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.
Donna says
What would be the nutritional facts for this recipe?
Sarah says
You can easily find out the nutritional info here, Donna!
Anderson says
Thank you, quite great article.
Sayers says
What a timely piece now! Thank you so much for such a fantastic post.
How can you find so many details? I like how you arrange everything, as it is actually simple to read.
All in all, I can recommend this guide to everybody who is interested in that topic.
Ben says
Wait! That “avocado chicken salad lettuce” in the third to the last picture; is it already ready for consumption as it is in the picture or something else is required?
Sarah says
Hey Ben. I’m not quite sure what you’re asking, did you read through the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full instructions?
Michelle says
If I mix this up on a Sunday evening, does it store for a couple days worth of lunches?
Sarah says
Yes, it would definitely keep for a couple of days! I would recommend storing the lettuce and the salad separately until just before serving.