Chicken and Avocado Salad with blackbeans and smokey buttermilk dressing
This simple chicken and avocado salad is both healthy and filling. Why not take it on your next picnic?
A true classic
Would you believe this is one of the first recipes I posted online in April 2011 when the blog was called Kitchen Goddess (in training)! The blog was a chance for me to share what I was cooking in my student kitchen, learning new skills and trying new ingredients. Who knew it would end up becoming the all consuming hobby it is now! Read on to find out how I’ve upgraded this humble student salad.
Avo-what?!
I posted another chicken and avocado recipe just a few weeks ago – Chicken and Avocado Pizza. I commented on how when I first posted the recipe back in 2013 avocados weren’t quite as popular as they are now. Well, if avocados weren’t popular in 2013, people in the UK had barely heard of them back in 2011 when I first shared this recipe! I couldn’t have anticipated just how popular they’d become.
The first version of this recipe I shared was, to put it mildly, pretty boring. For a start I only used iceberg lettuce – eugh. I’ve since learnt life’s too short for watery lettuce. I also used boring ready cooked chicken. Now I griddle my chicken ahead of time with a little olive oil and plenty of herbs and spices. This is a healthy salad but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on flavour! Avocado still remains a key component but I’ve also added black beans and ripe, juicy red tomatoes. Now that we’re all obsessed with this humble green fruit it’s not enough to just plate it up with some limp lettuce and a bit of chicken. This salad has been pimped!
Pimp my salad
I’ve already mentioned that this Chicken and Avocado Salad now includes black beans and super succulent tomatoes. But to really pimp out this salad I’ve also added a smokey buttermilk dressing. You can, of course, pick up a bottle from your local supermarket. That’s perfectly fine by me, we are all busy people. But if you’re making this at the weekend or perhaps serving it up to guests then you’re probably going to want to go the whole hog and add your own homemade dressing. Don’t worry, it’s included in the recipe below.
When we are feeling particularly naughty we have been known to serve this up with either toasted wholewheat tortilla strips or even a big old hand of corn tortilla chips! The extra added crunch is satisfying but optional.
Chicken and Avocado Salad – The Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast with skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 small head of lettuce (gem or romaine work well)
- 1 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 2 spring onions
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1/2 tin of ready cooked black beans
- 100ml buttermilk
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 small garlic clove (crushed)
Instructions
- Begin by rubbing the chicken breast with the olive oil, dried oregano and Cajun seasoning.
- Turn a griddle pan on high and cook the chicken for 5 minutes on either side until charred on the outside and cooked through the centre.
- Place to one side and allow to cool completely.
- To assemble the salad, slice the lettuce into strips.
- Dice the tomatoes, slice the spring onions and cube the flesh of the avocado.
- Add these to the lettuce along with the drained black beans.
- Once completely cool, slice the chicken and place on top of the salad.
- Finally, mix together the buttermilk, lemon juice, paprika and garlic.
- Drizzle over the salad and enjoy.
I guess you could say this salad has a bit of a Tex-Mex feel but it is much much lighter than any Tex-Mex food I’ve ever eaten. The salad leaves are fresh and crisp, the tomatoes are juicy, the avocado is creamy, the dressing brings the right amount of sharpness, the chicken is tender and black beans provide the roughage to make sure you’re full without feeling heavy. What is not to love?
I know it’s quite a bit of effort to go to for just a salad but if you make this on Sunday to take to work on Monday you’ll be so happy you did. Plus all of your co-workers will have lunch envy!
Make sure you pin this recipe and up-your lunch game.
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Ooooo this looks really nice! I may be stealing this for exam time lunches. =D
Sounds good to me!!! It should keep you going 😛 (I'll have to put some brain power fishy recipes on here next!)My exams are 3 hours long EUGH! So there's a fine line between not eating enough and being STARVING at the end, and eating too much and wanting to sleep haha!Good luck with your exams!
I forgot about your previous name! Fab salad. Chicken and Avocado is the perfect combo.
It’s such a cringe name I try to avoid mentioning it usually hahaha bit I’ve been having fun reminiscing and looking back at the old posts from that time 🙂 glad you like the combo!
That sure is one very healthy and summery salad!
Thanks Heidi 🙂 but best of all its seriously TASTY!
Emma, that looks truly superb. I am now craving chicken salad!!!
Janie x
Thanks Janie. Better get yourself down to the shops 😉
Chicken, avo and black beans are just made for one another. And beautiful styling – love your textile!
Thanks Kellie 😀 the napkin is from Anthropologie 😉
I’ve been on an avocado mix lately and this salad sounds perfect for lunch and easy enough to whip up the dressing. Adding the black beans is brilliant too. It really has all the right ingredients. Yum!
Thanks Ali! I do try my best to get a tasty balanced meal at lunchtime otherwise I’m always left snacking! Enjoy!
That looks fabulous, and healthy, and not that hard to make – tick, tick, tick! I remember in my childhood (quite a few years ago now) avocados were a total luxury, nothing like these days.
(love your profile pic, BTW)
Thanks Elissa 😀 it’s funny how things change and foods become in and out of popularity!
Such an awesome salad!YUM
Well. . .I’m always in the mood for a nice pimped out salad especially one that is as colorful as this beauty. As for salad dressing, I prefer to make my own as it tastes so much better and really isn’t that time consuming to make. I’m definitely going to need to give your smokey buttermilk version a try.
Thanks Lynn! Glad you like it! Homemade does always taste best doesn’t it?
I love big, hardy salads! This is incredible! Nicely done.
Thanks Jackie 😀 glad you like it!
Chicken and avocado is such a winning combination for me. Love the sound of that dressing too!
Thanks Jemma. I definitely think it’s becoming a classic :’)
My last contract was in a company with a lot of Aussies, Kiwis and South African staff and oh my goodness, I think more avos were consumed in that one office than in the rest of the UK put together. Most people made their lunches themselves in the kitchens on each floor, and they sure loved their avos! Your salad looks ACE!
Haha thanks Kavey! That made me laugh. Who knew they were obsessed with avocados in that part of the globe!