Creamy Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Salad- a healthy spin on chicken salad with no mayonnaise involved!
I haven’t been this excited to share a recipe with you in a while! Today we’re talking chicken salad, and specifically, mayo-free, creamy avocado chicken salad.
I bought a rotisserie chicken with no real plan other than maybe using it on salads for dinner, and I happened to be talking to my mom on the phone while I was at the grocery store.
When she suggested making chicken salad, it sounded great except for one thing: I really dislike mayonnaise. I can just barely tolerate mayo in chicken salad, but there was no way I was going to buy a whole jar of it, especially since it’s not the healthiest condiment out there.
So, I started brainstorming what I could substitute for mayo that would add a similar creaminess to the salad. My first thought was plain Greek yogurt…and then I thought of avocado, too.
So, I came up with a simple recipe that combines shredded chicken, avocado, plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, red onion, and cilantro for a healthy and unique alternative to the traditionally mayo-heavy chicken salad.
My only concern was that the avocado would quickly turn brown, which would make the chicken salad look less appetizing, even though it’d still taste the same. I ate my avocado Greek yogurt chicken salad over the course of three days, though, and there was no brown avocado to be seen. Maybe the lime juice worked some magic!
After making the recipe and calculating the nutritional info, I was surprised by how great the stats are. One serving of this avocado chicken salad has 26 grams of protein with only 200 calories.
On a piece of whole-grain bread or a sandwich thin, or even straight up with a spoon, this Greek yogurt chicken salad makes a perfect lunch to pack for work, school, or a picnic.
If you try this avocado Greek yogurt chicken salad, feel free to leave a comment and a star rating or take a photo and tag me @livbane on Instagram! Hope you enjoy!
Creamy Avocado Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 ripe avocado, mashed
- 2-3 tablespoons plain Greek (or non-Greek) yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Stir together shredded chicken, mashed avocado, plain Greek yogurt, and lime juice. If mixture seems dry, add another spoonful of Greek yogurt.
- Add diced red onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cilantro, and stir to combine. Taste to adjust spices to your preference.
- Serve on wheat bread or a sandwich thin, with crackers, or enjoy by itself.
Video
Notes
To tell if an avocado's ripe, gently squeeze it. It should feel just slightly squishy.
Nutrition
Recipe video by Haley of If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen
Other easy, healthy lunch ideas:
5-Ingredient One-Pan Mexican Quinoa
Avocado Feta Pasta Salad with Chicken
I might be drooling over this. Thankfully, I have some avocado packed in my lunch today, so that should hold me over until I can give this a try!
I can’t believe I used to be an avocado hater- they’re SO good!
Yum! What a perfect balance of healthy fats and protein!
Love the macros of this recipe! So healthy and fresh. Great spin on your typical tuna sandwich! Thanks for sharing : )
I just made a similar recipe to this, but a tuna salad instead and that avocado just does wonders to it!! I try not to eat a lot of mayo and usually sub it with hummus, but avocado just might be my new go-to for it!
My roommate for the summer loves tuna and has been eating it a lot- I wish I could get behind it, but I just can’t get over the fishiness!
Liv, you’re brilliant! I use Greek yogurt in chicken salad, but sometimes it tastes a little too Greek yogurt-y. I love, love, love avocados, so I’m going to have to try this! Do you think that combo would be good in egg salad as well, or do you think that would taste weird?
i can’t wait to try it! 🙂
You’ll have to let me know what you think! 🙂
That’s actually why I ended up using avocado, too- I didn’t want the Greek yogurt to be overpowering! I’m not sure about in egg salad but I’d definitely try the chicken salad version first if I were you and then decide from there 🙂
Do you think you could sub the Greek yogurt for cottage cheese?
Hi Amanda,
I wouldn’t recommend subbing in cottage cheese, since the curds have a quite different texture. You could use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt if you have that! (Or you could try blending your cottage cheese for a smoother texture.)
Oh gosh this looks so good! I always have such a problem being patient and waiting for my avocado to ripen so I can use it in recipes haha! Today I actually made something similar with tuna!
I always set my avocados on the windowsill to speed up the ripening process which helps, but I agree- if I’m craving guacamole, I want it now! 🙂
I worked for Chi-Chi’s for many years. They ripened avocados by placing them in a brown paper bag with tomatoes. The gases from the tomatoes ripened them quicker.
That’s good to know!! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
This looks AMAZING! Chicken salad is my favorite thing ever. I’ll have to try it 🙂
I’d actually gone probably 5+ years without eating chicken salad because of my aversion to mayo, so I’m so happy it’s back in my life!
If i went to a regular supermarket would i still be able to use their rotisserie chicken? I don’t have Earth Fare close to me since i don’t have a car at the moment.
Soo I haven’t had the chance to eat breakfast yet and I am DROOLING. Like seriously, I am actually hungry because of this post and as soon as I finish typing this, I’m heading over to the kitchen to find something to take the edge off ;).
Chicken salad is one of my absolute favorite lighter meals and I love that this incorporates healthy fats instead of the traditional mayo!
I loved that there are 8 grams of unsaturated (aka healthy) fat in this! And I’d gone years without eating chicken salad just because of my mayo aversion, so I’m happy it’s back in my life 🙂
Agh what a killer combo! I love using Greek yogurt in my tuna salads. Adding avocado is a great idea that I’m sure adds unbeatable richness (while still being healthy!).
It’s crazy to me how rich avocado is! I haven’t tried it yet, but I can definitely see how it would work well for chocolate avocado mousse recipes!
I’m not huge on mayo, either, so I usually use a combo of Greek yogurt and mayo in tuna/chicken salads. LOVE this idea even more, though! It also reminds me (very loosely) of Trader Joe’s Greek yogurt guacamole, which is pretty fantastic. Excellent idea!
It’s crazy how rich avocado is! I haven’t tried it yet, but I can definitely see how it would work well for chocolate avocado mousse recipes!
I made a chicken salad with greek yogurt and just ate my last serving alongside a plain avocado, but didn’t think about putting the avocado in the chicken salad! Looks delish. ,
You’ll have to toss the avocado in next time, too! And I love that you used plain Greek yogurt in your chicken salad- great minds think alike 🙂
Protein-rich and avocado ridden … I definitely must try this! Lovely photos!
Ahh definitely want to try this!! All my favourite foods combined in one recipe? Can’t lose! (Ookay well maybe I wouldn’t put peanut butter in with this recipe, but chicken+Greek yogurt+avocado are for sure all on my top 10 list!)
Is there anything that can replace the consistency of avocado? I don’t like it 🙁
The only other thing I can think of is mayo! If you’re averse to regular mayo like I am, you might like vegan mayo 🙂
This is delicious! The avacado makes it have such a delicious taste. My ladies group loved it. Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that your ladies group enjoyed it, Debbie! This is one of my favorite recipes, as well!
This recipe sounds really great but I don’t like the taste of Greek yogurt, so my question is can you really taste the Greek yogurt in it?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Emily! I don’t notice the taste of Greek yogurt in this recipe, but you can also substitute plain regular (non-Greek) yogurt if you’d prefer! Both work well.
I want this in my belly NOW
I make this recipe for chicken salad almost every week. It is delicious and a favorite lunch food for my family! 🙂
I have been using a little over a pound of shredded cooked chicken breasts (which is about 3 or 4 split breasts…instead of the rotisserie chicken) and then I just adjust the amount of avocado, Greek yogurt and spices that I use to give it the right amount of creaminess and zip. Love the recipe!
I added a little bit of buffalo hot sauce to my chicken before mixing it into the avo and it was delicious 🙂 This is a great recipe!
You know, I don’t think I would’ve ever thought to add buffalo hot sauce to the chicken before making chicken salad but that sounds amazing!! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Katie!!
The avocado doesn’t turn brown because the lime is an antioxidant, which in essence slows down the aging process! Great post though. I’m glad to find another college health nut 🙂
Made this today, SO GOOD!
Avocado mixes well with the greek yogurt.
Friends make fun of me for not being able to cook but luckily this recipe requires no cooking. came out perfect, can’t wait for the kids to come home and try it!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken salad, Ann! Hope your kids love it, too!
I made this yesterday and instead of cilantro I added dill, it was delicious!
I was looking for greek yogurt chicken salad recipes and found this one. So glad I bought avocados yesterday! I’m already excited about lunch tomorrow!!!
What perfect timing! Hope you love the recipe, Carol!
one of my most fav salads ,although in my country avocado is very rare , but still manage to find it ,one of most healthiest fruit on earth ,keep sharing good recipes
I’m so glad you love this avocado greek yogurt chicken salad, Sarah! It’s one of my very favorite things to have for lunch!
SO GOOD! Made this for lunch today – super filling and delicious. I am so here for all the protein and healthy fats. Will definitely be making this again, thank you!
I’m so glad you love this chicken salad recipe, Poorvi! It’s one of my favorite lunches, as well.
I’m new around here, but this looks absolutely delicious! My question is, how long do you think it will stay good in the fridge? I’m a sophomore in high school and next week I have 4 soccer games as well as my AP US history exam on Friday…yikes! If I could make 5 days worth of this on Sunday and have it throughout the week it would be a huge time saver and eliminate some of my stress, but will it stay good until Friday? Regardless, I definetly want to give this a try!
Hi, Karlie! The longest I’ve kept it is 4 days, but I think it tastes best for the first 3 days 😊 I tend to be overly cautious with meat, though, so it may be fine for 5. Good luck with your busy week!!!
If you are really lazy or don’t have the actual avacodos on hand , you might try the packaged Guacamole. The ingredients are Hass avacodos, jalapeño purée, white vinegar, jalapeños, dehydrated onions dehydrated red bell pepper salt, and garlic. It mixes well with the recipe without the yogurt and avacodos.
That’s a great point! 🙂
I love cooking with my kids. We typically make cookies or muffins but my oldest daughter (11yrs) has begun to help me with making dinner. She loves chopping vegetables.
I love this recipe! If you’re looking to add some more ingredients, you might try grilled corn cut off the cob. I had some left over so threw it in there – it was delicious and added a great flavor.