An up-leveled chicken avocado ranch salad with all your favorite and familiar ingredients – blackened chicken, roasted broccoli, avocado, cilantro lime rice, tortilla chips, and a super yummy homemade green goddess ranch dressing.
I adore the flavor combination of this salad. It has so many familiar ingredients paired together in a way that slightly reminds me of a fresh take on a deconstructed chicken taco.
There are quite a few elements to this dish, but they come together pretty easily and all within 45 minutes. Here’s a breakdown of the chicken and avocado bowl:
The bowl components:
Greens – I love to add the crunchy romaine and fragrant arugula to my bowl to bring in a fresh flavor.
Avocados – Filled with good fats and fiber, the diced avocado adds a great fatty element to this bowl.
Pickled red onions – The zing balances out the fatty avocado, creamy green goddess ranch, and savory blackened chicken. I have a recipe below that shows you how to make these, but feel free to buy them at the store if you can find them.
Honeycrisp apple – Totally optional, but adding an apple here brings a tad bit of sweetness to the salad. I’ve tried this salad both with and without an apple and I like it both ways!
Blackened chicken – Super simple chicken breast that is butterflied, marinated in my bbq blend of spices (salt, garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar, dried oregano), and roasted. I’ve had my doubts roasting chicken breast, but let me tell you – this is tender, juicy, and SO EASY!
Roasted Broccoli – Tender, crunchy, and one of my favorite toppings on a salad bowl. Paired with cilantro lime quinoa rice and green goddess dressing, you could skip the chicken and it would be equally delicious as a vegetarian salad.
Tortilla chips – Another crunchy addition to the salad bowl, the tortilla chips remind me of a deconstruction taco.
Green Goddess Ranch – One of my favorite creamy dressings! Made with fresh basil, cilantro, scallions, lemon juice, and mayo. If you’re not a fan of mayo, you can substitute sour cream or whole fat greek yogurt. If you want something dairy free, try my avocado lime vinaigrette.
Cilantro Lime Quinoa Rice – My spin on the classic cilantro lime rice, I do a mix of ⅔ rice and ⅓ quinoa. This proportion keeps the nice fluffy, soft texture of the rice with a bit more protein and fiber from the quinoa. I also fold in some lime zest, juice, and chopped cilantro at the end for some additional flavor.
Other Salads like this:
Sweetgreen Crispy Rice Bowl
Salmon Taco Bowl
Green Goddess Chicken Salad
Crispy Rice Bowl
Salmon and Broccoli with Charred Potatoes
FAQ – Chicken Avocado Ranch Salad
Q: How do you recommend reheating and storing this salad?
A: There are 2 critical elements to keep this salad fresh for over 3 days.
- Use FRESH ingredients – if you want your salad to last 3 days, it’s important that when you buy and prep your ingredients, they look fresh. It’s ideal to buy your groceries either the same day or just the day before you cook.
- Keep the ingredients SEPARATE from each other until the day of eating. It’s MOST important to keep the dressing separate, as the salt from the dressing will pull out all the moisture and make everything soggy.
THIS IS HOW I RECOMMEND STORING AND REHEATING EACH INGREDIENT:
Romaine and Arugula – wash, dry, then cut. Store in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Apple and Avocado – ideally, cut this fresh the same day you plan on eating. Even if you’re just using ¼ of an apple or avocado, save the rest for the next day. Put the apple or avocado in an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Quinoa Rice – cook, cool, and store in a tupperware container. This can be stored with the cooked chicken.
Chicken – Cook and store in a tupperware container. To reheat and enjoy for multiple days, it’s important to buy HIGH QUALITY fresh chicken. Lightly reheat the chicken and quinoa. This can be on the stove, or in the microwave if you’re in a pinch. If using microwave, cover it with a piece of napkin (or paper towel) to keep the moisture in.
Tortilla Chips – Store in an airtight bag or container.
