The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for the Best Chicken Salad

As a mayo-phobe, I’ve been making chicken salad with Greek yogurt for years, which, though tasty, is not exactly traditional or unique.

Recently, I came across Elise Bauer’s recipe for Avocado Chicken Salad and without being too dramatic, all I can say is, where has this been all my life?

It never occurred to me to add creamy avocados to chicken salad, but as it turns out, it’s the perfect binder that brings chicken salad together the same way mayo (or Greek yogurt) does. Avocado is creamy, rich, and can jive with different flavor profiles. Most importantly, is not mayonnaise!

Here’s how I made Elise’s recipe—I didn’t use as many add-ins because I prefer my chicken salad without too many other flavors.

I started out by mashing the avocado with lime juice and salt to make a creamy base. I added a little diced jalapeño, cubed leftover chicken, a drizzle of olive oil, and sliced scallions. After a hefty pinch of salt and pepper and a quick mix, I was left with the tastiest chicken salad I’d ever made.

I served it on toasted multigrain with crispy lettuce, but the salad was so good on its own that I could have eaten it by the spoonful or even with tortilla chips.

I love that this upgrade adds a fresh taste to the chicken salad—you can’t get that with mayo or Greek yogurt. It was rich and creamy but still felt light. The flavor is somewhat reminiscent of a green goddess dressing. I look forward to making a super herbaceous version of this once my backyard herbs really start to thrive! 

One thing to note: While no one likes chicken salad that has been kicking around for a few days, this version is one you’ll want to enjoy right away. I added enough lime juice to prevent the avocado from browning for about eight hours in the fridge. Any longer, it would have turned brown. However, I can assure you this won’t be an issue; my family ate the entire batch in one go.

For anyone who works in food, particularly in developing recipes, you may be familiar with the feeling of “how did I not think of this?!” when you come across a mind-blowing recipe. It’s always something that you totally overlooked, that makes perfect sense once you give it a try.

Case in point, chicken salad.