Chicken salad lettuce wraps are lightened up with healthy avocado and NO mayonnaise at all! These wraps are going to quickly become a lunch favorite.
Your lunch game is about to get a major refresh! In the direction of lots of green.
These lettuce wraps have consistently been one of the top recipes on my website the past 6+ years and the verdict is officially in: avocado is better than mayonnaise.
Mashed avocado is what gives this incredible chicken salad its creamy texture and you may never go back to using mayonnaise again!
This chicken salad only has seven ingredients in it, but even in all its simplicity to throw together it is SO packed with flavor!
Pile it in a few crisp butter lettuce leaves and you’ve got serious lunch envy about to happen.
These Avocado Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps feature…
- Tender chicken chunks.
- A creamy avocado sauce spiced up with lime, cilantro, and red onion.
- 10 minutes to make and the perfect use for leftover chicken.
Making the Avocado Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cooked chicken
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Red onion
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Garlic powder
- Butter lettuce
Choosing Your Chicken
This recipe works great with a variety of cooked chicken! You can use shredded rotisserie, roasted, or poached chicken.
We typically use breasts since we love white meat in salads, but dark meat or a mix of both will work perfectly fine.
Tips for Perfect Lettuce Wraps
- Use a ripe avocado – ripe is essential here for getting a nice smooth mash.
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces – aim for 1/4-in cubes of chicken to make chicken salad easy to eat. You can also shred the chicken into small pieces.
- Use fresh lime and cilantro – these two ingredients make a BIG difference flavor-wise! The lime juice also helps the avocado stay a vibrant green.
- Assemble lettuce wraps just before serving – store the chicken salad separate from the lettuce and wait to assemble until you’re ready to serve to prevent the lettuce from getting soggy.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a little bit of a twist on this recipe!
- Serve chicken salad in a tortilla or on a sandwich.
- Add veggies (try chopped sweet pepper, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber)
- Try another fresh herb (minced fresh basil, chives, or parsley in place of the cilantro)
Storing Lettuce Wraps
For best results, store chicken salad separate from lettuce wraps in refrigerator up to 4 days. We’ve found the avocado in the salad starts to turn a bit brown if stored for more than this suggested time.
The avocado is really a game-changer for making this chicken salad SO rich and creamy. It’s easy to see why these wraps always get devoured.
Get ready for these lettuce wraps to become a permanent fixture on your lunch menu! Bonus that it’s extra healthy.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More lettuce wraps you will want to try next!
Avocado Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
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Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8-10 butter lettuce leaves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mash avocado with sour cream and lime juice. Stir in cilantro, onion, garlic powder, and chicken cubes until combined. Season chicken salad with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill butter lettuce leaves with chicken salad and serve immediately. Enjoy!
For a step-by-step guide to making this recipe, check out the video!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new photos and notes on 6/24/22.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
You are on a roll with the pretty green dishes, Sarah! Love the looks of these wraps! It’s been way too long since I’ve had something like this. Avocado and chicken makes the perfect salad, especially for spring!
Sarah says
Green ALWAYS wins, right?? Thanks for the sweet words, Gayle!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
I am completely on board with this avocado chicken salad!!!! love and can’t wait to try this!
Sarah says
I had a feeling you would be, girl! xoxo
Annie says
These look so nice and Springy!! I love easy dishes like this!
Sarah says
Thanks Annie!!
Ashley says
I blow through avocados like nobody’s business!! These wraps sound amazing – I’ve never been a big mayo person so this is so more my style!!
Sarah says
Oh, I’m right there with ‘ya on avocados, Ashley! They never stay around long! 😉
Ryan | A Polished Palate says
These are perfect for lunch and sound delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks Ryan! 😉
Rox says
These look amazing. Will it keep for leftovers, or will the avocado turn brown? Thanks. Can’t wait to try.
Sarah says
As long as you press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the salad, it shouldn’t turn brown. I hope you like it, Rox! 🙂
Roxxi says
These look amazing! What can I use instead of sour cream? I love it, but can’t have it :(. Can’t wait to try!! Sounds perfect for tomorrow’s lunch ?.
Sarah says
Plain yogurt would be a fine substitute. Or, if it’s the dairy you can’t have you could just skip it all together and use a little additional avocado. 🙂
Jenny Q says
This is exactly what I need to kick start my healthy work lunch movement ?
Sarah says
Haha! Love it! 🙂 Let me know how it turns out Jenny!
Alison says
Can leftovers be stored for next day? I know avacado can be tricky to store after cutting.
Sarah says
Hi Alison! Yes, as long as you press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the salad they should be fine for 1-2 days.
Anya says
OMG! I’m in love with this! I love avo and I love chicken. It’s so simple but I can’t wait to bring it to school for lunch one day.I’ve never heard of the avo instead of mayo swap but it sounds awesome!
Sarah says
Hope you like these wraps, Anya! They make a perfect school lunch!
Kim says
I am very excited to try this! I love anything avocado! What is the measurement for each serving size from the nutritional info you listed? Thank you 🙂
Sarah says
Serving size is one lettuce wrap! Hope you like these, Kim! 🙂
Pat Leonard says
These were a hit! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sarah says
So happy to hear that, Pat!! Thanks for letting me know. 😀
nikki says
OH man these are crazy good!!
Thanks for the healthy lunch/din option that will now be thrown into rotation!
Sarah says
I’m glad you like them, Nikki!! Enjoy. 🙂
Tomi says
Has anyone tried swapping out the sour cream for some Greek yogurt? I’m just not a fan of SC and was wondering if Greek yogurt would be an ok swap.
Caroline says
I always swap out sour cream with Greek yogurt and it always works great. Can’t wait to try this!
Debra says
My son and I loved this! He has texture issues and is finally opening up to try new things. He is eleven and eating everything in sight so I am trying to get him to eat healthy. Thanks for the great recipes!
Sarah says
I’m so glad to hear that you and your son loved these lettuce wraps, Debra! Thanks so much for letting me know! 🙂 Happy weekend!
Katie says
Does anyone know what the container count would be for this on the 21 Day Fix?