Lemon Herb Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe With Crispy Bacon & Creamy Feta Cheese is the ultimate salad recipe! Grilled or pan seared chicken!
This loaded up chicken salad is not just any boring salad. With a crazy good lemon herb dressing slathered on the chicken as a marinade for intense flavour, this meal-in-a-salad is delicious to the extreme! Minimal ingredients means it’s a quick to throw together salad to have on the table in no time!
Best Chicken Salad Recipe For Dinner
Or lunch really! This site is the wrong place to be looking for rabbit salads consisting of celery sticks on 2 lettuce leaves. The home of incredibly BIG salads to satisfy everyone around the dinner table, it was time to give you another one!
Salad Dressing
In typical Cafe Delites fashion, I’m giving you a dressing that does double duty as a marinade. WHAT AM I SAYING?
As we do with all of our salads, you’re going to make up the dressing, divide it in half, reserve half into the refrigerator to use later, and use the other half as a marinade. Once the chicken is done marinating, you are going to DISCARD that marinade. The dressing is still sitting in your refrigerator, nice and clean, ready to be used when you’re ready!
The stuff of geniuses…
What goes in THIS chicken salad?
Only FIVE main ingredients make up the base of this salad recipe to sit your chicken on and slather it with the best salad dressing of your life.
- Lettuce — I always use Romaine (or Cos in Australia) for that refreshing crunch factor. You can also use butter lettuce or ice berg if you wish!
- Crispy bacon — I fry the bacon up while the chicken is marinating to save time.
- Avocado — Hass is our favourite, but any variety you find is good.
- Tomatoes — Grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Feta — I use Danish feta marinated in oil because it is super creamy. You can use any, but I do recommend buying fresh from a deli.
Optional Add-Ins
- Boiled egg slices
- Radish slices
- Asparagus
- Cucumber
- Olives
Seared or Grilled Chicken Salad
The recipe includes both options.
For Searing — I recommend a cast iron skillet or heavy based frying pan for the best crisp-charred results.
For Grilling — A barbecue for outdoor grilling; a grill pan or electric grill can be used for indoors.
Looking for more salads? Try these!
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad With Bacon & Avocado
Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad
Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad
Lemon Herb Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade/Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper, or to taste
- 1 pound (500 g) skinless & boneless chicken thigh fillets (or chicken breasts)
Salad:
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
- 1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 8 ounces (250 g) feta cheese
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 of a red onion, sliced (optional)
- 1/4 cup diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.
- Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.
- Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet or grill over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through (about 7 minutes per side, depending on thickness).
- Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining UNTOUCHED dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nona McCown says
Do you think I could sub salmon for the chicken and leave the rest of the recipe as is?
Karina says
Yes, of course! You are welcome to change or make any of my recipes your own! It may alter or change the texture and taste of the meat but it sounds delicious! Thanks so much for following along with me! XO