This month I was working from a condo in Florida and attempting to take a little time “off”. I know, right. What a joke. Clearly, I’m failing at the whole vacation thing. One of my favourite things to do when traveling is of course to eat, because it inspires me for recipes to make for you all! Case in point- this Avocado Chicken Salad.
We were at one of our little local diners for lunch when my fiancé spotted something similar on a menu, decided to order it and loved it. Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do was rush home to recreate it, and thankfully I already had all the ingredients for this healthy avocado chicken salad ready to go in the fridge. Well, almost all of the ingredients…
The Recipe Redux Meet Avocado Chicken Salad Cravings
See, this month’s Recipe Redux challenge is all about a new year, and using new ingredients. We were invited to pick up an ingredient we didn’t know how to use. Sounded like a fun way to make the diner version of avocado chicken salad my own! So I hopped over to the local Publix and ran into the Culantro in the herb aisle. Yes, you read that right. Culantro, not cilantro. The first time I read it I was sure it was a mistake, too. But culantro is a cousin of cilantro and has a similar flavour but the two look nothing alike.
So I went for a Mexican flavour profile with my avocado chicken salad, and then really cut down on the fat. While traditional chicken salad recipes call for globs of full fat mayo, I substituted the creaminess of the avocado plus some plain fat free yogurt. The result is a delicious low carb lunch that’s delicious on its own or stuffed into a pita or on bread.
Want to get some more inspiration for using new unfamiliar ingredients? Check out the Recipe Redux gallery here!
Healthy Low Fat Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 roma tomato seeds removed and finely minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp frozen fresh or canned corn, thawed
- 1/2 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed (or included, if you like a kick!)
- 1 tbsp shallot minced
- 2 tbsp culantro finely minced
- 1 skinless boneless chicken breast grilled or baked and finely diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, scoop out the avocado and mash coarsely. Add in the yogurt, tomato, lime juice, corn, jalapeno, shallot, culantro and diced chicken. Stir until well combined, then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Scoop the chicken salad into the avocado halves and enjoy on its own for a low carb lunch. You can also scoop it into pita pockets or smear on sliced bread for a heartier main.
Nutrition
Updated on June 2nd, 2017
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks for including my recipes! Love this post 🙂
Sara says
So much flavour!!
Caroline @ Caroline Kaufman Nu says
That’s adorable! And I’ve never heard of culantro – any chance it’s milder than cilantro?
Rebecca @ Strength & Sunshine says
So fun! Perfect “avocado” boats 🙂