This Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette is seriously over-the-top delicious. Loaded with thinly sliced avocado, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, perfectly cooked chicken, and passionfruit you are going to find a lot of amazing flavors going on in here. Oh, and did I mention the candied pecans scattered throughout to top it all off? A show-stopping salad that is perfect for a balmy summer night or packed for a lunch you can look forward to.
Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe
This chicken avocado salad is fast becoming the new favorite salad in the whole food bellies house.
It is super quick and easy to pull together, absolutely delicious, and filling enough to make a great lunch or dinner without leaving you with that feeling of being weighed down.
As well as a delicious and super flavorsome passionfruit honey vinaigrette, we also have these lovely ingredients loaded in there:
- chicken breasts: you can always add more or less chicken depending on your preferences. I use chicken breasts for this recipe, however, feel free to use chicken thighs if preferred. Alternatively, grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and pull it apart for a quick dinner;
- avocado: you will need a ripe avocado;
- cherry tomatoes: use sweet and juicy ripe cherry tomatoes, or some chopped larger tomatoes (heirlooms go amazingly in this salad);
- Lebanese cucumbers: these are the smaller cucumbers that can be found beside the continental version. Feel free to use continental cucumbers if preferred, I just find the flavor of Lebanese cucumbers to be a lot nicer;
- baby spinach: you can always use chopped English spinach, or any other leafy green in place of the spinach;
- candied pecans: these really push the salad over the edge in terms of deliciousness and I would definitely suggest taking the extra 10 minutes to make them (tip: make a double batch and use some for this recipe and some for snacking);
- passionfruit pulp: fresh is best, so if passionfruit is in season I would go on ahead and grab some, otherwise, feel free to use the cans of passionfruit pulp, however, please note that does tend to have added sugar so will be considerably sweeter;
- pomegranate arils: if pomegranate is in season then go ahead and grab a fresh pomegranate, if not, you can usually find little containers of pomegranate arils in the fridges in the fruit and veggie section at the store;
- red onion;
- cilantro: for those that don't like cilantro simply replace it with some parsley, although this will obviously change the flavor of the salad.
How To Make
For this salad to look astounding (i.e. if you are serving it at a dinner party or weekend BBQ) then go ahead and grab a huge platter plate.
Arrange all of the salad ingredients on the plate in layers starting with the baby spinach, then the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and slices of the cooked chicken breast, and then topped off with the chopped pecans, passionfruit, and avocado.
Simply gorgeous.
If it is for a regular old dinner salad then throw everything together in a big salad bowl, toss to combine, drizzle on some of the passionfruit dressing and you are good to go.
Troubleshooting, Tips, and Substitutions
If I can offer one suggestion that would be to not skip the candied pecans.
They add such a nice sweet crunch to the salad that brings everything together, and they really come together in no time at all.
Definitely worth the effort.
If you do however prefer your salad to be less sweet then you can always add regular toasted pecans. OR how about this sweet and spicy version which will add a bit of a kick?
Cilantro
If you are not a fan of cilantro then just leave it out. Don't worry, the salad will be just as delicious without it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
When choosing an apple cider vinegar look for a version that is organic, unfiltered, and has 'The Mother'.
Having 'The Mother' will give it a cloudy appearance, which is totally fine and is actually linked to more benefits from health-boosting natural proteins, healthy bacteria, and acetic acid.
Storing Leftovers
This salad is best eaten straight away once the dressing has been added, as the spinach will become soggy from the dressing if left.
If you are prepping your chicken avocado salad ahead of needing it, simply prep the dressing and keep it stored separately in a glass jar until needed.
I hope you love this delicious chicken salad as much as I do. Please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card or comment below.
Happy eating.
Recipe
Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Chicken Passionfruit Avocado Salad
- 2 medium chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 6 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers sliced
- 3 passionfruit halved
- 1 avocado pitted, peeled and sliced
- ½ purple onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped (corriander)
- ½ cup candied pecans for topping
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Passionfruit Honey Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon passionfruit pulp
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Passionfruit Chicken Avocado Salad
- Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté in 2 teaspoon olive oil over medium high heat until browned and cooked through (around 3 min per side). Remove from pan, cool for 5 minutes then slice into strips.2 medium chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons olive oil
- In a large salad bowl or platter plate, add the baby spinach. Top with the cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, passionfruit seeds and pulp, avocado, purple onion, pomegranate arils, and cilantro.6 cups baby spinach, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, 2 Lebanese cucumbers, 3 passionfruit, 1 avocado, ½ purple onion, ½ cup pomegranate arils, ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Passionfruit Honey Vinaigrette
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a glass jar, cover tightly with a lid, and shake together until well combined. If not using dressing right away, shake well again just before serving.½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoon passionfruit pulp, 2 teaspoon dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon honey, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper to taste
To Serve
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the passionfruit chicken avocado salad, sprinkle the chopped candied pecans, and serve.½ cup candied pecans
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Don’t forget to follow Whole Food Bellies on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration! Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post! Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group!
Mackenzie Walsh says
I just moved to Hawaii and am looking for interesting ways to use the passionfruit in my backyard! Excited to try this recipe. Do you know how long the vinaigrette will keep if I make a big batch?
Donna says
I am so jealous!! We used to have passionfruit vines in our old place, kids have been begging to plant some more at the new place! It keeps for a few days in the fridge, so probably better for small batches. You can always scoop out the passionfruit and freeze it in ice cube trays so you have small portions for future cooking.
Nafis Iqbal says
Thanks for share helpful tips...Really great tips..I waiting for next Article...
Renee Goerger says
I'm a sucker for a good salad, and this is one of the best ones I've ever made. Thanks for the incredible recipe!
Donna says
Oh that makes me so happy, thanks for taking the time to pop back and let me know!!
Princess Nisha's Kitchen says
I love the recipe thank you for sharing your post
Christina says
What a great lunch recipe! I'll be making this again and again!
Fiorenza says
Thank you for this recipe, Donna.
I loved the combo sweet and savory and it worked just perfectly with all ingredients you suggested!
Donna says
Oh I am so glad to hear that!