Roasted Poblano Guacamole Chicken Salad

Happy first week of spring! I love this time of year when things start to warm up and more and more of my favorite fruits and vegetables start to become "in season." 

But, truth is I'm trying to hold back laughter right now because as I sit here and type this, it's still 34º here in Kansas City and I'm trying to figure out how I can jump into my mug of coffee! Brrrrr. Ok, enough about my rough life. But do you know what are always "in season," as long as you have enough patience to let them ripen on the counter? You guessed it, AVOCADOS! 

Roasted Poblano Guacamole Chicken Salad 

Another thing that I think is kind of spring-y is chicken salad. And I have several recipes for different types of chicken salad. Usually the base of chicken salad, besides the chicken of course, is mayonnaise. But I like to play with that and mix it up. I've used Greek yogurt for the base before to increase protein and decrease fat. I've also used low fat mayonnaise but one of my favorite things to use is avocado. It gives you that creaminess you expect from chicken salad and it is loaded with fiber and healthy fat. 

For this guacamole version of chicken salad, I roasted two large poblano peppers and used 3 chicken breasts. 

Roasted Poblano Guacamole Chicken Salad 

    serves 4 as a meal or 8 as a snack

3 chicken breasts, seasoned, cooked and chopped

2 ripe hass avocados

2 large poblano peppers, roasted and peeled, seeded and diced

Juice from 2 limes

Handful of cilantro leaves, torn

Guacamole seasoning to taste*

In a large bowl, mash 1 1/2 of the avocados and add guacamole seasoning mix. Add the lime juice and stir. Add chicken, diced peppers and cilantro and combine. 

Chop the remaining 1/2 avocado into cubes and gently mix them in.

Taste and add additional seasoning or salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. 

*I like to keep a few guacamole seasoning packs on hand for those quick guacamole cravings. They can be found in the produce section, usually near the avocados. If you don't have any of those or don't like using stuff like that, feel free to spice this up with ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, onion and garlic powder, and some salt. 

The fun thing about making chicken salad this way is all the options you have for eating it. Eat this stuffed in a pita pocket or rolled up in a tortilla. Use it as a dip with tortilla chips or crackers. Toast bread and eat it as a sandwich or just eat it by itself. 

So what is your favorite way to gobble up chicken salad?