Avocado Chicken Salad is a high protein chicken salad without mayo. Healthy and delicious, perfect for lunch, snack, or light dinner
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About Avocado Chicken Salad
Creamy avocado and protein-rich cottage cheese serve as the base for this rich and satisfying avocado chicken salad.
Blending it with cilantro, lime juice, and spices before using it as the binder for shredded chicken gives it the perfect texture.
While this does require the extra step of blending the ingredients together, it isn't hard and takes about 15 minutes to make.
I love my mini food processor because it doesn't take up a lot of room, and I use it all the time (like for low sodium salsa or jalapeño pimento cheese).
That being said, if you don't have one, you can mash the avocado with a fork and use Greek yogurt as the binder. But adjust the seasonings because yogurt will make this tangier.
More chicken salad!
Mayo Free Chicken Salad
Love chicken salad? Check out these 8 recipes!
Either way, even though avocado usually turns brown quickly, this avocado chicken salad stays pretty fresh-looking for at least 3 days. Which means this recipe is great for meal prep.
With a combo of protein, heart-nourishing fats, and vibrant flavors, chicken salad is always a tasty and nutritious option for any meal or snack.
Eat it with crackers, on a bed of lettuce, with lettuce & tomato on whole grain bread, or straight from the container.
Love avocado but don't want the added dairy? Try Avocado Curry Chicken Salad.
Ingredients
Chicken breast: I prefer leftover roasted chicken or poached chicken for chicken salad. Rotisserie chicken is another great option. Sauteed or grilled chicken will also be fine.
If you do not have cooked chicken, simply poach 24 ounces of chicken breast to make about 1 pound cooked chicken.
Green onions: To add extra flavor to the chicken salad, stir in fresh green onion. Chicken salad typically has diced celery, so you could also include that or use celery in place of green onion.
Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese is mixed with avocado to hold the chicken salad together. Regular or low-fat cottage cheese both work. I don't recommend fat-free.
Lemon juice: To brighten the flavor and keep the avocado from turning brown, add lemon juice. Fresh or bottle both work well. Lime juice or apple cider vinegar are good alternatives.
Seasoning: Garlic powder, black pepper, and salt are the seasonings used. Feel free to add or change the spices
Avocado: The base of this avocado chicken salad is obviously avocado. Start with about 1 medium avocado or 1 cup of mashed avocado.
Cilantro: For extra flavor, add cilantro to the sauce. Feel free to decrease or increase based on your preferences, or omit entirely.
Recipe Cost
- Cooked chicken 16 ounces: $5.92
- Green onions 3 medium: $0.30
- Cottage cheese 6 ounces: $0.64
- Lemon juice 2 tablespoons: $0.50
- Salt ¼ teaspoon: $0.01
- Black pepper ¼ teaspoon: $0.03
- Garlic powder ¼ teaspoon: $0.02
- Avocado 1 medium: $1
- Cilantro ½ cup: $0.32
TOTAL COST: $8.74 or $1.09/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2024)
Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
Budget-Friendly Tips
*Avocados can get expensive, but buying them in bulk sometimes costs less per avocado. With the extra avocados, make Avocado Salmon Burgers, Avocado BLT, Chickpea Avocado Toast, or Avocado Egg Salad (no mayo).
*Same with chicken - buy it in a larger package which usually costs less per ounce. Freeze extra chicken or make Easy Chicken and Gravy, Chicken Hash, or Chicken Apple Curry for dinner.
How to Make Avocado Chicken Salad
- Step 1: Add cottage cheese, seasoning, and lemon juice to a food processor.
- Step 2: Blend until smooth.
- Step 3: Add avocado and cilantro.
- Step 4: Blend until combined.
- Step 5: Put shredded chicken and diced green onions in a bowl.
- Step 6: Stir in avocado-cottage cheese sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
*Use a fork to stir together chicken salad for best results. This helps shred the chicken even more and mix it evenly with the avocado sauce.
How to Fix a Mistake
Too thick: Add extra lemon juice or water to the sauce by the tablespoon until it is thin enough to stir into the chicken and combine.
Too thin: Add extra avocado or cottage cheese to the sauce. Or stir in extra chicken.
