Mediterranean Chicken Avocado Salad (No Mayo, 48g Protein)

Avocado, olive oil, and feta. The oil is 120 calories you can skip, the avocado already does the job. Feta and olives are where the sodium comes from, and there’s no way around that without losing the Mediterranean part. Lighter version: drop the olive oil and use one avocado. That gets you under 450 calories and 25g fat.

Every one of these serves two, and every serving has a whole avocado in it. That’s on purpose. The fat is what makes it a meal without carbs. If the number is more than you want, split it four ways. Half an avocado each, works as a snack or a light lunch. The toast isn’t in the macros.

This is the one I bring when I’m eating with other people. It looks like effort. On toast, with the glaze zigzagged over the top, nobody believes it took ten minutes and a store-bought chicken.

Serves 2. No cooking. 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp balsamic glaze

To serve: sourdough toast, lettuce cups, a tortilla, or straight from the bowl.

Steps

1. Mash one avocado. Dice the other.
2. Stir lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper into the mashed avocado.
3. Add chicken, olives, tomato, feta, and parsley. Mix.
4. Fold in diced avocado.
5. Spread on toast. Drizzle balsamic glaze over the top.

Prep the olives, tomato and parsley together in one container. Keep the feta separate so it doesn’t go soggy. Add the glaze at the table, never in the container.

Pairs well with my 10-minute Mediterranean chopped salad if you want a side.

Don’t freeze the finished salad. Avocado turns to water. In the fridge, press plastic wrap right on the surface and it holds for two days. Better move: freeze the shredded chicken in portions, prep the add-ins, and mix with fresh avocado the day you eat it. Two minutes.

Can I make Mediterranean chicken avocado salad without mayo?

Yes. This one has no mayo and no yogurt. Mashed avocado and a little olive oil bind it.

Why is the sodium high?

Feta and kalamata olives. Rinse the olives and use less feta if you need to bring it down, but that’s the flavor of the dish.

Can I use grilled chicken instead of rotisserie?

Yes, and it’s better here. Leftover grilled chicken has char that works with the lemon and olives.

What can I use instead of balsamic glaze?

A squeeze more lemon, or skip it. The glaze is a finish, not a structural ingredient.

If you want the classic mayo version, my rotisserie chicken salad is here.

• Feta: goat cheese or skip it.
• Kalamata olives: any olive. Castelvetrano if you want it milder.
• Roma tomato: a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried if that’s what you have.
• Olive oil: drop it. The avocado covers it.