Holiday Chicken Salad
This Holiday Chicken Salad is an easy red-and-green salad made from rotisserie chicken combined with avocado, red pepper, Feta, lime, and cilantro. This festive low-carb salad is so easy to make, and it’s a colorful addition to any holiday buffet!
PIN Holiday Chicken Salad to make it later!
Next time you end up with leftover chicken I’m encouraging you to make you this delicious Holiday Chicken Salad that has so many amazing flavors! And this delicious red-and-green salad that uses rotisserie chicken is tasty enough to serve as a special salad during the holidays, but it’s also a delicious salad any time of year.
Recently when we made this salad with chicken, red pepper, and avocado, we hit on the idea of adding a touch of Feta, which made this salad made with rotisserie chicken even more of a wow. And I love the idea of an easy recipe like this to make during the holidays when red and green food is so fun, but please, please, please do try this salad if you like these ingredients, no matter what time of year it is!
In fact, a couple of days ago I was working at the computer and I grabbed a small container of leftover salad from the fridge. And even though it had been in there for two days and I meant to eat it the day after we made it, I absolutely scarfed down the leftover salad! Trust me when I say this recipe is completely a winner.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- rotisserie chicken
- red bell pepper
- green onion
- chopped cilantro (see notes if you’re not a cilantro fan)
- avocados
- Feta Cheese cut into cubes
- mayo
- fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
- Vege-Sal (affiliate link) or salt
Can you make Holiday Chicken Salad without Cilantro?
For anyone who doesn’t enjoy cilantro, just use a bit more thinly-sliced green onion in the salad and it will still be delicious.
Can you make the Holiday Chicken Salad without Feta?
If you’re not fond of Feta, just leave it out and you’ll still have a tasty salad. This salad was adapted from Chicken and Avocado Salad that’s been such a hit on the blog, and you can’t go wrong with that salad either if you need ideas for rotisserie chicken.
How low in carbs is the Holiday Chicken Salad?
This amazing chicken salad recipe with Christmas colors has only 2 net carbs per serving!
Want more Salad ideas for Rotisserie Chicken?
Check out 20 Keto Chicken Salad Recipes for lots more ideas for salad recipes to make using rotisserie chicken.
How to Make this Holiday Chicken Salad:
(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Cut up enough rotisserie chicken to make about 4 cups. I made the chicken chunks rather large, take your choice on that.
- Chop up a large red bell pepper.
- Finely chop the cilantro and slice the green onions on the diagonal. (Just use more green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan!)
- Dice two avocados and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice.
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Vege-Sal (or salt) to make the dressing. Cut up the Feta into small cubes (or crumble if you prefer.)
- Toss together the chicken, chopped red bell pepper, and sliced green onion. Toss the chicken mixture with the desired amount of dressing.
- Then gently fold in the chopped cilantro.
- Then very gently fold in the Feta cubes and chopped avocado.
- You can season with a little salt if you’d like, but remember Feta is pretty salty if you’re using that.
- Serve right away or chill for a few hours.
- This will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days, although the avocado gets softer in the fridge, and of course it’s best freshly made.
More Recipes that could use Rotisserie Chicken:
- Chicken Egg Foo Yung
- Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
- Chicken Alfredo Mock Lasagna Casserole
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Chicken
- West African Chicken Stew
Holiday Chicken Salad
This Low-Carb Holiday Chicken Salad gets festive with Christmas colors and lots of delicious flavors from ingredients that are salad favorites!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken (see notes)
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro (see notes)
- 2 avocados, chopped
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice, to toss with the avocado
- 1 cup Feta cubes (see notes)
Dressing Ingredients:
- 4 T mayo
- 1 1/2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal or salt (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Shred or chop enough rotisserie chicken to make 4 cups diced cooked chicken.
- Chop the red bell pepper into pieces about 1/2 inch square.
- Cut up the avocado and toss with enough lime juice so all the pieces are coated.
- Thinly slice the green onion on the diagonal and finely chop the cilantro.
- Cut up the avocado and toss with enough lime juice so all the pieces are coated.
- Cut enough Feta to make about 1 cup of Feta cubes (if using)
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Vege-Sal (or salt), then taste to see if you want more lime or salt.
- Toss the chicken, chopped red bell pepper, and sliced green onion together in a bowl.
- Toss the chicken mixture with enough dressing to coat the ingredients.
- Then gently fold in the chopped cilantro.
- Very gently fold in the diced avocado and Feta cubes.
- Chill for a few hours or serve right away.
- This will keep for a day or two in the fridge, although I think it's best the first day you make it.
Notes
You can cook 3-4 chicken breasts and cut up the meat if you don't have rotisserie chicken.
I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for this recipe. Just use more green onion if you're not a cilantro fan.
