Eating healthy? Worried you’d never be able to enjoy chicken salad again?
Good news! I have a tasty chicken salad you’re sure to enjoy. In this post, I’m going to share with you my new favorite, mayo-free chicken avocado salad recipe that is tasty, versatile, and easy to make. And did I mention it’s super healthy and 21 Day Fix approved?
Why Use Avocado Instead of Mayo in Chicken Salad?
I personally never liked the taste of mayo. Even on sandwiches, I have always been mayo-free. This is why I was delighted to learn you can use avocado as a replacement for mayo in so many recipes.
Not that mayo is unhealthy for you. It is basically made of egg, vinegar, and oil. But like me, you might be looking for a mayonnaise alternative, and avocado makes a great one.
A ripe avocado has relatively the same texture as mayo. Simply mash the avocado, and you have full flavored spread. Plus an avocado is very healthy containing more potassium than a banana and lots of heart healthy monounsaturated healthy fats. Take that, mayo!
How to Cook the Chicken for Chicken Salad
It really doesn’t matter how you cook your chicken when preparing this recipe. Most often I use some leftover roasted chicken I’ve shredded up for multiple meals.
Here are some ideas on what type of chicken you can use for this recipe:
- Grilled
- Baked
- Rotisserie
- Canned chicken
Canned chicken should always be a last resort due to its higher sodium content. If you do go the canned meat route, try to select a brand that is lower in sodium.
What You Can Make with this Chicken Salad
What I like best about this recipe, other than the taste, is just how versatile it is. Here are several ways to enjoy it:
- Straight from the bowl with a fork
- As a sandwich
- On a bed of leafy greens
- As a dip with pita or corn tortilla chips
- In a whole wheat wrap
21 Day Fix Approved Chicken Avocado Salad Recipe
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1/2 juice from squeezed lemon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Mash the avocado in a bowl.
Combine and stir in remaining ingredients.
This recipe uses the blue, green, and red containers from the 21 Day Fix portion control system if you are following it.
Spices & Ingredients You Could Add
The recipe above is a pretty standard method of making chicken avocado salad, but here are a few ingredients I sometimes like to add in for extra flavor.
- Diced tomato
- Turkey bacon
- Diced apple
- Balsamic vinaigrette
- Chopped Parsley
- Chopped Cilantro
It is pretty hard to overwhelm the taste of avocado, which means none of the above enhancements will ever mask the taste of the avocado completely – unless you purposely use a large quantity.
And as you might’ve noticed, I have really been loving the 21 Day Fix recipes lately. If you have any ideas for a recipe post you would like to see on this blog, please leave a comment below. Or, if you have any tips on preparing chicken salad sans mayo, please share in the comments below!
This sounds great! Thank you for the recipe!
As far as the avocado turning brown, I always save the pit from the avocado. Whatever leftover guacamole I have goes into a container WITH the pit and cover with plastic wrap, as Karen mentioned. It works like a charm :)
You’re welcome and thanks for the tip! Makes sense. Bethany
I’m new here. This recipe looks great. Where can I find the Nutritional Information for these recipes?
Hi Leslie, I have not included the exact nutritional breakdown with the portion control recipes, but I did include the containers each recipe uses. There is myfitnesspal or an online nutritional analyzer like Very Well to get a full breakdown of different recipes. Bethany
Does this make one serving? So there is one container each?
Hi Amanda, Yes, you can use the containers to measure out, but I might do a half a blue and green container depending on how you like it. It is a pretty easy recipe to adjust depending on how thick you would like the salad mixture to be. Bethany
Just wondering how long this will last without turning brown. Is it good for meal prep for the week?
Hi Dawn. You could add a little lemon to help it turning brown. I usually eat mine within 3 days, it might be able to go a little longer. Bethany
Dawn, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, and I’m going to make it tonight to have for lunch 2x this week. But, when I have left over guacamole and don’t want it turning brown, I put it in a container and cover with plastic wrap instead of a lid. I make sure that the plastic wrap is not just covering the container, but I push it down until it is touching the guac which seals out any air. This helps it stay nice and green!