Filling and refreshing Chimichurri Chicken Salad – tender and juicy chicken breasts marinated with flavorful chimichurri, cooked and served over a bed of salad and creamy avocado. It’s a full meal by itself!
Chimichurri Chicken Avocado Salad
Don’t be thrown by not knowing what chimichurri is; this salad will quickly become a favorite for its combination of flavorful chicken and fresh vegetables. It might even inspire you to use chimichurri with other dishes in the future.
You can check other chicken salad recipes here. They are healthy, delicious and very easy to prepare.
How to cook with chimichurri?
Chimichurri is usually used to top off the meat after it is cooked, but for this salad, we’re going to introduce it sooner.
Marinating the chicken in the chimichurri will give the full flavor that this salad is capable of; I prepared this chicken on the stovetop, but you can grill it too.
Basting the chicken in your chimichurri will also help build the flavor profile. Just make sure you have enough chimichurri left over for the dressing!
How to Prep chimichurri Chicken Salad
This chicken salad uses fresh and hearty ingredients, and it requires little prep time and a small amount of cooking. It’s perfect for a quick lunch or dinner.
Chimichurri salad ingredients include:
- Lettuce: I used romaine lettuce in this main meal salad, because it has a good crunch, and it’s also a terrific filler. Any other salad mix can be used.
- Kalamata olives: I love the tang in olives, and the flavor it adds to the salad is undeniably better.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are my faves for this salad. However, Roma tomatoes or cocktail tomatoes will work just fine.
- Cucumbers: Crunchy and fresh! For this recipe, I used the long English cucumbers. Honestly, any variety will do.
- Chimichurri: My quick and easy chimichurri sauce is incredibly easy to make, and it doubles as a marinade as well as a salad dressing. Double win!
[su_note note_color=”#d1d5de”]
What is chimichurri?
If you haven’t already, check out my recipe for chimichurri. To put it simply, it’s a South American sauce that goes well with meats.
Are the ingredients for chimichurri hard to find?
Nope. The ingredients are easily found at any grocery store.
How long to make it?
You can have the whole meal done in 20 minutes.
Will Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Avocado Salad keep well?
The chicken and chimichurri will keep much better than the rest of the salad, so it is best to enjoy it while it’s fresh.
What to serve with Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Avocado Salad?
Because this is a full meal salad, there isn’t anything you need to serve with it, but you can treat it like other grilled chicken and serve with other starches or vegetables if you prefer.
[/su_note]
Flavor Variations:
- You can lessen the presence of the chimichurri flavor by not basting as much or using it as a dressing if preferred
- Use other favorite herbs for garnish
[su_box title=”Other salad recipes you might want to try:” box_color=”#273B56″]
- Seven-layer salad
- Classic Nigerian Salad
- Kachumbari – Onions, Tomatoes, and Cucumber Salad
- Turkey Salad Sandwich
- Salmon salad
- Chimichurri Avocado Chicken Salad
- Quick and easy tomato salad
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Tomato mozzarella salad
[/su_box]

Chimichurri Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 5 cups Romaine lettuce or mixed salad
- 1 Cup Cherry tomatoes Sliced in two
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- ½ cup Olives
- 1 cup Cucumber sliced
- ½ Red onion sliced
- 1 Avocado seeded, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup chimichurri sauce for the marinade - plus more for dressing
Instructions
- Rinse and clean the chicken breasts (if you choose to). Set aside
- Make a batch of chimichurri. The recipe can be found here; pour 1/4 cup of the sauce over the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Place chicken breasts in the skillet. Do not disturb the breasts until the skin side sears, 5 or 6 minutes.
- Flip to the other side and cook again for another 5 to 6 minutes or till the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F, and the chicken becomes golden. Leave to cool down covered for a few minutes to retain its juice.
- Meanwhile, prepare the salad by combining the lettuce leaves, tomatoes, onion, olives, cucumber, and avocado slices, then place then slice the chicken breasts into thin strips and place directly over the salad.
- Drizzle with some Chimichurri dressing. Garnish with some extra parsley leaves if desired.
Nutrition
Let’s Connect.
You can find me on Facebook, and Instagram. I love keeping in touch with all of you!
If you make this chicken cucumber avocado salad recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen