Curried Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocados {Updated Version!}

If this looks familiar to you, don’t worry, you’re not crazy.  This is the second time you’ve seen this recipe on the blog… a very rare but very great sign that I like it.  I make it so often that I decided to update the original version a bit (original found HERE).  New ingredients, new photos, and a whole new way to enjoy my favorite chicken salad.

A- This version includes a few optional variations, ’cause who doesn’t love choices in life?!  Pssst, I’d totally try a couple if I were you. 

B- This rendition uses rotisserie chicken… yep, a whole delicious roast chicken.  Precooked, ready to shred and devour.  Sometime a gal just needs an easy version of something to whip up.  If you have some leftover chicken (of nearly any kind), you can use this recipe to make yourself (and alllll your loved ones, ’cause trust me, they’ll want this) some chicken salad avo cups.  It’s a great make-ahead meal.  One batch will make many-o-mouths happy… I added in more of the goods I love to make this version even larger.  Trust me, you’ll be happy about that later.  I get sad when the last bite rolls around.  

Bonus: This one recipe can be used for many different meals: sandwiches, lettuce wraps (as I did HERE), atop a salad, and of course, stuffed into a perfectly ripe avocado.  I freaking  avocados.  

makes enough to fill approx 10 avo halves 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 whole roast chicken, or leftover cooked breasts)

1/2 cup Granny Smith apple, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup sweet bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow)

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup diced apricots, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 tbsp mayonnaise, plus more to taste (see my homemade mayo HERE)

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper  

1 tsp lemon juice, plus more for avos (to prevent browning)

ripe (but still firm) avocados

 

optional variations: 

add 1/4 cup dried figs for a lightly sweet touch

add 1/2 cup chopped cucumber for a refreshing twist

add 1/3 cup crisp bacon crumbles for a salty spin

 

*A note about measurements: in the original recipe, I used 2 cups of chicken with half the above amounts of curry, salt, and pepper.  If you prefer your salad more veggie-filled than chicken-filled, start with 2 cups chicken, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.  If you choose to add in the extras, such as fig and cuke, you’ll want 3 cups of chicken to balance the veggie-fruit to meat ratio.  If you’re adding bacon, start with only 1/4 tsp salt, then add more as desired. 

Lemon was a new addition for this updated version- it enhances the flavors as well as helps to keep the avos from browning.  It’s fun to have options, right?!  {Says the biggest libra ever!} 

DIRECTIONS

Finely chop the apple, pepper, onion, celery, apricot, and parsley

If you’re adding in any extras, chop those up now too

(for the pictured version, I added both dried fig and chopped cuke)

Give the cooked chicken a good chop

Add all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl

Above I have 2 cups of chicken, before I added in the cuke and fig 

As noted below the ingredients section, if you’re adding in some extras,

a third cup of chicken is needed to balance out the ratios… 

Stir it all together

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired

If you’re not serving right away, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy later 🙂

To serve, slice avos in half, remove pits, then squeeze fresh lemon juice over the tops

Note: you can scoop right into the pit-hole, though that will leave you quite a bit of avo per serving… some prefer to scoop out a bit of avo to make the hole larger, to hold more delicious filling (scooped avo would be used elsewhere of course- no wasting of an avocado will EVER be promoted on this blog- ever!)

Scoop a heap of chicken salad into the center of each avo half

Serve and devour!