This Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad is a surprisingly filling main course salad that I can’t get enough of! Crisp romaine and crunchy bacon pair perfectly with juicy chicken, creamy avocado, and sweet grape tomatoes. Top it off with a sprinkling of blue cheese and a creamy, punchy dressing, and you have got a salad to get excited about!
It is no secret that I love salads, and this Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad Recipe is one of my favorites!
It is ridiculously satisfying and perfect for meal prep!
Give it a try, and I think you will be hooked too!
Ingredients for Making Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad Recipe
- Buttermilk: This gives a nice tang to the dressing. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, heavy cream or half and half are also options. Alternatively, you can follow this tutorial on How to Make Buttermilk.
- Greek Yogurt: If you want to use regular plain yogurt, line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and strain it first.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If you prefer, red wine vinegar is another option.
- Worcestershire Sauce: If you are gluten intolerant or gluten-free, make sure you choose one that does not contain gluten.
- Chives: If you do not have fresh chives, you can use two teaspoons of dried chives.
- Garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder may be used.
- Cayenne Pepper: I love the subtle hint of heat cayenne gives, but feel free to omit this if you are sensitive to heat.
- Salt and Pepper: Adjust the amounts to your liking.
- Bacon: Used whatever type of bacon you like here. Turkey, pork, or beef will all work nicely
- Chicken: I used chicken breast, but thighs will work too.
- Romaine: If you prefer spring mix, that works nicely as well.
- Avocado: If you plan to have leftovers of this salad, only cut the amount of avocado you plan to use right away.
- Grape Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes will work.
- Blue Cheese: I prefer to buy a block and crumble it myself because it has more flavor, but you can purchase pre-crumbled if you are short on time.
Tips, Tricks, and Variations
- If you would like a thicker, more traditional ranch dressing, feel free to add in ¼ cup of mayonnaise.
- Short on time? Skip making the dressing and use your favorite store-bought brand. Or dress the salad in a simple combination of olive oil and lemon juice.
- Sometimes I like to add in some red onion. They play perfectly with the tomatoes, avocado, and bacon!
Tools Needed to Make Grilled Chicken Salad with Avocado
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- A skillet (I love my cast iron skillet!)
- Blender
- Cutting Board
- Large Bowl
- Instant Read Thermometer
Storage
You can make the dressing ahead of time and keep it for up to 5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
If you would like to make the avocado salad with grilled chicken ahead of time, you can combine all of the ingredients except for the avocado in a large bowl and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. Wait to add the dressing and avocado until you are ready to serve.
More Gluten-Free Salad Recipes to Try
Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Salad
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 5 ounces romaine lettuce washed, dried and chopped
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes quartered
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- To make the dressing, place buttermilk, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chives, garlic, cayenne, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper in a blender. Process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, heat a grill pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Spray with oil.
- Season chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes per side. The internal temperature should be 165° F.
- Transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Place romaine in a large bowl and toss with bacon, chicken, avocado, tomatoes and blue cheese. Add desired amount of dressing and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published June 16, 2016. It was updated April 23, 2021.
Glam Karen says
This salad looks really yummy - the avocado and chicken and tomatoes...all my fave food ingredients for a salad! Cant ever have a salad without blue cheese, too! Grab me a fork!
Karen | GlamKaren.com
Terri Steffes says
Love the kitchen design and the recipe sounds so amazing. I love that combination of flavors in the summer. I could eat avocados every day, every meal.
Kid Minds says
I love my kitchen. It's big and bright. But the one in the pics comes pretty close even though it's a completely different style. I haven't seen the smudge-proof slate finish appliances yet but I love the sound of it!
Rebecca Bryant says
Oh my that kitchen looks amazing adn so does the salad., I am drooling over both.
Rebecca @ Strength & Sunshine says
Such a hearty meal! Salads are never boring when you do them like this!
Rachel Zampanti Langer says
Wow this salad looks so yummy! Avocados give me a crazy bad stomach ache, but I bet it will taste simply amazing even without them.
Mrs.AOK says
The kitchen looks BEAUTIFUL. And oh my that salad looks wonderful!! I have to pin this for sure. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Ana De Jesus says
Your kitchen looks stunning! I love me some avocado and avocado salad is so delicious, I love how colouful yours is!
Rose Sahetapy says
What could be better for Summer recipe than fresh salad like this recipe? Love the combination of avocado and tomatoes, but the dressing though is something quite new for me as I've never use buttermilk in dressing. I'm curious now.
Heather says
I made something similar for dinner last night! Yum! I am constantly thinking about new appliances for my kitchen - a double oven for one. A gas stove, a bigger fridge, a deep freezer so I can start doing more freezer meals...yes...I have a very long list 🙂
Debra Hawkins says
Oh my heck. This is all of my favorite things combined into one salad. I must have this in my life as soon as possible!
Louise Bishop says
Our family is big on having special meals for special events. It is a big deal for us as well. I love the presentation of this salad. Great job!
Reesa Lewandowski says
That kitchen!! It's a dream come true for me! This salad looks so delicious and perfect for a summer night!
Becca Wilson says
This grilled chicken salad looks amazing! That kitchen also looks just as amazing. I need both of them in my life.
Maria - Tough Cookie Mommy says
This salad looks so hearty and delicious. I've never been a big fan of salads but I would certainly love to try this one since it has avocado and bacon.