Chicken & Avocado Salad

When everything is so cold and dark, sometimes you crave something fresh and green. When I saw the recipe for Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing over at Noble Pig, I knew I had to try it out as a cure for my winter blahs.

The original version is for chicken salad sandwiches, but I thought it’d make a great dinner salad.

1 pound left-over chicken breast meat, sliced into strips
1 avocado
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ranch dressing mix (Penzeys Buttermilk Ranch in this case)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 scallion (white and green parts)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
2 heads romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, combine the avacado, mayo, dressing mix, buttermilk, scallion, parsely, garlic, mint, cilantro, and lemon juice and pulse to combine. Add 1/4 cup of the water and pulse again, adding more water if needed until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Arrange lettuce on a plate. Top with peppers, chicken, avocado dressing, and some grated Parmesan.

The Verdict: ★★★★☆ This was so good that I plan on always making extra chicken so we have it around for this dish. The dressing had a tangy, buttery, fresh taste that went great with the smoky chicken and peppers.

Next time I would do this as a chop salad – finely chop together the lettuce, peppers, chicken, and maybe add some bacon and cucumber too. Then toss it with just a bit of the dressing and serve with more dressing on the side. I’d probably also switch out lime juice for the lemon to give it just a bit more zip bang.

The Nutrition: Makes 4, 275-calorie servings. The veggies are free so it’s only 7 Weight Watcher’s points if you leave off the cheese.

ONE YEAR AGO – DANGEROUSLY Cold Oatmeal

TWO YEARS AGO – Making More Bacon

 

3 thoughts on “Chicken & Avocado Salad”

  1. Well if you like and it and Cathy posted it, I know I’ll love it. Especially with avocado. When you say Penzy’s, do you mean Penzy’s spice shop? They must have a ranch dressing mix?

  2. Thanks Lea Ann. I’ve got a couple more ripe avocados that are headed for another batch of this salad.

    Yep, Penzeys Spices from Wisconsin. We’ve got 3 of their shops in our area. They make a bunch of salad dressing mixes that I really like, including their Buttermilk Ranch.

  3. Funny, I had the same reaction as Lea Ann….”Penzey’s makes ranch dressing?”

    This does seem like one of those dishes where you try to convince yourself summer is just around the corner by eating summery and light. Delicious.

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