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. 🙂
Ooh… I love the idea of an avocado dressing! I eat so many avocados (I have a 12-a-month subscription), and am always looking for new ways to use them up!
An avocado subscription….????
This salad looks AMAZING, so colorful and delicious! And that avocado sauce…I’m pretty sure I would use all of it. I don’t care about the fat haha. Like you said, it’s good-for-you fat!
EXACTLY! 😉
That’s a doozy of a salad and the dressing is one that’s similar to one I make and we LOVE it. We agree that flavour and satisfaction comes before reduced calories but thankfully it’s possible to do both.
I know….we need to balance both…and I’m on a war path to find and share MORE food that tastes great but just happens to be lower calories! N x
Presented this delicious salad last night. Top marks for an attractive, healthy and flavoursome meal which was enhanced by the beautiful avocado dressing. A keeper recipe for next summer. Keep the creative posts coming.
? Thank you Jimela! You just made my day – I think you’re the first person who has tried it to leave feedback!! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed it! N x
Nagi I love this avo dressing recipe! Pinned! And yes I would love to see more healthy recipes because I´m always looking for healthy recipes that actually taste good (no compromising for me either!)
ME TOO!!!! N x
Your receipies looks good every time thank you Nagi!!!
Aww, thank you Ntombi! <3 N x
I going to do it, it looks very delicious thank you Nagi for your receipes
Thank you Ntombi! I do hop you enjoy it!
I love your blog. This recipe looks amazing. Can I substitute the milk with another liquid or water?
Hi Sue! I would just use water 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!! I literally just had leftover dressing on a salad for lunch today!
Ha ha editorial calendar! I suck at that right now, missing a bunch, life is a bit overwhelming right now. How did you know I am such a fan of avocados lol, loving this dressing. I was all in for the buttermilk until you said it was so much flavor.
Avocados are the BOMB! It is such a shame that they are so expensive here in Australia at the moment…..I am hanging for Avocado season! They should hit the stores in July or so I believe…. I have inside intel!
Hi Nagi I love all your recipes so please don’t hesitate in posting more! I am eagerly awaiting your kung pou chicken! !! Your sweet n sour dip in your wings book is amazing!!!
Oh wow Ruth, thank you so much for your lovely message! This is the 3rd message I’ve received about kung pao chicken this weekend – I didn’t realise it was so popular! I’ll bring it forward and post it soon – N x Have a wonderful weekend Ruth.
That’s a beautiful salad Nagi; definitely planning it next week for the lunch boxes
Thank you so much Dhanya! What a fantastic lunch to take in to work!
I have been meaning to say a massive thankyou to you ever since I stumbled across your cookbooks last year. My husband loves that you came into our lives as he was always complaining that we had the same meals ALL the time. Now he is blown away at meal times. Your recipes are so easy to follow and taste amazing. I am forever passing on your recipes to my family and friends. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. Oh and thankyou for introducing my mum and I to Prosecco – just an added bonus (even though we can’t find Ricadonna Prosecco in Melbourne) 🙂
Awwww….thank you Sam! You just made my day! 🙂 No Ricadonna in Melbourne??? I’m so surprised, I thought it would be everywhere in Australia! PS How’s the endless summer in Melbourne? Still 32C everyday here in Sydney!
At first I thought you pounded those chicken breasts then reading the recipe it said one large. That must have been one big chicken! I appreciate that spice rub first and that last overhead photo before the recipe is so beautiful. Gotta try your dressing, sounds delish.
It was GIANT. Actually, it was bigger than what I listed in the ingredients – it was seriously abnormally large!
I can hardly wait to make this YUM!
Hope you love it Josie!! N x
Love your chicken salad! More salad receipts Please . During hot , hot summer I live on salads, ‘casuse am Not good with hot weather, don’t Eat Or sleep Well so Light salads are perfect . Some New ideas much appriciated. Thank YOU kindly. Regards, Vera.
OK!! More salads COMING UP! <3 N x
Hi Nagi, love your site, everything you make is picture perfect. An extra post with a healthy recipe would be nice.
I’ll do it Cheri!!! 🙂 Thank you so much for your lovely message! N x
YES! I am looking forward to more of your healthy, creative and flavorful recipes. 🙂
Thanks for your feedback Kathy! So YES! I will start!!! 🙂
I had to laugh at Helen’s comment about her editorial calendar…that’s pretty much how I roll too, though I’m working on being more scheduled. 😉
I’m all about big, beautiful, hearty salads like this and I can never have enough avocado. So, perfection!
BA HA HA!!! The only reason I have one is because I’m travelling a bit nowadays so I have to schedule in advance!!! N x
I clicked on “5” and got a 4 🙁
🙂 No worries! N x
Oh Nagi!! You are my muse!! Not only to your recipes sound and look fantastic, you inspire me in so many ways. I’ve already come up with several ideas for salads. Now all I have to do is master the pour shot. I’m going to reread your suggestions so I don’t end up having a lot of creamy stuff all over 🙂
Oooh! I bet you do amazing salads Marisa!!! 🙂 Go the pour shot!!! I used to practice with water a lot! 🙂