband was skeptical when I told him what was for dinner but he loved it too. I also took some short cuts with canned chicken, corn… so good!
Yum! So fast and easy!
I had leftover grilled chicken and avocados that needed to be used. This was even better than I expected!! Delicious!
Bessie
I have been following you now for 4 years, love your recipes, is it possible to have calories included in your recipes, I think that would be a great help to lots of people.
Hi Bessie, I’m going through a website update in a few weeks and it will include adding nutritional facts to the recipes!
I made this delectable chicken salad for several women friends this past week. It was delicious! You always know you’ve got a winner if everyone asks for the recipe…
I love that it had a citrus dressing instead of the typical mayo. I also added the cherry tomatoes, bacon and feta that was suggested. Definitely a keeper, thanks so much!!
One of my all time favorite recipes. I make these at least 1-2x per month!
This is tasty! I added a can of drained black beans. Super filling and a light, delicious lunch or dinner!
I’ve been making your recipes for almost 10 years now. Thank you for everything you do!
My mom made this recipe for dinner and oh… my… goodness… this is absolute HEAVEN. My little brother (who is a major food critic for such a little guy BTW) said “What is this recipe?!?! NEVER. EVER. LOSE IT. Make a hundred copies of it I could eat so much of it.” And I have to say I agree. This had my whole family licking their lips. I am an avocado lover, but I don’t know if you would enjoy it if you don’t like avocados. Anyway this recipe deserves 100 stars thank you so so much!!
Haha, thanks for the review, Mae! So appreciate it!
Fresh flavors and so easy to make!
Mel! I saw this on the 4th of July post and I’m not sure how I’ve never made it before! My 11 & 8 year old daughters are obsessed with avocado and as soon as they had their first scoops, they requested that I make it for dinner again and again. Served it with tortilla chips, honeydew, and strawberries.
I followed the recipe precisely and it was amazing! If I was making it for just myself, I might add fresh jalapeno. This will def be on our summertime menu again. Thank you for yet another winner!
Great, fresh flavors. I think I would cut the lime to 2 T next time… I think it was a little to limey for the kids. I would also sub in hard boiled eggs for half the chicken, just to go lighter on the meat. This is a keeper and we’ll be eating this a lot in the summer when we need a quick meal. My husband and I loved it, the kids not as much (but they will next time with a little tweak).
I love this dish. To me, it tastes like summer. I often skip cilantro/parsley if I have none on hand, but it really enhances this dish, add one of them if you can.
I made this for lunch today. I am trying to convince my kids to like avocados. My two 10 year olds happily ate every bite. The younger ones did pick out the avocado but ate the rest. It was so fresh and yummy after a season of overeating.
Are your recipes compatible with Google home/nest?
I’m not sure (not familiar with google home/nest) – sorry!
I love this salad soo much! Just reading the recipe makes me smile and my stomach growl! Hi…i this is a good reminder of some of your best summer fun!
This is a fabulous salad. My husband, daughter and I devoured it. We easily finished it in one dinner — next time I’ll double it! It’s also beautiful to look at. A wonderful, easy meal.
I meant to add — I served it with “Trader Joe’s Cornbread Crisps,” and it was a great sweet/salty balance.
Thanks for the review, Sarah!
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I can’t remember the last time we didn’t use your recipe’s for dinner, dessert, drinks, etc….. We love everything you put on here. Everything is just soooooo good! Thanks again!
Thank you SO much!!
Absolutely heavenly!! Added the optional tomato and bacon and would definitely recommend it. So refreshing and flavorful!! Salivating just thinking of it!
I can’t stop making it…and will def add tomato and bacon next time!
YUMMY!! This just became a staple for summer lunches for me. I’m not surprised since I love all of your recipes. Thanks, Mel!
Thanks, Emily!
Made this last night and it was really yummy. I added black beans and a bit more red onions than the recipe called for. I had the leftovers tonight and it was still good. I guess the lemon in the dressing kept the avocado from turning brown. Thanks for anther great recipe!
You always have the greatest ideas, Teresa! Adding black beans = brilliant.
