Chicken salad is an American classic, and seemingly everyone has a favorite way to make it. Since it keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, it’s great for meal prepping, office lunches, or just a cool snack on a hot day when the oven definitely shouldn’t be turned on.
While most chicken salads use mayonnaise only, swapping half of it out with Greek yogurt gives it a more complex flavor and also makes it a little lighter. Adding grapes will give the salad a burst of juicy flavor and a little crunch. Like the classic Waldorf salad, ours uses chopped walnuts as well. For even more crunch and freshness, a few diced stalks of celery are added.
Ingredients for chicken salad-stuffed avocados
First and foremost, cooked and chopped chicken is required for this recipe. If you want to make the chicken yourself, poaching chicken breasts would be the best and fastest route.
Next, you’ll need the standard chicken salad ingredients: mayonnaise, diced celery, halved grapes, diced red onion, chopped walnuts, lemon juice, a teaspoon of yellow mustard, and some salt and pepper. Chopped parsley is added towards the end for a fresh finish. One unique ingredient for this recipe is Greek yogurt. It helps make less of an oily chicken salad because some of the mayonnaise can be reduced from the dressing mixture. If Greek yogurt isn’t available, more mayonnaise can easily be substituted in its place. Chicken salad is easily adaptable, so feel free to swap out anything you don’t like and make it your own.
Step 1: Make the chicken salad dressing
Add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Add the chicken and other ingredients
Add the chopped chicken, onion, celery, 2 tablespoons parsley, grapes, and walnuts to the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are coated in dressing.
Step 3: Prep the avocados
Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Carefully remove peel, leaving the avocados in full halves.
Step 4: Make the avocado cups
Scoop out 2 spoonfuls of the avocado meat, leaving the avocado half intact.
Step 5: Chop up the avocado
Chop up the scooped out avocado and stir it into the chicken salad.
Step 6: Fill the avocado cups
Fill the avocado halves with a large spoonful of chicken salad.
Step 7: Sprinkle with parsley
Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately.
