Avocado Chicken Salad with Homemade French Dressing
This avocado chicken salad is fresh and packed full of veggies and protein! The homemade French dressing adds the perfect kick to make this a delicious, healthy dinner option for your whole family!
March was a big month in our house. My husband and I officially closed on our home and we are now first time homeowners!
We are so excited to finally have a place with a fence for our dog and an acre of land for her to play on. And i am beyond excited to have a place that I can paint and decorate to my heart’s content. No more rentals for us!
Before we move in, we’re putting in beautiful hardwood laminate, and we can’t get it in fast enough!
This is the flooring we picked out: (not our house)
It’s called ‘antique farmhouse,’ and it is gorgeous. Seriously.
But, since we’re trying to get that done, we can’t move things into the house yet. Which means I’m looking for quick, easy, portable meals to take to the house every day while we work.
This avocado chicken salad with homemade french dressing is all of the above and more. The salad is light, springy-fresh and delicious. The dressing is made from scratch, and so incredibly easy. Plus, it makes enough that you can use it multiple times! And it’s also good as a veggie-dipping sauce in lunches!
And it can all be prepped ahead of time, salads put together and all, and then you can just add dressing when you’re ready to eat! It doesn’t get much more simple than that!
A light, springy-fresh salad featuring avocado, chickpeas, chicken and fresh veggies, topped with a zippy, made-from-scratch French dressing. Hello, farmer's market season!
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
- 3 cups Iceberg lettuce, torn
- 2 cups spinach leaves, torn
- 1 avocado, sliced into strips
- 1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and dried
- 1 large carrot, shaved
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 c. tomato paste
- 2 tbsp. tomato sauce or ketchup
- 3/4 c. olive oil
- 5 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. paprika
- pinch garlic powder
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Make dressing - combine all ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings (I often need to adjust either the honey or the salt).
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Cook the chicken: Heat a skillet to medium- high heat. Add 1/2 tbsp. olive oil. When it is hot, add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. Cook until white throughout, about 5 minutes.
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Assemble the salad: Toss together lettuce and spinach and split evenly between 4 salad bowls or plates. Top with remaining ingredients, divided evenly among bowls. Serve with dressing drizzled on top.
This recipe makes a LOT of dressing. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Note: It will get thicker as it sits in the refrigerator. Shaking it helps, as does thinning it with just a bit of water if needed.
kage2015
Any salad can be wonderful. Having homemade dressing makes it even better.
Mallisa
The colors in this are so vibrant! I am a sucker for french dressing, I can’t wait to try out this recipe.
Jessica Wagner
Yum!!! I might have to make this right now!!! Heading to the store…. anything with that much color has to be delish!! XO
https://www.theweekenderafashionfieldguide.com
Marckyourworld
This looks delicious and so very refreshing…you’ve inspired me (with the addition of garbanzo beans I’m sold)!
Jenna | The Urben Life
This looks like the perfect spring/summer salad! Sharing for later 🙂 Looks so yummy!
roseclearfield
Congrats on the new home! I’m so excited for you. The salad looks amazing. I love chicken and avocado.
Jessica
Congrats on your new home! We recently moved as well! We moved into another rental, but still the moving process is a lot whether you buy or rent. This salad looks delicious. I am the only one in my house that loves avocado so when I try this, I’ll be able have it all to myself. Portable meals are great for moving!
Rachel R Ritlop
yum! this looks so delicious!
karyld2016
Congrats on your new home! I haven’t moved in 9 years, and don’t plan to do it again until I leave town…moving is just a big pain in the butt 🙂 This salad looks delicious and simple, and perfect for eating on the lighter side. I love that you made your own dressing. I didn’t realize French dressing was so simple, I’m definitely going to need to try that recipe out
Lisa Sell
This is perfect now that the weather is getting warmer and lighter meals are better. Great recipe.
New Labels Only
This looks so delicious and also very healthy. My NY resolution was to eat more green and salad and would definitely suit me. Love the recipe too, looks quite easy to follow
racheltolle
This looks delicious, and I usually don’t like anything remotely healthy.
