Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad
This Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh ingredients and is ready in less than 30 minutes. Tossed with a simple dressing and loaded with flavor, this is the perfect pasta salad for just about any time!
You’ll also love this Italian pasta salad, banana pudding fruit salad, and strawberry poppy seed chicken salad!
I’ve always been a fan of salads, and when my favorite ingredients are involved, it quickly becomes a regular meal in my house.
I just love how versatile salads are, especially when it comes to an easy pasta salad recipe. You can throw in just about any ingredient, make a vinegary or creamy dressing, and serve it hot or cold. What could be better?
If pasta salad recipes are your jam, then I’ve got a winner for you!
This healthy chicken pasta salad recipe is studded with tender chicken, fresh avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cheese (of course!), and tossed in a light white balsamic dressing. It’s simple to make, easy to customize, and ready in no time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Loaded with fresh ingredients: chicken, avocado, tomatoes, and red onion give this avocado pasta salad a delicious taste and texture.
- Easy to make: by using pre-cooked, shredded chicken, you can have this prepped and ready to be devoured in less than 30 minutes.
- Make-ahead friendly: you can assemble this salad the night before (except for the avocado, as that will brown) and toss this together just before serving.
- Simple dressing: instead of a creamy dressing, this dressing consists of white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices. It won’t get clumpy like a creamy version and lends so much flavor.
- Perfect for any time: this simple avocado pasta salad is wonderful to make during the summer because of the fresh produce. It also makes a great addition for family parties, get-togethers, or just for a simple meal or hearty side dish
- Versatile: this recipe is easy to customize depending on your tastes. You can add more veggies or more protein, anything goes!
Ingredients Needed for Healthy Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad:
- Pasta: such as rotini, fusilli
- Chicken: for ease, I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken that was already shredded.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Ripe avocado
- Red onion
- Feta cheese: shredded or shaved Parmesan also works well
For the pasta salad dressing:
- White balsamic vinegar: this is a favorite of mine and gives a light, slightly different flavor than regular balsamic vinegar.
- Olive oil
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Avocado and Feta:
- Cook the pasta: boil the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water and cook until al dente. Drain, then rinse under cold water and place into a large bowl.
- Assemble ingredients: add in the chicken, tomatoes, avocado, onion, and feta.
- Make the dressing: whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and then pour over the pasta salad and gently toss to coat.
- Serve: you can serve this easy pasta salad immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. If waiting to serve, see my tips below about adding the avocado.
Storing Leftovers:
Leftover pasta salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. However, it’s best to eat this right away, as the avocado will brown quickly due to oxidation.
Tip: the dressing will most likely be mostly absorbed, so you can add a touch more white balsamic vinegar and olive oil to freshen it up, if needed.
Make-Ahead Tips:
- This chicken pasta salad recipe is easy to make ahead of time: you can cook the pasta and toss all of the ingredients together, except the avocado. I find that making this pasta salad in advance makes it even more flavorful than if made and served right away, because the dressing has time to soak in.
- Don’t add the avocado too soon: it will quickly brown, so it’s best to add the avocado just before serving. You can also add a touch of lemon juice to the dressing or toss the diced avocado with lemon juice before adding to the salad, if you want to slow down the browning process just a little.
- Add more dressing: if you make this in advance, you will probably find that the dressing has soaked into the noodles and other ingredients, leaving it a little dry-looking. Add a bit more balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving and give it a good toss.
How Do You Know When an Avocado is Ripe?
In general, a dark shade of green and an avocado that is slightly firm, but gives a little into pressure is ripe. If the avocado is too soft or mushy, it is overripe, and if it’s hard when pressed, it is underripe.
How to Slow the Ripening Process of an Avocado:
You can refrigerate an unripened avocado and that will slow down the ripening process just a little. If the avocado is ripe, you can also refrigerate it to keep it ripe just a little longer.
Recipe Variations:
This avocado salad is so easy to customize depending on your preferences!
- Chicken: cook and slice or cube chicken breasts or use grilled chicken for more flavor.
- Try different pasta: cheese tortellini, bowtie pasta or penne pasta would be a a good substitute.
- Add more veggies and mix-ins: fresh mushrooms, crispy bacon, romaine lettuce, black olives, or green bell peppers would make a delicious addition.
- Add a different cheese: shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese, mozzarella pearls, or cubed pepper jack cheese would make a tasty combo.
- Add some fresh herbs: fresh basil, oregano, or parsley would pair well with this avocado chicken pasta salad.
Looking for More Easy Salad Recipes? I’ve Got You Covered!
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad
- Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
- Cherry Balsamic Pasta Salad
Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta, (such as rotini or fusilli)
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken, (I used the pre-cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken that you can find near the deli section of your grocery store)
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 ripe avocados, (pitted and diced)
- ½ cup chopped red onion, (about 1 small onion)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, and then add pasta to a large bowl.
- Add chicken, tomatoes, avocado (see note below), onion, and feta to pasta. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until combined. Add dressing to pasta and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve (see note below).
Notes
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- If you are worried about the avocado turning brown, toss it with a touch of fresh lemon juice before adding to the pasta salad or add some lemon juice to the dressing.
- This salad can be made up to one day ahead of time. However, I would not add the avocado until closer being ready to serve so it doesn’t brown too quickly (see my notes above the recipe box).
- Shaved Parmesan cheese, mozzarella balls, or cubed cheddar cheese would work well in place of feta.
- See my tips and tricks for making this Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad above the recipe box.