Love it! I added black beans and boiled egg. And i also used differe spices. Will de make it again.
Thanks, Susan!
Love this recipe! I grilled some boNeless chicken thighs, added the rest of the
ingredients, added a little cumin, and served it wrapped in Napa cabbage leaves. Yummy!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was so yummy! My husband and I loved it, along with our youngest. I added black beans, crumbled cotija cheese, tomatoes and crumbled bacon. My kids added crushed tortilla chips to their bowls, but my husband and I just ate it as it was. It was fast and easy and hit the spot on this fall evening. Thanks for another winner!!
So glad this was a hit! Love the idea of crushing tortilla chips over the top!
This recipe was a huge thumbs up from my family. Such a refreshing meal during the hot summer month of August. My only suggestion was that I added Trader Joe’s Mexican Street corn chips crumbled on top for a little extra kick! This was delicious like so many of your recipes. Thank you!
Love, love that idea of a little crunch on top. Thanks, Amy!
Sooo good! It got rave reviews from my husband as well. I added some feta and a few garbanzo beans. This will be served again and again.
I am loving everyone’s slight variations. Yum!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
I can’t wait to make this!…once I get an appropriate avocado! Those little guys can be so difficult 🙂
Yes, they sure can! 🙂
If you have a Costco near you they sell single serve cups of avocado with just a little salt and pepper. They’re a bit pricey but your guaranteed to have perfect avocado every time. I get so frustrated when I waste money on avocados that are bad.
Made this with Trader Joe’s roasted corn. I was not sure what my boys would think ( I always preface with a comment about your boys loving it). They devoured the bowl of yumminess. This will be a new quick but nutritious lunch for us. Thanks for continuing to give us such great recipes.
Glad your boys loved this one, Sheila! Also, LOVE the idea of TJ’s roasted corn in this. Yum!
I have never acquired a taste for raw onions, but know that there are just some foods that they need to be in. A trick I’ve learned is to dice the onion finely, then let is sit (cook in) whatever acid you’re using for about a 1/2 hour. It really cuts the “bite” of the raw onion.
Great tip, Theresa! Thank you!
I am going to try this sometime soon with broccoli instead of the avocado (please don’t hate me, I just can’t stand them!!). Everything else looks so yummy! And of course, gotta add that bacon :). I am hoping it would have a longer “shelf life” with no avocado, so I can use this for lunch at work.
Bet it would be tasty with broccoli! A little less creamy but super delicious!
This looks so good! Speaking of features, I kind of miss the “similar recipes “ feature that you used to have. I found lots of recipes that way. Love your blog, most of what I cook is from here.
Thanks, Stephanie – I appreciate knowing that! I’ll see if I can add that back in somehow. 🙂 The plugin I used to use is no longer available but I’ll do some digging…
This looks like the perfect lunch! Do you think it would keep well enough to make it in the morning and eat it for lunch about 5 hours later? Thanks!
Yes, I think so, especially if it is well-covered.
Nutritional information on on this recipe ?
I don’t have it, but you could use a free online nutritional calculator to get the info. 🙂
Fresh corn makes my heart sing! So yummy!
2 semi-unrelated items. I love seeing what you posted in past years, mostly because I can’t believe I have been making things that long (i.e. beef and bean burritos for 6 years! Amazing). Also, just in the last week I noticed the new-ish ?? Jump to recipe button. I love love love love it!
Thanks, Angela! I appreciate when readers let me know what features they like – so thank you!
This sounds so fresh! One of my favorite summer salads is really similar, using lime, minus the corn, and swapping out the chicken for chickpeas. The chicken and corn sound like they would add a lot more delicious flavor and textures.
Chickpeas sound like a great substitution for the chicken!
We have switched to a somewhat keto diet to curb someone’s blood sugar, and this looks SO good….I will probably swap out the corn for bacon/feta/tomato and cry about the corn, but can’t wait to try it!!
Great keto option minus the dang corn! 🙂
I have made something very similar, including the bacon, substituting chopped red pepper for the corn. Same firm texture with more colour! It is quick & delicious!
Delicious idea!
Oh, that looks so yummy! A must make, for sure.