These tarragon chicken salad stuffed avocados are super tasty and easy to assemble making them the ideal packable lunch!
When it’s hot outside the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven or even the stove, so I love having some tasty options for dinner or weekday lunches that require little to no cooking. I’ve also been focused on recipes that I can prep on Sunday so they are really easy to get ready to go when I get home from the gym after work. Most of them, like these stuffed avocados, can also be packed for a healthy lunch.
Chicken salad is always a good choice for an easy dinner or packable lunch but sometimes it tends to be a bit unhealthy if it’s drowning in mayonnaise. So for this chicken salad I’ve substituted plain greek yogurt for the most of the mayo and then stuffed it an avocado so you get a serving of veggies along with your chicken salad!
So, what makes a great packable lunch?
In my mind, it’s something that is easy to transport, that either reheats well or doesn’t need to be reheated and of course, tastes great! These avocados check all three of those boxes. If you are taking this to your office for lunch I recommend just taking the whole avocado with you and cutting it half when you are ready for lunch. That keeps it from turning brown before you are ready to eat!
Notes from the Kitchen
- If you want to make this extra healthy you can add a little fresh spinach or top it with some micro greens
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill available to you, you can use a grill pan, however, the cooking time may vary slightly so use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. In a pinch, rotisserie chicken will work too.
things you might want for this recipe
- Avocado Keeper – While this kitchen gadget doesn’t 100% prevent a cut avocado from turning brown, it really helps slow the process. I eat avocado nearly every day, so I find that I can get at least two servings out of an avocado by using this nifty tool. It definitely works better than just wrapping it in plastic.
- Olive Oil Sprayer – I love having an olive oil sprayer in my kitchen. It means I can get a nice fine mist of olive oil on things like this before they get popped in the oven. It also works well for a light coating of olive oil on a salad or spraying chicken breasts before you put them on the grill.
Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocados
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Description
These tarragon chicken salad stuffed avocados are super tasty and easy to assemble making them the ideal packable lunch!
Ingredients
- 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground pepper, divided
- ¼ tsp sea salt, divided
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp olive oil mayonnaise
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- ⅛ tsp dried lemon peel
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 whole avocados
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Spray or brush the chicken with olive oil and season with ¼ tsp pepper and ⅛ tsp salt. Grill for 6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from grill and let cool for 10 minutes. Once the chicken has cooled slightly cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Add chicken to a medium mixing bowl and add yogurt, mayonnaise, tarragon, lemon peel and remaining salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Cut each avocado in half. Divide chicken salad among four halves. Top with toasted almonds and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 avocado
- Calories: 425
Keywords: Easy weekday lunch
Updated. Originally published June 2017.
Well this is a great way to use avocados. We love chicken salad, and putting it in this little bowl of goodness is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
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I always like to see how other people make chicken salad and you had me at tarragon but then the lemon peel and almonds cinched the daal. This is a such a healthy and delicious lunch …. great recipe!
I could pack this in my lunch everyday! I love creamy dishes with tarragon and chicken, it goes so well together. Thanks for the great recipe!
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This looks like a fun and tasty alternative to a sandwich for lunch! Love that it is in an avocado, too! YUM!
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I looooove avocados! What a fun way to eat them. Great idea! 🙂
Thanks Kate. I’m a big avocado fan too!
I love to make avocado tuna salad. A chicken version would be amazing!
What a great looking lunch. It certainly looks restaurant worthy to me. We eat a lot of avocados but simply cube them in our salads. I really like how you made a delicious chicken salad and filled the creamy avocado. Will definitely make this for our lunch very soon.
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Thanks Marisa. I’m a big avocado fan so thought it would be fun to kind of make the avocado the “star” of the dish!
This looks so healthy and easy. Its absolutely desirable at any time of the season.
Oh these sound just perfect!! We had the best stuffed avocados on our honeymoon in Mexico years ago, so I always have a soft spot for these recipes 🙂 Will be trying this out for sure
Thanks Donna – enjoy!!
Yum! This is a great idea. I’ve never tried chicken salad stuffed avocados, but they sound like a great snack or meal. Looks super simple to make, too.
Stuffing a salad into an avocado is SUCH a brilliant idea! I will admit that I’m not a big fan of chicken salad, but swap it out for tuna salad and you’d basically have my ideal lunch. I can’t wait to try this!
Chicken salad is one of those semi-guilty pleasures for me – I’m somewhat picky about it, definitely prefer those that go easy on the mayo and other creamy bits – but when I love it, I love it! Stuffing it into an avocado sounds WAY healthier than my usual lunch approach of stuffing it into a croissant, HA!
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