This Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing is made with a seasoned, juicy chicken with a colourful salad, and tossed with an awesome creamy avocado dressing that tastes just like guacamole. Avocados are cholesterol free and full of nutrition – we need to get MORE in our diet!
Gasp, shock horror, I’m finally posting a salad! Long overdue….so much for my New Years’ resolution to post more green things here on RecipeTin Eats.🙌🏼
Can I be honest? I’ve actually made and photographed a handful of salads….salads with oomph, not wimpy ones. I mean salads that are healthy but still truly satisfying to have as meals.
I write up the recipe and even schedule it to publish….then I get distracted by something I’m even more excited about. Like that Baked Chinese Sesame Chicken I shared a couple of weeks ago. I actually had the slot reserved for a Buffalo Chicken Salad, but it got bumped at the last minute because I made the Sesame Chicken the day before and I got overly excited about it.
Oops. So much for a professional editorial calendar. I could never run a proper magazine. Can you imagine?? Changing my mind at the last minute like that!
But today I’m sticking to my guns because Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing is seriously worthy of having as meal. And it all comes down to this – the creamy avocado dressing. 🙌
Beautiful ripe avocado and a handful of other ingredients to make a luscious avocado dressing that actually tastes like avocado.
I used to make avocado dressing with buttermilk, using that to thin it out to a dressing consistency. But then one day my sister was around, and in her usual form, she opened the fridge and started poking around for things to eat. Spied a tub of avocado dressing, stuck her finger in for taste, scrunched up her nose and said “This doesn’t taste like avocado.”
In response to which, I instantly stuck my finger in for a taste, ready to argue….and realised….it didn’t. At least, not enough like avocado.
Buttermilk was the problem. The flavour was too intense, it overpowered the avocado. So I fixed my recipe. 🙂
I make this salad with a tasty chicken which is seasoned for extra flavour. I really think it is worth making a basic spice rub to flavour chicken for salads. Makes salads extra interesting!
And it’s carb free. And cheese free. Miracle of miracles! 🙂
I promise to share more healthy, lower calorie meals in 2016. My recipes aren’t typically cream / butter heavy unless it’s for a special treat. But I have a whole repertoire of lower calorie, more nutrition dense recipes.
I am seriously thinking about increasing my weekly recipe posts from 3 to 4, and making the extra recipe a healthy one.
What do you think? Do you want to see more healthy recipes here on RecipeTin Eats?
– Nagi x
PS That’s healthy…..without compromise! I can’t compromise flavour for calories…I just can’t. It’s not in my DNA!!!
MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
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More giant Salads for Meals
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Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
Avocado Dressing
- 1/2 large or 1 small ripe avocado
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- 1/4 cup cilantro , stems and leaves, not packed in
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp plain low fat yoghurt (I use Greek)
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 3 - 5 tbsp low fat milk
- 1/4 tsp onion or garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Chicken
- 5 - 7 oz / 250 - 300g chicken breast , skinless boneless (I had 1 large one)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Spice Rub
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp each onion powder , garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- Black pepper
Salad
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 corn , steamed, kernels cut off (or 3/4 cup cooked kernels)
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes , halved or quartered
- 5 cups chopped lettuce
Instructions
- Avocado Dressing: Place the ingredients in a small food processor and whizz until smooth. Use MILK to adjust consistency, and adjust salt to taste. (Note 1)
- Spice Rub: Combine ingredients and scatter on a plate.
- Chicken: Slice into 4 - 5 thin steaks on the diagonal, then coat both sides with Spice Rub.
- Cook Chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook both sides until dark brown. Remove onto a plate and cover loosely with foil. Rest for 5 minutes then slice thickly.
- Pile the Salad ingredients onto a serving platter then place the chicken on the side.
- Serve with Avocado Dressing.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
PS I have included Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing in the RecipeTin LITE category (which is only for recipes <500 calories) on the basis that I doubt you will use all the avocado dressing. 🙂
Also did this tonight along with your chicken legs for the fussy kid. Hands down yum. You are my food guru!
I just made this, per the recipe. OMG, winner,winner chicken dinner. My 9 year old son devoured this. Michelin star dish…Keep it simple and Volia.
This salad is awesome!!
Love love love…..so did hubby 😁
Thankyou Nagi so glad I found this recipe 😻
What a sensational dressing!!!! Thank you, Nagi.
You’re so welcome Diane!! N x
Hey Nagi – very excited to try this recipe. How long will the dressing last in the fridge? Can I batch make it? Thanks 🙂
Is it 1 whole garlic?
1 clove 🙂
Your recipes are by far that anyone posts out here. I cannot say enough about how amazing they are. When I see one come to my e-mail I immediately go to as I know it will be spectacular. Thank you so much. Your a chef extroidinaire!!
