Chicken Avocado Caesar Salad + avocado & chicken recipes

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Creamy avocado makes a double appearance in this easy dinner salad recipe that is super quick thanks to leftover (or rotisserie) chicken. With a bit of crunch from the pepitas and greens, creaminess from the dressing and cheese, a little bite from the pepper and protein from the cheese and chicken, this is a lovely lemon-y caesar salad you can make at home in a flash. Half the avocado goes into the dressing and the other half makes its home in the salad.

I found this recipe when I went seeking a use for the HUGE bag of kale I harvested from my parents’ garden last time I visited.  I stumbled across this avocado kale Caesar salad recipe from Pinch of Yum that looked delicious. I loved it as a kale salad, but it occurred to me that even though I had loads of kale, the greens don’t necessarily have to be kale. Also, Lindsay likes her Caesar salad with sweet potato fries, but you really don’t HAVE to eat your salad with sweet potato fries … although you could if you want to. Me, I’m not much of a sweet potato fry person. I think if I  was going to have fries with my salad, I’d go for my perfect baked steak fries or zucchini fries or eggplant fries, but hey, if you need fries with your salad, go for whatever makes your heart sing.

The other thing I needed to do with this salad is add some protein. I know a lot of people love their Caesar salads with chicken and I happened to have some chicken on hand. Yay! Win.

Do you have leftover chicken?

Even if your leftover chicken is dry, this salad adds enough moisture from the dressing, avocado and greens to make delicious use of your chicken. Not that I ever have dry chicken … no, not me. Okay, yeah I did. I tried to make grilled Greek chicken for my kids and didn’t let it marinade long enough and it was really dry. My picky eater kids ate a little bit, but they didn’t eat much. I chopped it up and put it in the freezer and promised myself I would find a good place for it … and when I found this salad, well, I knew this was the thing my poor dry leftover chicken needed.

Which greens to use?

Caesar salad typically uses romaine lettuce and if you have romaine on hand, go for that! But you don’t need to limit yourself to romaine. Leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, kale, spinach … even iceberg could make an appearance if you add in some other greens. I used a mix of kale, spinach and green leaf lettuce that I had in my fridge.

Do you have to use pepitas?

No, pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds) are nice, but not totally necessary. Substitute some roasted sunflower seeds or croutons or pine nuts. Ot even roasted chickpeas! The purpose is to add a little crunch, salt and protein.

What, no anchovies?

I know, Caesar salad always has anchovies. But I pretty much never have anchovies in my pantry, so I wondered if a little bit of fish sauce might add that fishy little bite that people associate with Caesar salads … and it did. Just a tiny bit of fish sauce totally makes a difference.

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Looking for more avocado recipes?

Here are some awesome avocado recipes from my collection:

• Easy Shrimp, Cucumber & Avocado Salad
• Sue’s Amazing Peach Avocado Salsa
• Lemon Avocado Sweet Pea Crostini
• Shrimp Smoked Salmon Avocado Sushi Bowl
• Avocado Jalapeno Zummus (Zucchini Hummus)
• Asparagus Avocado Deviled Eggs
• Bacon Avocado & Egg Quesadilla
• Avocado Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

My foodie friends have some amazing avocado recipes too:

• Deconstructed Guacamole Salad – An Affair from the Heart
• Guacamole Egg Rolls – An Affair from the Heart
• Avocado & Cheese Stuffed Buns – Dixie Chik Cooks
• Salty Tostones with Basil Avocado Chimichurri – Dixie Chik Cooks
• Super Creamy Avocado Lime Sauce – Fountain Avenue Kitchen
• Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Donut Holes – made with avocado! Gluten Free Gathering
• Pepperjack Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich – ChinDeep
• Guacamole Corn Chip Salad – ChinDeep
• Grilled Avocado Guacamole – The Black Peppercorn

Looking for leftover chicken recipes?

Oh man, I’ve good some good ones for you!

• Broccoli Mushroom Chicken Fried Rice
• Asian Sriracha Chicken Nachos
• Buffalo Chicken Broccoli Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Creamy Feta Chicken Artichoke Dip
• Maple Dijon Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Chicken Mango Avocado Salad
• Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
• Asian Chicken, Shrimp & Kale Egg Rolls
• Flippin’ Amazing BBQ Chicken Salad

And here are some more fabulous leftover chicken ideas from my foodie friends:

• Herbed Chicken and Fennel Sandwich – Flavor N Spice
• Chicken Enchilada Chili – Zestuous
• Roasted Cauliflower Couscous Chicken Caprese Salad – Gluten Free Gathering
• Chicken Cacciatore Soup – Ally’s Kitchen
• Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad – My Midlife Kitchen
• Chicken Corn Chowder – The Black Peppercorn