Avocado Chicken Salad

Every summer I make a point of adding a new chicken salad to my towering pile of chicken salad recipes. And since I make my beloved buttermilk rosemary grilled chicken so dang much, there is usually some leftover chicken hanging around just waiting for its next adventure.

This time, I also had a suspiciously large group of avocados rapidly ripening on my counter. Add some sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumber and a dreamy avocado lime dressing, and there was no going back. Let’s make it! 🥑

🔎 A quick look at this recipe

• What It Is: A colorful chicken salad with avocado, tomatoes and cucumber, tossed with a creamy avocado lime dressing and topped with crunchy tortilla chips.
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Servings: 4 servings
• Calories: 483
• Cooking Method: No Cook
• Good For: Lunch, light dinners, warm-weather meals and using up leftover chicken

⭐️ Why this recipe works

• 🥑 Avocado does double duty, adding creamy chunks to the salad and creating a smooth, tangy dressing.
• 🧈 There’s no mayonnaise in this chicken salad—the avocado and buttermilk create all that dreamy creaminess instead.
• 🍗 Cooked chicken makes it quick and easy—leftovers or a supermarket rotisserie chicken both work beautifully.
• 🥒 Fresh veggies and crunchy tortilla chips add loads of color, flavor and texture.
• ⏰ It’s ready in just 15 minutes with no cooking required—perfect for a warm-weather lunch or light supper.

We had a little leftover dressing 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

• Chicken: Leftover cooked chicken is perfect here, but a supermarket rotisserie chicken also makes this recipe wonderfully easy.
• Avocados: Look for avocados that yield slightly when gently pressed. If yours are still hard, let them ripen on the counter for a few days.
• Buttermilk: You’ll find this near the cream in the dairy section. Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little milk can also work.
• Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are sweet, juicy and easy to use, but chopped garden tomatoes are wonderful during tomato season.
• Cucumber: You can peel it or leave the skin on—whichever you prefer. If it has lots of large seeds, scoop them out first.
• Tortilla Chips: These add a delightful salty crunch, but they are technically optional. (I can’t believe I just said that!) 😄

💡 Ingredient substitution ideas

Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

👩🏻‍🍳 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, 1/4 a cup of fresh parsley, the juice from two limes and 1/4 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 (just before serving so they stay crunchy!) and serve it up!

🤔 Recipe FAQs

🍽️ What to serve with this recipe

You can serve this salad over lettuce, tucked into flatbread or pita, or simply enjoy it by its glorious avocado self. 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? And some Peach Upside Down Cake for dessert! 😀

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Avocado Chicken Salad

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This easy avocado chicken salad combines tender chicken, fresh veggies and a creamy avocado lime dressing for a quick and delicious 15-minute lunch.

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Lunch
• Method: No Cook
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

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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

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Instructions

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, 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, the juice from two limes and about a quarter cup of water.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Divide it among bowls, sprinkle on some crushed tortilla chips and serve it up!

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!)

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