Chicken Salad Avocado Recipe

Toast walnuts

Preheat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3–4 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool, then coarsely chop.

Prep chicken and aromatics

If not already cooked, poach or roast boneless chicken breasts until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), then cool and shred or chop into bite-sized pieces to yield about 3 cups. Finely dice the celery and red onion, and chop the parsley.

Make dressing and combine

In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper until smooth and the salt is dissolved. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Finish chicken salad

Add the shredded chicken, diced celery, red onion, toasted chopped walnuts (reserve a tablespoon for topping if desired), and chopped parsley to the dressing. Gently fold until everything is evenly coated. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld (up to 2 hours).

Prepare avocados

Halve the avocados lengthwise and remove the pits. If serving as boats, scoop out a small amount of flesh from each half to enlarge the cavity and season the exposed flesh lightly with the extra lemon juice (about 1 tsp) to prevent browning.

Assemble boats

Spoon a generous portion of the chilled chicken salad into each avocado half (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken salad per half depending on size). Sprinkle the grated sharp cheddar evenly over the filled avocados.

Garnish

Top each filled avocado with the reserved chopped walnuts and a scattering of thinly sliced green onions. Optionally place avocados on a bed of mixed salad greens for serving.

Serve

Serve immediately so avocados remain fresh. Leftover chicken salad can be stored separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; assemble avocados just before serving.