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Grilled Chicken & Avocado Salad
Recipe

Grilled Chicken & Avocado Salad

Main • South Africa

A satisfying, lighter main-meal salad with grilled chicken breast, avocado, crunchy salad veg and a simple lemon-mustard dressing. Great for warm-weather dinners or lunch prep.

Why smarter

Uses lean chicken breast and a bright, punchy dressing instead of creamy sauces, while avocado adds satisfying healthy fats so the salad feels like a proper meal.

Chef tip

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing—this keeps it juicy and stops the salad from getting watery.

Soft line

Fresh, filling and weeknight-easy.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Chicken breast fillets, trimmed 500.000 g chicken breast fillets
2 Canola or grapeseed oil 15.000 ml canola oil divided
3 Lemon juice 45.000 ml lemon juice about 1–2 lemons, divided
4 Dijon or English mustard 10.000 ml mustard
5 Honey 10.000 ml honey
6 Garlic, finely grated or crushed 1.000 clove garlic
7 Ground cumin 5.000 ml ground cumin
8 Smoked paprika (or regular paprika) 5.000 ml paprika
9 Salt and black pepper salt and black pepper to taste
10 Mixed salad leaves (rocket/baby spinach/lettuce) 120.000 g mixed salad leaves
11 Cherry tomatoes, halved (or tomatoes, chopped) 250.000 g cherry tomatoes
12 Cucumber, sliced 1.000 medium cucumber
13 Red onion, thinly sliced 0.500 small red onion optional
14 Avocados, sliced 2.000 medium avocado
15 Coriander (fresh), roughly chopped 15.000 ml fresh coriander optional
16 Roasted sunflower seeds 30.000 g sunflower seeds for crunch

Method

  1. Pat the chicken dry. In a bowl, mix 10 ml oil, 15 ml lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
  2. Coat the chicken in the marinade and set aside for 10–15 minutes while you prep the salad.
  3. Combine salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion (if using) in a large bowl or platter.
  4. Heat a griddle pan or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for about 5–7 minutes per side, or until cooked through (no pink, juices run clear).
  5. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then slice.
  6. Whisk the dressing: remaining 5 ml oil + remaining 30 ml lemon juice, plus a pinch of salt and pepper (adjust to taste).
  7. Add avocado to the salad and drizzle with the dressing. Toss gently so the avo keeps its shape.
  8. Top with sliced chicken, sprinkle with coriander (if using) and sunflower seeds. Serve immediately.