Not enough sauce: If you have too much chicken, add an extra scoop of cottage cheese or ½ of an avocado to the sauce and blend.
Too much sauce: Add extra chicken. Or add diced celery, chopped tomatoes (seeded and pat dry), or cooked beans (like chickpeas or black beans).
Lacking flavor: Squeeze extra lemon, sprinkle with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or add a dash of salt or nutmeg.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Chicken salad is great to make in advance, and luckily this avocado version is no different.
Simply follow the directions and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
Storage Suggestions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Avocado Chicken Salad does not freeze well.
Variations
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cottage cheese: Plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of cottage cheese; however, it will have a more tart flavor. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Green onions: Instead of green onion, add an equal amount of diced celery. Or for onion flavor, minced yellow, white, or red onion can work. Use ¼ cup minced red/yellow/white onion in place of ½ cup green onion.
- Garlic powder: One clove of fresh garlic can be added to the sauce if you don't want to use garlic powder (or don't have it).
- Lemon juice: Lime juice, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar can be used in place of lemon juice.
- Cilantro: In place of cilantro, use parsley or omit entirely.
Alternative Prep and Cooking
If you don't want to blend the cottage cheese and avocado, you could technically mash the cottage cheese and avocado with a fork.
However, it will not get very smooth, so the texture might be off-putting.
How to Make Allergy-Friendly
This is naturally gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free. Because of the cottage cheese, it has dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can use cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or multiple avocados to make a mayo free avocado chicken salad recipe.
Nutrition Benefits
One ½-cup serving is an excellent source of protein with 21 grams thanks to the high protein chicken breast. Plus, it has 2 grams of fiber and 9% recommended daily value for potassium.
Plus, it has heart-health promoting monounsaturated fat from the avocado. And it is lower in saturated fat than most chicken salad since there is no mayonnaise.
What to Serve with Avocado Chicken Salad
Chicken Avocado Salad is great with crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, or veggie slices. You can enjoy it on bread with lettuce and tomato slices. Or put a scoop of it on a bed of lettuce.
Because this chicken avocado salad is low carb, serve it with some kind of carbohydrates like crackers or bread for a more satisfying meal.
Final thoughts:
You can't go wrong with chicken salad, and this version made with avocado, cottage cheese, and cilantro is delicious.
Using cottage cheese boosts the protein and gives this a creamy texture without needing to use a ton of avocados, mayo, or yogurt.
But you can play around with the ingredients you add based on personal preference or what you have on hand.
MORE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cooked chicken breast shredded
- 3 green onions chopped
- ¾ cup cottage cheese preferably low sodium
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 medium avocado
- ½ cup cilantro
Instructions
- In a plastic or glass bowl, add chicken and green onions. Set aside.
- Add the cottage cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth.
- Add avocado and cilantro, and blend.
- Stir avocado mixture into chicken. Taste and season as needed.
- Keep refrigerated, tightly covered, when not in use.
Notes
What to Use in This Recipe
Meme
This post was originally published on June 19, 2013. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.
Avocado Chicken Salad Nutrition Facts
Candi
I think this is my favorite looking sandwich. Everything I love is on it. I will be subscribing because I want to make everything on here.
Meme
Aw you're so sweet! Thank you!!
I go through bowls of this in the summer when avocados are really ripe and delicious. I love how deliciously healthy it is 🙂
Natalie Waggoner
How long does this keep before turning brown?
Meme
Unfortunately, it turns brown within a day but it still tastes delicious for up to 2-3 days. I honestly don't know if it'll last longer because I usually eat it all before day 3 🙂
The lemon juice helps it from turning brown and covering it tightly when not in use should help delay the brown from coming on too soon. Hope that helps!
Constance
Would it be possible to pre-portion and freeze for a week of lunches?
Meme
Hmm that's a great question. I have never frozen it but next time I get a chance, I will try it. I'm not sure that it would be that great after it has thawed though.
I think you could keep this for about 5 days if you wanted to make it on a Sunday night or Monday for the rest of the week. It will turn slightly brownish but still taste delicious!
Sherri
This is so delicious! I added a touch of Dijon mustard and a 2 tsp of dried dill, I boiled the chicken in bone broth with a Tbsp of ginger. Soo good! Thx for posting this recipe.
Cheers,
Sherri