This Green Goddess Chicken Salad is one of my favorite things to make! The tender shredded chicken pairs really well with crunchy cucumbers, all tied together with a fresh and creamy herb dressing.
This meal prep friendly chicken salad recipe is very simple to make and comes together in just 15 minutes. Great for a quick and light lunch!
This Green Goddess Chicken Salad is a lifesaver when you need something quick and simple for lunch, but don’t want to skimp on flavor. It comes together in just 15, and it’s always ready to power me through the week!
The texture here is fantastic! Tender shredded chicken, crisp and crunchy cucumbers, fresh aromatic herbs, and the creamy freshness of green goddess dressing all come together to make the most amazing salad.
Now, let’s talk about the star of the show: the green goddess dressing! If you haven’t made it before, it’s a vibrant, herb-packed dressing made with fresh herbs, avocado, and a creamy like yogurt.
I love this green goddess chicken salad because it’s a great way to use up all the fresh herbs growing in my porch around this time of year. I use scallions, basil, dill, and parsley, but feel free to mix and match. It’s a similar dressing I use in my Salmon Cobb Salad.
If you love vibrant, quick and easy chicken salads, try my Chicken Salad with Grapes, Thai Chicken Salad, this Mediterranean Chicken Salad, and our go-to crunchy Asian Chicken Salad.
Why I love making green goddess chicken salad:
- Fresh herbs and vibrant colors! Great for spring and summer time, but also year round of course!
- Simple and easy. Use a rotisserie chicken to make it extra quick.
- Amazing texture. Creamy, crunchy, crisp, tender, fresh, all in one.
- Make-ahead friendly. It doesn’t get any easier than this!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this green goddess chicken salad. Below, I included a few notes from recipe testing that I hope you find helpful.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken: For ease and convenience. You can also use leftover chicken or cook your own chicken.
- Cucumbers and diced red onions: Both add such refreshing crunch to the salad.
- Fresh herbs: I use scallions, dill, basil, and Italian parsley. Only use fresh herbs, not dried, for this recipe.
- Avocado: Adds such a creamy texture and color to the dressing.
- Fresh garlic clove: To pack in extra flavor!
- Plain Greek yogurt: Gives that perfect creamy texture to the dressing, plus a tangy taste to balance out flavors.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed to add brightness. The acidity also helps preserve the green color of the herbs and avocado.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Just a little bit for consistency and flavor.
- Water to thin out the dressing, and salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below, as always.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
This green goddess chicken salad is one of the easiest salads I’ve ever made. Let me show you how I make it!
Step 1: Add all the dressing ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
Step 2: Pulse and process continuously for a few seconds until smooth. Add water as needed to thin out the dressing to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: In a large serving bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cucumbers, onions, and herbs.
Step 4: Add the prepared dressing, and give it a good toss until evenly combined.
Serve the green goddess chicken salad as is, on lettuce boats, as a sandwich or wrap, or my favorite – spooned over apple slices. So many creative ways to serve!
Tips for Success
- I love using rotisserie chicken to make prep extra easy and quick.
- Only use fresh herbs here. Dried herbs won’t work for this recipe.
- To shred chicken, I like to use a hand mixer. It is the quickest way, but you can also shred by hand (the pieces of chicken will be a bit bigger).
- Use ripe avocados. You can test this by giving it a squeeze, and if it’s slightly soft, it’s ripe. Don’t use it if it’s too hard or mushy.
- Equipment: Either a food processor or blender will work for the dressing.
How to Serve
Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy this delicious chicken salad. The options are limitless!
- Over lettuce cups or boats, I use little gem lettuce but romaine is great too!
- Piled on top of apple slices for that touch of sweetness. Highly recommended!
- Make a sandwich! Over sourdough or croissant are my go-to.
- Make a wrap with pita bread or flour tortillas
- For a heartier meal, serve with grains like quinoa or farro
Want to customize it? Try these add-ins:
- Add nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios
- Sunflower or pumpkin seeds for extra crunch
- Add fruit, such as diced apples, grapes, or dried cranberries
- More veggies! Try celery, matchstick carrots, or radishes
Prep Ahead Tips
To prep this green goddess chicken salad recipe, I’d recommend packing the salad ingredients and the dressing separately to prevent it from getting soggy. I get everything ready on Sunday, ready for up to 2 days.
- Shred the rotisserie chicken, discard bones and skin.
- Dice veggies and herbs: Pack them next to the chicken in the same container, without mixing to preserve the texture.
- Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients and store refrigerated in an airtight container or mason jar. The lemon juice will keep the avocado from turning brown for up to 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQs
The fresh lemon juice will preserve the green color of the avocado and herbs for up to 2 days in the fridge. The sooner you eat it the better though!
You can add water as needed to thin out the dressing, plus an extra squeeze of lemon juice for acidity.
Use only fresh herbs for this recipe. Dried herbs won’t work well.
If you are looking for quick and delicious lunch ideas, including no-cook options, check these out! These are all reader faves:
- Chicken Caesar Wrap
- Avocado BLT Sandwich
- Curried Chicken Salad
- Classic Egg Salad with Spinach
- Avocado Tuna Salad
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Green Goddess Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded - discard bones and skin
- 1 cup diced cucumbers
- ¼ cup finely diced red onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
Green Goddess Dressing:
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil - packed
- ⅓ cup fresh Italian parsley - packed
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 2 small or medium avocados - or 1 ½ of a large one
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, squeezed - plus more to taste
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Water, as needed - to thin out the dressing
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Make the green goddess dressing: In a food processor or blender, combine all the dressing ingredients. Pulse and process for a few seconds until smooth. Adjust the amount of water as needed to get desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cucumbers, red onions, chopped dill, and chopped basil. Add the prepared dressing over and toss until evenly combined.
- Serve as is, over lettuce boats, as a sandwich, or even over apple slices for a touch of sweetness. Enjoy!
Notes
- To shred chicken for chicken salad, use a hand mixer. You can also shred by hand, but the pieces of chicken will be a bit chunkier, which I really like too!
- Choose ripe avocados to make sure the dressing turns out creamy.
- Only use fresh herbs, I don’t recommend using dried herbs.
- Prep Ahead: Arrange the salad ingredients in containers without mixing. Make the dressing ahead and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days. When ready to eat, toss everything to combine.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 2 days.
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