Green Goddess Ranch – store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Q: Can I use an air fryer for the chicken instead of the oven?
A: Absolutely. You can air fry at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the center is at 165F.
Step by Step Instructions:
For the Pickled Red Onions:
1. Slice the red onion into thin strips, less than ¼” thick. Add this to a heat proof bowl or jar.
2. In a small pot, add the white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring this to a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour over the sliced onions.
3. Add a few ice cubes and let this sit for 30 minutes.
For the Chicken and Avocado Bowl:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Butterfly or thinly slice the chicken breasts and marinate. Add to a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes at 400F.
3. Prep all the vegetables and garnishes. Chop the romaine, prep the broccoli, chop the cilantro (for the lime), and dice the avocado and apple. If you plan on making the pickled red onions, slice these as well.
4. Add the broccoli onto a baking sheet, toss with oil, kosher salt, and black pepper, and roast at 400F for 15 minutes.
5. Make the grains. Add the rice, quinoa, and salt to a small 2 qt pot. Toast for 30 seconds, then add the 1.25 cups of water (I don’t rinse my rice in this case – the toasting will help with the starch). Bring up to boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Once finished, gently fold in the chopped cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.
6. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, taste and adjust for seasoning as desired, and set aside.
7. Assemble the bowl by adding a bed of romaine and arugula to a bowl. Add some of the green goddess dressing then top with the cilantro lime quinoa rice, chicken, avocado, roasted broccoli, apples, pickled red onions, and tortilla chips. Add some more dressing, and serve!
VIDEO TUTORIAL:
chicken avocado salad with green goddess ranch
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
An up-leveled salad bowl with all your favorite and familiar ingredients – blackened chicken, roasted broccoli, avocado, cilantro lime rice, tortilla chips, and a super yummy homemade green goddess ranch dressing.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 large head of romaine
- 3 ounces of arugula
- 2 small avocados, diced
- 1 honeycrisp apple, diced
- 1 cup of pickled red onions (recipe below, or can use store bought)
- 15 tortilla chips
For the BBQ Chicken:
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or chicken tenders
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
For the Roasted Broccoli:
- 1 head of broccoli, about 1 lb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the Green Goddess Ranch:
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- 1 cup, or about 2 stems of green onions
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup mayo
For the cilantro lime quinoa rice:
- ⅓ cup quinoa
- ⅔ cup white rice
- Pinch of salt
- 1.25 cups water
- Zest and juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
For the pickled red onion – you can also purchase pickled red onions to make this recipe simpler:
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
Instructions
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- Slice the red onion into thin strips, less than ¼” thick. Add this to a heat proof bowl or jar.
- In a small pot, add the white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring this to a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour over the sliced onions.
- Add a few ice cubes and let this sit for 30 minutes.
For the Chicken and Avocado Bowl:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Butterfly or thinly slice the chicken breasts and marinate. Add to a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes at 400F.
- Prep all the vegetables and garnishes. Chop the romaine, prep the broccoli, chop the cilantro (for the lime), and dice the avocado and apple. If you plan on making the pickled red onions, slice these as well.
- Add the broccoli onto a baking sheet, toss with oil, kosher salt, and black pepper, and roast at 400F for 15 minutes.
- Make the grains. Add the rice, quinoa, and salt to a small 2 qt pot. Toast for 30 seconds, then add the 1.25 cups of water (I don’t rinse my rice in this case – the toasting will help with the starch). Bring up to boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Once finished, gently fold in the chopped cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice
- Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, taste and adjust for seasoning as desired, and set aside.
- Assemble the bowl by adding a bed of romaine and arugula to a bowl. Add some of the green goddess dressing then top with the cilantro lime quinoa rice, chicken, avocado, roasted broccoli, apples, pickled red onions, and tortilla chips. Add some more dressing, and serve!
Notes
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. The cook time should be about the same.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop, oven
- Cuisine: American
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