This delicious Guacamole Chicken Salad comes together in just a few minutes for an easy meal with the fresh, bold flavors of lime, jalapeno and avocado and the crunchy texture of chopped celery and red onion.
Chicken Salad is a classic American lunch that also often shows up at brunch bridal showers and casual dinners. There are endless versions of this popular dish from those with grapes or apples or curry powder stirred into the mixture. This healthy Guacamole Chicken Salad recipe adds a Mexican twist on this classic for a chicken salad that is LOADED with fresh bold flavors. This dish is grain-free, low-carb, gluten-free and keto-friendly so it's great for a variety of dietary restrictions.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to make Guacamole Chicken Salad:
- cooked shredded chicken
- diced celery
- diced red onion
- diced jalapenos
- diced avocado
- chopped cilantro
- mayonnaise
- fresh lime juice
- jalapeno hot sauce
- cumin
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to make Guacamole Chicken Salad:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, jalapeno hot sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.
Add the shredded chicken, diced celery, red onion and jalapenos and chopped cilantro to the bowl, giving everything a good stir.
Then add the diced avocado and gently fold it into the chicken salad.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.
Hint: Serve this Guacamole Chicken Salad on a platter with your favorite crackers, as sandwiches on bread or croissants or over top of salad greens.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient in Guacamole Chicken Salad? Here's how:
- Mayonnaise - use an equal amount of plain yogurt or sour cream in place of the mayonnaise.
- Jalapeno hot sauce - use an equal amount of any hot sauce you like here or even salsa verde in place of the hot sauce.
- Fresh jalapenos - use an equal amount of diced pickled jalapenos in place of the fresh ones.
- Fresh lime juice - use an equal amount of bottled lime juice in place of the freshly squeezed juice.
Variations
Try one of these variations of Guacamole Chicken Salad:
- Spicy - double the amount of jalapeno hot sauce for a spicier chicken salad.
- Deluxe - stir in some drained canned corn, rinsed black beans or diced tomatoes to make this chicken salad more colorful and filling.
- Dairy-free - to make this chicken salad diary-free use 4 Tablespoons of olive oil in place of the mayonnaise.
Or try this Healthy Curried Chicken Salad.
Equipment
This equipment comes in handy when making Guacamole Chicken Salad:
Storage
Because the avocado will begin to turn brown, recommend storing this chicken salad in the refrigerator for more than an hour prior to serving. If you'd like to prepare this ahead for meal prep, I recommend leaving the avocado out, then you can refrigerate the chicken salad for up to 5 days and stir the avocado in right before serving.
Top tip
For the shredded chicken, you can either use a rotisserie chicken, follow this easy slow-cooker method of making shredded chicken, or leftover chopped grilled chicken would be delicious adding extra flavor to the chicken salad.
FAQ
Chicken salad can be deliciously flavorful, but without enough seasoning and fresh ingredients, it can also taste bland. To make the most flavorful chicken salad you need a decent amount of fat - usually in the form of mayonnaise. You also need some acidity, which can come from vinegar, fresh citrus juice or hot sauce. You need to good amount of salt to bring out the flavors as well. Adding in some fresh herbs or dried spices will also add flavor and adding some chopped nuts, vegetables or fruits can add great texture to make your chicken salad more interesting.
Related
Looking for other easy lunch recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Serve Guacamole Chicken Salad with one of these vegetable recipes for a balanced meal the whole family will love:
Recipe
Guacamole Chicken Salad
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2-4 Tablespoons jalapeno hot sauce
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, jalapeno hot sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Add the shredded chicken, diced celery, red onion and jalapenos and chopped cilantro to the bowl, giving everything a good stir.
- Then add the diced avocado and gently fold it into the chicken salad.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
Shannon
Such a flavorful chicken salad!