Sarah
Wow, this looks delicious!!!! I wish my husband liked salad. 🙁 I may have to make it just for myself!
mamafishsaves
So yummy! I can’t wait to try it this spring and summer. What a perfect light dinner! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lauren Jane Bellows
My daughter devours french dressing like it’s no ones business and the idea of making it homemade makes me so happy! I’ll have to try this one her 🙂
mummamorrison
I’ve been keen to get into some meal planning, and this looks like the amazing lunch meals for me during the week. Will be getting the ingredients for this with our next grocery shop 🙂
smstartz
That dressing sounds really good! I’m definitely going to try it out. Also LOVE the flooring choice.
xoxo, Sarah
lifestartzhere.com
Amanda | The Golden Girl Diary
This looks so yummy! Not much for french dressing, but I’d still eat it with balsamic!
Shannon
I love chickpeas in my salad, but haven’t had French dressing in ages. Looking forward to trying this.
Devon
His looks so delicious! I’ll have to try it.
Marian Mitchell
This looks so pretty and delicious!!!
Jolina
That salad looks gorgeous (as does the floor!). Salads are our default weeknight meal when we’re too lazy to prep anything else so we’re always excited to try new ones out. Love that this one has chickpeas and avocados.
babiestobookworms
Congratulations on your home! That salad looks delicious!
leahashley85
MMMM cant wait to try!! Must make this homemade french dressing for my dad when he comes to visit it is his favorite! Thanks for sharing
Lauren
Can’t beat homemade dressing. Would probably go great with a balsamic dressing, too!
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
That flooring looks beautiful! And that salad has so many great, fresh flavors. Yum!
Rachel G
Man does this salad look amazing!!! So much healthy protein and vitamins in one bowl!
Rae
This seriously looks so delicious! And the homemade dressing?! OMG yes!
Rae | Mindful Rambles
Thewifeslife
First, I love that flooring. Great choice! I’ve been on a salad kick lately and don’t remember the last time I had french dressing. I can’t wait to make this.
Elizabeth Johnson
This look incredible! I am going to have to try this. I have been looking to incorporate more salads in my meals and get bored with plain traditional salads. This is a great way to mix things up!
The Belly Rules The Mind
Seems like my hubby would enjoy this salad. Would love it try it out. specially as the days are getting warmer and you don’t want to eat a very heavy meal
jessicadevlin
I am so going to try this, thanks so much
Brittany Ferrell
This looks and sounds so delicious. I pinned it to my “summer suppers” Pinterest board because it looks so refreshing for a summer meal!
caseylmicheil315
This dressing sounds yummy, I will have to try!
Tayrina Gonzalez
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Divya @ Eat. Teach. Blog.
This looks like goodness in a bowl. I had my first salad yesterday after MONTHS. It felt good to get some greens in my system!
Diane Ferreira
Looks and sounds awesome!!! Love this!! Looking forward to trying it!!
Lynn White
This looks so good! Any salad with avocado all always win me over. Yum!
Karin Rambo
This looks delicious! I love a good salad that’s actually filling too!
Dad Whats 4 Dinner
I have always loved French dressing but have never made my own. I will need to give this a try.
Alicia
Love the chicpeas and how colorful this salad is.
Taylor Mead
This looks so delicious! I have to make this for lunch tomorrow!! 🙂
xx, Taylor (thesprinkle.tayloramead.com)
Rachel Gault (@rachelgault)
Yum! I need to start incorporating avocado into my salads!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Congrats on a new home! And how great to have space for your dog to play! This salad is my ideal, and I’m loving the dressing!
Rachel R Ritlop
yummy! these looks so delicious and refreshing! thank you! Congrats on the new home!
IG:Suetanyamchorgh (@suetanyamchorgh)
This looks yummy!
confettiandbliss
During spring and summer I crave fresh crisp salads adorned with beautiful color! Your gorgeous Avocado Chicken Salad is packed with color and looks absolutely scrumptious. It’s filled with body-loving nutrients and it’s calling my name. Thanks so much for sharing this yummy seasonal goodness. 🙂
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen
That salad looks amazing! The colors look so vibrant and fresh. It would make the perfect lunch. Great choice on the flooring for your house, too.