Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad (Printable)

Grilled chicken breast tossed with creamy avocado ranch dressing, fresh vegetables, and mixed greens for a refreshing meal.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.1 lbs)
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Avocado Ranch Dressing

05 - 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
06 - 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
07 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
12 - 1 garlic clove, minced
13 - 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
14 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
16 - 2 to 3 tablespoons water

→ Salad

17 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
18 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
19 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
20 - 1/2 cup celery, diced
21 - 4 cups mixed salad greens or romaine, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
02 - Cook chicken for 6 to 7 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks.
03 - In a blender or food processor, combine avocado, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, chives, parsley, dill, garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth, adding water gradually for desired consistency.
04 - In a large bowl, combine salad greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and celery.
05 - Add cooked chicken chunks and pour avocado ranch dressing over the salad. Toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
06 - Transfer to serving plates immediately, garnishing with additional fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The avocado ranch is so much better than anything from a bottle, and it takes less than two minutes to blend together.
  • It feels like a meal prep win but tastes like something you'd order at a cafe with outdoor seating and good music.
  • You can eat it warm right after cooking or cold the next day, and somehow it gets even better overnight.
  • It uses one pan and one blender, so cleanup is faster than the cooking itself.
02 -
  • Let the chicken rest after cooking or all the juices will run out onto your cutting board instead of staying in the meat, leaving you with dry sad chunks.
  • Don't skip thinning the dressing with water, because it needs to be loose enough to coat everything without clumping into avocado globs that stick to only half the salad.
  • If your avocado isn't ripe enough, the dressing will be grainy and weird no matter how long you blend it, so just wait a day or use a different avocado.
03 -
  • Always taste your dressing before you toss it with the salad, because it's way easier to adjust the salt, lime, or herbs before everything is mixed together.
  • If you're using rotisserie chicken to save time, pull the meat while it's still slightly warm so it shreds easily and soaks up the dressing better than cold chunks.
  • Make a double batch of the avocado ranch and keep half in the fridge, because you'll want to put it on everything from grain bowls to roasted vegetables within the next few days.
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