Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad (Easy High-Protein Lunch)

Name: Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1–1½ cups cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken (finely chopped); ½ ripe avocado (diced); 1–2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped); 1 generous handful fresh spinach (finely chopped); 1 Roma tomato (or ½ cup cherry tomatoes, diced); 1 dill pickle (finely chopped); 1–2 teaspoons fresh dill (or ½ tsp dried); 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; Salt and black pepper (to taste); Everything bagel seasoning (to taste)

This Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad is built on a specific technique and the technique is what makes it different. Everything gets chopped small, so every single forkful has chicken, avocado, egg, pickle, spinach, tomato, and dill in proportional balance rather than big chunks of one thing and none of another. The pro move is doing it all on a cutting board together, running the knife back and forth until the ingredients start to meld into a cohesive, textured salad rather than a jumble of individually cut pieces. The result is creamy, bright, slightly tangy from the dill pickle and pickle juice, and deeply satisfying in a way that makes every other version of chicken salad feel like it was missing something.

A hand holds a chip scooping up a chunky salad mix with lettuce, avocado, and creamy dressing on a wooden surface.

A Quick Look At This Recipe

Recipe Name: Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad
Ready In: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 560 cal
Main Ingredients: 1–1½ cups cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, ripe avocado, 1–2 hard-boiled eggs, generous handful fresh spinach, Roma tomato, dill pickle, fresh dill, Creamy Dressing
Why You'll Love It: This creamy chopped chicken salad combines finely chopped chicken, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, dill pickle, spinach, and a Greek yogurt mayo dressing with everything bagel seasoning. Ready in 15 minutes.

The dressing is the other thing worth talking about. Greek yogurt and mayo in equal measure, seasoned with pickle juice and everything bagel seasoning, produces something that tastes more complex than either ingredient does on its own.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The chopping technique is the game changer. Chopping everything together on a cutting board until the ingredients blend into a unified texture is the difference between a composed chicken salad and a truly great one where every bite tastes like the whole dish.

Everything bagel seasoning in the dressing is the unexpected detail that works perfectly. Garlic, onion, sesame, and poppy seed all at once add a savory complexity to the Greek yogurt and mayo base that makes people ask what’s in the dressing.

Pickle juice in the dressing amplifies the flavor. The dill pickle and the pickle juice together give the salad a tangy, briny undercurrent that runs through every bite and makes the whole bowl taste bright and punchy rather than flat.

– Lyuda

Ingredients Needed to Make Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad

A wooden board topped with a grilled chicken breast, half an avocado, a pickle, cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves, two halves of a soft-boiled egg, and dollops of ricotta cheese, sprinkled with seasoning.

The Salad

Cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, finely chopped (rotisserie is the most flavorful and convenient option)
Ripe avocado, diced (adds creaminess and healthy fat; use one that yields slightly when pressed but still holds its shape when cut)
Hard-boiled eggs, chopped (add protein and a rich, creamy element throughout)
Fresh spinach, finely chopped (adds greens without any distinct vegetable heaviness)
Roma or cherry tomatoes, diced (adds a juicy, slightly acidic freshness)
Dill pickle, finely chopped (adds crunch and a briny depth that is the defining flavor note of this salad)
Fresh dill, chopped (adds a herby brightness that pairs naturally with the pickle and eggs)

The Creamy Dressing

Everything bagel seasoning (the unexpected flavor layer that makes the dressing taste more complex than two simple ingredients suggest)
Plain Greek yogurt (the protein-rich, slightly tangy base)
Mayonnaise (adds richness and the classic chicken salad creaminess)
Pickle juice (amplifies the pickle flavor throughout the dressing)
Salt and black pepper

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

If you are looking for more salad options, check out my Cucumber, Avocado & Feta Salad and Street Corn Chicken Salad!

How to Make Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad

Step 1: Chop Everything Small

The most important step in this recipe is the chopping. Cut the chicken, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, spinach, tomato, and pickle into small, uniformly bite-sized pieces. The goal is pieces small enough that a single forkful naturally includes every ingredient without any strategic scooping. For the full chopped salad experience, pile everything onto a large cutting board and run a sharp knife back and forth through the ingredients until they start to come together into a cohesive, unified texture. This technique melds the flavors more completely than mixing separately chopped ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2: Make the Dressing

A cutting board with fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, pickles, soft-boiled eggs with runny yolks, grilled chicken, and a sprinkling of herbs. A hand holds a knife, slicing through the food.

In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, a splash of pickle juice, salt, black pepper, and everything bagel seasoning until smooth and completely combined. Taste the dressing on its own and adjust the seasoning before adding the salad ingredients. It should taste tangy, slightly savory, and well-seasoned.

Step 3: Combine and Toss

Add all the chopped salad ingredients and the fresh dill to the bowl with the dressing. Toss gently until every piece is evenly coated. Work carefully around the avocado to keep it from breaking down completely into the dressing.

Step 4: Taste, Adjust, and Serve

Taste and adjust with extra salt, a splash more pickle juice for tang, or additional everything bagel seasoning if it needs more depth. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld further before eating.

Serving Suggestions

The most satisfying format is piled high on thick-sliced toasted sourdough with a few extra pickle slices alongside and a light dusting of everything bagel seasoning over the top. The warm, crunchy toast against the cold, creamy chopped salad is a combination that works every time.

For a full high-protein lunch spread, pair alongside this High-Protein Avocado Egg Salad for a two-salad table that covers every fresh, protein-rich lunch direction. And for another chopped, creamy chicken salad with a completely different flavor profile worth keeping in the same weekly rotation, this Dill Pickle Egg Chicken Salad is the natural companion for anyone who loves the pickle element of this recipe in a slightly different format.

Frequently Asked Questions About Creamy Chopped Chicken Salad

What makes this a “chopped” salad versus a regular chicken salad?

The defining characteristic of a chopped salad is that every ingredient is cut small enough and uniformly enough that every single bite contains all of the ingredients in balanced proportion. There are no big chunks of one thing and none of another.

Why add pickle juice to the dressing?

Pickle juice distributes the tangy, briny flavor of the dill pickle throughout the entire dressing rather than concentrating it only in the bites that catch a piece of pickle. It’s the same principle that makes a tablespoon of pickle brine in any chicken or egg salad taste more intentionally seasoned and vibrant than one without it.

What is everything bagel seasoning and can I substitute it?

verything bagel seasoning is a spice blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and flaky salt that is the topping used on everything bagels.

Can I make this without avocado?

Yes. Leave the avocado out entirely for a version that stores better for longer since avocado is the ingredient most prone to browning and texture changes. The salad is still very good without it. If you want to replicate the creaminess the avocado provides, add a small additional tablespoon of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt. Alternatively, keep the avocado separate and add it fresh to each serving rather than mixing it into the whole batch.

More Delicious Salad Recipes

Easy Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Mexican Corn Avocado Salad

Avocado, Corn and Tomato Salad

Crispy Tortellini Salad with Prosciutto

If you make this, I’d love to hear how it turned out – a star rating or a note in the comments helps others find the recipe and helps me know what’s working in your kitchen. Tag me @gracefilledkitchen in your photos on social media so I can see your creations.