Aww you flatter me Lesley! I’m so pleased you are enjoying my recipes, thank you for trying them! N x
I just made the dressing and wanted to let you know that it is excellent. Thanks
That’s terrific to hear Andrea! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Hi, I absolutely can’t stand cilantro (coriander). Will this recipe be okay without it or should I substitute something else in its place.
Hands down one of my favourites – you make eating healthy (and chicken breast) taste good Nagi! xx
WHOOT! So great to hear that Cassie, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
This,is a really really nice avocado dressing. I using it in future on top of a turkey Cobb salad as well as your chicken recipe here I am making tonight for first time.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! Thank you for letting me know Marlayne! N xx
Wow! This was delicious beyond my expectations. Even further beyond the expectations of my fussy family.
The avocado dressing was to die for! The chicken was amazing.
So healthy, so easy.
My husband asked me to put it on the ‘regular rotation menu’ which, by the way, consists mainly of your recipes Nagi.
I’m sorry I haven’t reviewed for a while, but let me tell you that around 90% of our meals are RTE meals these days.
Keep up the good work, you rule xx
What a compliment! Thank you so much for trying my recipes Jacqui, I’m so glad you enjoyed this! 🙂 N x
WOW!!! This looks like something I could eat every single day!
Great photos of all your creations too!!!!!
This is the sort of thing I SHOULD eat every day!!!! 🙂
Oh my, that avocado dressing looks ah-MA-zing! I am Pinning this to add to my menu of healthy eats next week! I can’t wait to try that!
OMG I am in LOVE with your blog name…..could / should be me
Haha, right? It pretty much sums me up to a tee. I can’t get off your blog now! I just added your feed to my reader so I can keep up and share your posts!
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe! I was wondering if you could clarify the chicken
portion of the recipe for me (I’m just back from spring break and can’t think clearly!)
How much boneless/skinless chicken do you need?
Do you cut if raw (before you cook it) and then also after it’s cooked?
How long do you cook it for? Also, can you throw the chicken breasts
on the grill instead of stovetop of it’s summertime?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Heather – as per the recipe, you need 5 – 7oz / 250 – 300g chicken breast, skinless boneless. Slice into steaks while raw then into strips after cooking. It will take a couple of minutes each side on the stove and YES you can grill it!
Nagi,
I found your blog recently and I can’t peel myself away. What lovely photographs, and great recipes.
This recipe is wonderful. I’m not one for salads, at all, and it’s difficult to find tasty ones. But this has it all – tasty chicken, avocado, corn… everything I love.
Thanks! And yes, more recipes is better. 🙂
Aida
Thank you Aida! I’m so glad you like my recipes!! I’m not one for salads either….so I totally get what you are saying!!!
Dear Nagi,
I’ve been silently reading and recreating your recipes for over a year now.
(Your Salmon Mille-Feuille has to appear at least every second sunday at our table 😉 )
What makes me want to comment now is, that your recipes are already perfectly healthy to me.
Whilst eating them I’ve lost 20kg over the past year and I really much enjoy your credo : taste over calories!
Anyways, I am really curious which recipes will be coming up to your delicious mind this year 😀
If there are more healthy ones this time around I’m all in for it, because I know they will be the most delicious “healthy” meals out there.
Thank you so much for your work.
Meggie
Hi Meggie! Thank you so much for your lovely message, you made my morning! I hope you do like the recipes I share that just happen to be lower cal!!! I have are really delish Middle Eastern beef stuffed eggplant coming up that is so filling and yet it’s only 420 calories – so excited! Hope you are having a fab weekend – N x
This salad is right up my alley– I make salads like this weekly– but this dressing! That is something I have to try. Like pourable guac 🙂 Delicious.
I have no idea how I totally missed out on seeing this as POURABLE GUAC! Hope you have a fab weekend Michelle! N x
Yummy!! Just made this and it hit the spot! This will be in regular rotation in our house! I used the dressing as suggested with your salad, but I’m using the leftover dressing on fajita salad tomorrow because we have fajitas left from last night! Should be just as good! Thanks! ?
So glad you enjoyed it Vida! And YES leftover Avo dressing is perfect for using with fajita salad! Love your thinking! 🙂
Goodness Nagi!! You are my dream!! Not just to your formulas sound and look awesome, you motivate me in such a large number of ways. I’ve as of now thought of a few thoughts for servings of mixed greens. Presently i should simply ace the pour shot. I’m going to rehash your recommendations so I don’t wind up having a considerable measure of velvety stuff everywhere
HA HA!! Believe me, I have had my share of getting dressing everywhere doing photoshoots!!! 🙂
Exactly