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why we love this recipe
Every summer I make a point of adding a new chicken salad to my towering pile of chicken salad recipes.
For one thing, I make my beloved buttermilk rosemary grilled chicken so dang much that I always have leftover chicken hanging around.
And in the case of this recipe, I also had an unusually large group of avocados rapidly ripening in my kitchen.
Suddenly I got a vision of avocado chicken salad with sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, all mixed together with avocado. There was no going back.
Now, not only are there wonderful chunks of avocado in this salad, the dressing is also a glorious mixture of creamy avocado, buttermilk, lime juice, parsley and a few other things…all whirled up in your food processor or blender in about one minute.
We had a little leftover after I mixed it into the salad, and I put it out on the counter with some tortilla chips and yes, it can double as a dreamy avocado buttermilk dip. Yum.
ingredients you need for the dressing
ingredients you need for the salad
ingredient notes and substitutions
- Chicken: If you don’t have leftover chicken, a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket is just perfect for this recipe.
- Avocados: These absolutely delicious veggies are notorious for being sold at the point where they are hard as a rock. A few days on your counter and they will be just fine, but you might want to pick them up ahead of time.
- Buttermilk: You can find buttermilk in the dairy section of your supermarket, right near the cream.
- Tomatoes: I like halved cherry tomatoes for this salad, but especially in the middle of fresh tomato season the big ones are great.
- Tortilla Chips: The crushed chips are a garnish and so are optional. (I can’t believe I just said that!)
how to make this recipe
STEP 1: First up, make the dressing! Put the following into your food processor: 2 peeled and pitted avocados, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 chopped scallion, 1/2 a cup or so of fresh parsley, the juice from two limes and about a quarter cup of water.
Puree it all up until it is nice and smooth, and give it a taste. Add some salt and pepper if you think it needs it, and if it looks too thick to you, add a little bit more water.
STEP 2: Now for the salad! Put the following into a mixing bowl: 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken, 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes, a peeled, pitted and diced avocado, one chopped up medium sized cucumber (you can peel it or not, your choice) and toss it all up.
STEP 3: Now add that luxurious dressing a little at a time, tossing as you go until it is dressed just the way you like it. Add a little more salt and pepper if you think you need to.
STEP 4: Last but definitely not least, divide it among bowls, sprinkle on some crushed tortilla chips and serve it up!
recipe FAQ
You can either pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket, or if you have some boneless chicken handy you can poach it – here’s my favorite way to poach chicken.
Slice all the way around the avocado, right to the pit, and then twist it in different directions so the two halves separate. I use a small spoon to dig out the pit, and then a larger spoon to scoop out the avocado insides – start and one end and it will usually come out in one nice piece.
I wish I could say yes…but nope. It’s all the avocado’s fault – it will turn brown and while it will still taste okay, it won’t look nice.
Leave it for me in the comment section below and I will get back to you pronto!
I do love a chicken salad recipe that swaps out the mayo for avocado (not that there is anything wrong with mayo – have you made your own mayo yet?)
This is of course a great way to use up leftover chicken, and you can serve it on lettuce, on flatbread or a pita, or just eat it by its glorious avocado self.
want to round out your meal?
We love a little bread on the side of our salad…either this easy grilled flatbread, or a hunk of this sheet pan focaccia are just perfect.
And I think we deserve a peach mint margarita on the side, don’t you? 😀
other salad recipes we love
Looking for more salad inspiration? Here is our complete collection of salad recipes!
can you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
Avocado Chicken Salad
This speedy recipe for avocado chicken salad comes packed with veggies and tossed with a smooth avocado lime dressing for maximum lunchtime deliciousness!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Dressing Ingredients
- 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
- Juice from two limes
- ¼ cup water
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 medium sized cucumber, chopped
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips for garnish
Instructions
- First up, make the dressing! Put the following into your food processor: 2 peeled and pitted avocados, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 chopped scallion,1/2 a cup or so of fresh parsley, the juice from two limes and about a quarter cup of water.
- Puree it all up until it is nice and smooth, and give it a taste. Add some salt and pepper if you think it needs it, and if it looks too thick to you, add a little bit more water.
- Now for the salad! Put the following into a mixing bowl: 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken, 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes, a peeled, pitted and diced avocado, one chopped up medium sized, cucumber (you can peel it or not, your choice) and toss it all up.
- Now add that luxurious dressing a little at a time, tossing as you go until it is dressed just the way you like it. Add a little more salt and pepper if you think you need to.
- Divide it among bowls, sprinkle on some crushed tortilla chips and serve it up!
Equipment We Used to Make This Recipe
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Buy Now → Notes
- Chicken: If you don’t have leftover chicken, a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket is just perfect for this recipe.
- Avocados: These absolutely delicious veggies are notorious for being sold at the point where they are hard as a rock. A few days on your counter and they will be just fine, but you might want to pick them up ahead of time.
- Buttermilk: You can find buttermilk in the dairy section of your supermarket, right near the cream.
- Tomatoes: I like halved cherry tomatoes for this salad, but especially in the middle of fresh tomato season the big ones are great.
- Tortilla Chips: The crushed chips are a garnish and so are optional. (I can’t believe I just said that!)
Carol Kezel says
Thanks !!
Carol Kezel says
Can I leave out the butter milk? I’m sharing this with a friend who doesn’t like mayo or buttermilk what else could they use?
Hi Carol! The buttermilk is part of what provides the texture in the dressing – either sour cream or Greek yogurt could work as a substitute. If that doesn’t sound workable, here’s a recipe from my friends at The Kitchn that doesn’t call for any dairy…hope this helps! https://www.thekitchn.com/avocado-dressing-recipe-23269291
Anna says
Love this tex-mex twist on chicken salad! So delicious and I love the crunch that comes with the tortilla chips!
Hi Anna! I know, I am absolutely unable to leave out those crumbled chips!