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Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

By:Nagi
103 Comments
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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!

Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing, with corn, tomatoes, onion and lettuce.

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. 🙌

Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing - The creamy, healthy avocado dressing is the star of this!

Avocado dressing ingredients in food processor

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!

Spiced chicken for Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

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

Closeup of Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

Overhead photo of Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

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Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing, with tomatoes, corn, lettuce and onion

Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 20 mins
Salad
4.78 from 22 votes
Servings2
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A scrumptious, healthy salad that's satisfying enough to have as a meal. The star of this is the creamy avocado dressing - full of nutrients, flavour and so delicious!

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:

1. I like to puree it a lot so the cilantro/coriander becomes pureed into the dressing because it adds to the green colour of the dressing. But you could puree it less so you have more specks of green in the dressing. It doesn't affect the flavour, it's just aesthetics!
This makes more dressing than you will need. It's hard to make less. The leftovers are fantastic to use as a sauce for other proteins, use as a dip or to spread on toast! It thickens when you refrigerate it.
2. Nutrition per serving. Approximately 150 calories of this is attributable to the avocado dressing - and it assumes you use all of it, which you probably will not. So the chicken and salad is around 350 calories. Avocados are fairly high in calories BUT it is good fat. Remember that!!! 🙂
Chicken Salad Avocado Dressing Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 501gCalories: 505kcal (25%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 46.9g (94%)Fat: 22.7g (35%)Saturated Fat: 3.5g (22%)Cholesterol: 110mg (37%)Sodium: 767mg (33%)Potassium: 1165mg (33%)Fiber: 7.4g (31%)Sugar: 9.1g (10%)Vitamin A: 1350IU (27%)Vitamin C: 35.5mg (43%)Calcium: 120mg (12%)Iron: 7mg (39%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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. 🙂

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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103 Comments

  2. Em says

    Hey Nagi – very excited to try this recipe. How long will the dressing last in the fridge? Can I batch make it? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  4. LESLEY says

    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!!

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Aww you flatter me Lesley! I’m so pleased you are enjoying my recipes, thank you for trying them! N x

      Reply

  6. Ann Coates says

    Hi, I absolutely can’t stand cilantro (coriander). Will this recipe be okay without it or should I substitute something else in its place.

    Reply

  8. marlayne White says

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply

  9. Jacqui says

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
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