Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

I promised you all I wasn’t all about fall just yet in my last post (where I may have been a bit early on the autumn train), but I’m here to let y’all know that summer isn’t gone just yet! I’ve got a recipe for healthy avocado chicken salad that is essential for all of your late-summer picnics when you try to enjoy the long days while you still can. We’re in that odd time where summer is fading but there’s no sight of fall weather on the horizon yet; if you’re an adult, you may know this time as “pool freedom season.” Yes ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about the time when the kids are back in school, but the pools aren’t closed just yet. Which means you can kick back in a lounger and enjoy the rays without having a kid come up to you and ask “Is it ok if I splash you?” every five minutes.

Where is that kid’s mom when that kind of thing happens, anyways? Why are kids not learning to avoid strangers these days? Why did Supernanny ever go off air when we needed her most?

I digress.

So yes, while September is almost here and the kids are back in school, the heat won’t quit and the mosquitoes aren’t dead yet. Which means…avocados are still in season! While I’m desperate for fall flavors and holidays and temperatures, I know as soon as the first leaf falls I’m going to have a little mourning service for all the fruits and veggies that go out of season when autumn comes. I mean, yeah, you can buy avocados and berries in the winter, but should you? Avocados are one of the most finnicky fruits in the world, as you may know if you’ve ever bought them. I mean heck, there’s meme after meme dedicated to the fact that avocados ripen and then spoil while you have your back turned. So the idea of eating avocados that aren’t in season and have been shipped from miles and miles and miles away is kind of…unappealing. And you can’t even get away with freezing them like I do with berries so I can make my Mixed Berry Moscato Cupcakes all year-round, so it’s best to leave avocado as a summer treat that you just can’t wait to get back to every year.

Which brings me to why I’m posting this recipe for healthy avocado chicken salad now: because your time is running out! Soon the avocados will be gone, to be replaced with pumpkin and squash and all things of that nature. So take your opportunity while you can and whip this up for a quick snack or even a light meal! When I found this recipe, it used a lot of mayo and chicken, which sounded great. But then we decided to try and be healthy in this household while simultaneously eating less meat, so I made some adjustments. This healthy avocado chicken salad uses plain Greek yogurt as the base, and contains a little less chicken. If I were to make this again, I would definitely replace the meat entirely and go for some delicious black beans. Thank God I’m marrying a Cuban, because I think that if all the food I had left in the world were black beans, avocados, and rice, I’d be more than ok.

Since I don’t like to eat chicken salad all by itself, I decided to slap this on some toast and call it a meal. Millennials take note: you can have your avocado toast and eat it, too. This recipe is super easy to make at home, and more filling than something you can buy at the store. Plus making it at home saves you a lot of money, since you get more servings for a similar price! So next time someone tells you your avo-obsession is financially imprudent, show them this recipe and laugh all the way to the grocery store (unless you shop at fancy organic stores, in which case I’ll have to take the old guy’s stance on that one. Spending your whole paycheck on sustainably-sourced avocados is good in theory and less good when you’re sitting on the curb crying into your $5 avocado because you couldn’t pay your rent).

So I hope you enjoy this healthy avocado chicken salad, on your toast or by itself. Let me know in the comments below how you like to eat your avocado!

Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

A hearty version of avocado toast that's easy on your diet and your wallet!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 chicken breast (cooked and shredded)
• 2 avocados (pitted and diced)
• 1/4 cup red onion (diced)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice (divided)
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• dash hot sauce (optional)
• dash red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 pieces toast (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, add the avocado, chicken breast, and onion, and toss with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice. Set aside.
• In a smaller bowl, mix together the other tablespoon of lime juice with the plain Greek yogurt. You can add hot sauce or red pepper flakes at this point for some heat, but I like to add them at the end. Pour this dressing into the large bowl with the other ingredients, and toss gently to coat evenly.
• Serve by itself or on toast with hot sauce and red pepper flakes on top, and enjoy!

Notes

• The inspiration for this recipe came from Kalyn's Kitchen. She has a lot of nutritional information for the original recipe on her blog, so you can check that out if you're on a certain diet.
• This recipe would also be great with corn, black beans, tomatoes, or garlic mixed in. Of course, then it becomes less of an avocado salad and more of a guacamole recipe...but who's complaining?