You can use crumbled Feta if you prefer but I liked the symmetry of the chicken, avocado, and Feta all being cut in cubes.
This recipe was inspired by Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro and created by Kalyn when she had rotisserie chicken in the fridge and Christmas party food on the brain.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 434Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 8gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 128mgSodium 907mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 5gSugar 2gProtein 36g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Everything in this Holiday Chicken Salad recipe is a low-carb ingredient, and this would be approved for any low-carb or Keto eating plan. I’d eat this for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although it may be a bit high in fat for South Beach if you’re following the letter of the law.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for a holiday chicken salad with Christmas colors was posted in 2014. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
Holiday Chicken Salad
This Low-Carb Holiday Chicken Salad gets festive with Christmas colors and lots of delicious flavors from ingredients that are salad favorites!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken (see notes)
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro (see notes)
- 2 avocados, chopped
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice, to toss with the avocado
- 1 cup Feta cubes (see notes)
Dressing Ingredients:
- 4 T mayo
- 1 1/2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal or salt (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Shred or chop enough rotisserie chicken to make 4 cups diced cooked chicken.
- Chop the red bell pepper into pieces about 1/2 inch square.
- Cut up the avocado and toss with enough lime juice so all the pieces are coated.
- Thinly slice the green onion on the diagonal and finely chop the cilantro.
- Cut up the avocado and toss with enough lime juice so all the pieces are coated.
- Cut enough Feta to make about 1 cup of Feta cubes (if using)
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Vege-Sal (or salt), then taste to see if you want more lime or salt.
- Toss the chicken, chopped red bell pepper, and sliced green onion together in a bowl.
- Toss the chicken mixture with enough dressing to coat the ingredients.
- Then gently fold in the chopped cilantro.
- Very gently fold in the diced avocado and Feta cubes.
- Chill for a few hours or serve right away.
- This will keep for a day or two in the fridge, although I think it's best the first day you make it.
Notes
You can cook 3-4 chicken breasts and cut up the meat if you don't have rotisserie chicken.
I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for this recipe. Just use more green onion if you're not a cilantro fan.
You can use crumbled Feta if you prefer but I liked the symmetry of the chicken, avocado, and Feta all being cut in cubes.
This recipe was inspired by Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro and created by Kalyn when she had rotisserie chicken in the fridge and Christmas party food on the brain.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 434Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 8gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 128mgSodium 907mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 5gSugar 2gProtein 36g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
19 Comments on “Holiday Chicken Salad”
This was delicious and easy to make. I cut the recipe in half since I’m single and can’t eat that much within 2 days. For my preference, I will add more cilantro next time.
So glad you enjoyed! And more cilantro is always good with me!
Iโm pinning and making!Love this recipe.easy and simple .i will definitely try it. One of our families favorite dinners! So easy and it tastes delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this today and it is wonderful!! I made as directed except for cutting everything into smaller pieces and omitting cilantro because Iโm not a fan. This is delicious and is going to become a regular on my low carb menu rotation. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
So, I went to make this for lunch, today and realized I’d neglected to pick up the feta so…I made a totally different salad (only because I’m CERTAIN the feta would have added a very different flavor). I decided I wanted to add some radishes (which I’d discovered were delicious with lime juice and cilantro after a trip to Mexico a number of years ago), but…sadly, I didn’t have any of those, either so I added some celery for crunch. Now, it’s not YOUR recipe, but 90% of it is and it’s perfect! I gave some to hubby, served on top of some lettuce and he too was thrilled. We LOVE your recipes (I don’t usually alter them). Thank you for creating delicious options for us for when we’re doing our SBD phase 1/sugar detox. It makes it SO much easier!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, and I do think radishes would be great in this! Will have to remember that.
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Made this tonight and loved it! It was deliciou!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking time to give nice feedback!
I haven't made it with anything besides mayo so I can't really give recommendations, but I'd try your favorite mayo substitute, maybe Greek yogurt or sour cream? But as I said, I haven't tried it that way.
Is there anything else we can use besides mayo? I am not a fan of the taste
Great idea for this week Kalyn – we're having relatives over for the week and I've been trying to figure out what to make for lunch.
Thanks Jeanette, hope you enjoy, and have a great holidays!
What with all the high caloric foods served during the holidays Kaylyn this is a perfect dish. And who doesn't love those Costco chickens. Merry Christmas to you!!
Thanks Barb; glad you like it. Merry Christmas to you too!
What did we ever do before rotisserie chicken? I always have one in my fridge. This salad looks both festive and delicious; I'd love to find it on a holiday buffet.
Lydia, I used to love to make roasted chicken but now rotisserie chicken is almost cheaper. And so useful. Glad you like the salad.