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close up of a bowl of avocado chicken salad with fresh lime and cilantro in the background
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Avocado Chicken Salad

Guacamole meets chicken in this mouthwatering avocado chicken salad. This twist on chicken salad is made with fresh cilantro, lime, avocados, and sour cream. *Recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 341kcal
Author Amee

Equipment

  • Large pot with lid *for poaching chicken
  • Mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cloves garlic mashed
  • ½ cup sour cream or Mexican crema *see notes for other swaps
  • 2 medium ripe avocados mashed
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped- adjust to taste
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • ½ lime juiced
  • dash of Tabasco sauce *I use mild green Tabasco
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Instructions

  • First, poach the chicken.
  • In a large pot, add 2 quarts of water and mashed garlic.
  • Bring to a full boil, add chicken, bring back up to a boil, cover, and immediately remove from the heat.
  • Allow the chicken to sit for 20 minutes until the center of the breast reaches 165 degrees F. Small breasts will be done in 20 minutes, larger breasts can take a bit longer, but you can let them sit for 45 minutes with this method and they will be tender and juicy. *Just make sure that you take the pot off the heat as soon as it reboils.
  • Drain chicken and set aside to cool.
  • Shred chicken and add all other ingredients, except onions and cilantro.
  • When the mixture is blended, stir in onions and cilantro.
  • Serve over a bed of greens or in your favorite wrap.

Notes

    • Take a shortcut with pre-cooked chicken. If you have leftover baked chicken or rotisserie chicken –perfect! Shred it up and skip the poaching step to save time. Just make sure it’s tender and not overly seasoned so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. 
    • Shred chicken the easy way. You can totally use two forks or even your hands to pull the chicken apart. However, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment also works well (my favorite method). Just mix the chicken on low until evenly shredded.
    • Boost the protein. Feel free to swap part (or all) of the sour cream with 5% plain Greek yogurt or blended cottage cheese. 

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 745mg | Potassium: 1011mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg