Drizzle a healthy homemade green tahini dressing over this easy rotisserie chicken salad made with avocado, tomatoes and carrots. Perfect for lunch on the run or a hearty side salad.
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Why You’ll Love Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Nothing quite beats an easy rotisserie chicken salad. Much like we love buying pre-cooked roast duck from Chinese restaurants to make the likes of Cantonese Roast Duck Salad with Radicchio or Roast Duck, Caramelised Grapefruit and Wombok Salad, the same concept applies here.
Buying an already cooked rotisserie chicken is just so convenient that it really is hard to beat. This is great when you don’t have a lot of time during those crazy midweek dinners or you want to make a delicious chicken salad to take to work.
Chicken salad with avocado is almost a must in my books as the avocado gives it the creamy texture it needs. To add to that, I have added gooey soft-boiled eggs to help tie in all the fresh produce and that healthy green tahini dressing.
What is Rotisserie Chicken?
Rotisserie chicken is a method by which a whole chicken is roasted in a rotisserie. A rotisserie is a long rod or skewer that rotates on a spit over either grill or even an open fire.
The whole chicken is skewered through the middle and secured in place with a fork that spears the side of the chicken. It rotates at an even pace over a few hours as the heat distributed from the bottom does all the work.
Where to Buy Rotisserie Chicken?
I remember the first time I ever bought a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of my local supermarket. Coming from an Asian country, my first thought was, “why do they roast chickens in a supermarket?” That in itself was quite a foreign concept to me.
My second thought was that it was so cheap! To this day, I still think they are crazy cheap, which makes it very hard for me to justify having to roast my own chicken at home and go through all that effort when I can whiz past and grab one on the go.
My final thought at my first foray into bought rotisserie chicken was how delicious it was. Tasty, juicy and perfectly roasted through.
You can buy rotisserie chickens from the deli section of your supermarket. Costco is the most popular one to buy. At USD 4.99 or AUD$6.99, they are pretty hard to beat, and customers (including myself!) head into Costco just to buy their chicken.
You can also buy rotisserie chickens from chicken shops, poultry stores, and, in some countries, fast food shops.
Because they are so cheap and convenient, they make for easy rotisserie chicken salads.
What I love most is that you can use leftover chicken and whip something up for lunch the next day. Personally, chicken salad with egg or chicken salad with avocado is my go-to chicken salad recipes.
How to Make Homemade Croutons?
Making croutons at home is super easy, and one of the reasons I love making my own is because I can use leftover bread. All you’re doing is just dicing up simple sliced bread. You can use plain white, wholegrain, wholemeal, brown, whatever suits your fancy.
If you’re the type of person to freeze bread, there is no better time to get rid of some of them than to turn them into croutons for your salad recipes.
As mentioned, just dice them up into the size you like. Depending on the size of the sliced bread, they get diced up into 9 or 12 pieces. I don’t like mine too small.
Then in a small mixing bowl, add some olive oil and your seasoning of choice and ensure they are coated well. Seasonings can be anything from just plain salt and pepper to the likes of garlic powder, rosemary, cajun spices, cayenne pepper, and the list continues.
Then add them onto a baking sheet lined dish and pop them into the oven at 180°C or 350°F. They will crisp up at around 10-15 minutes, so watch them so they don’t burn.
Of course, we love adding them to salads, but you can add them onto soups, a chicken bake topped with parmesan cheese, or a pasta topper. In our house, these croutons don’t often make it to the dinner table, so I always make extra, just in case!
Recipe Overview
Flavour/texture: Country wholesome is probably how I would describe this rotisserie chicken salad.
The salty, roasted, charred flavours of the chicken is well balanced by the freshness of simple everyday ingredients like carrots, leaves and tomatoes. The garlicky croutons give it crunch, while the green tahini dressing gives a strong flavoured creamy finish to the salad.
Ease: The only thing that needs cooking are the croutons. But feel free to eliminate this step by purchasing pre-made croutons.
Otherwise, everything else is just chopping, tearing and whizzing. Easy!
Time: The 10 minute cooking time is to make the croutons. The rest of the prep can be finished in 20 minutes and is simple enough. All in all, this is quite a quick salad to put together.
Ingredients
Bread: Simple sliced bread will suffice for this recipe. It can be white, wholegrain or brown. I wouldn’t suggest using sourdough as it will be too hard, nor would I use rye bread as it would be too dense.
Leftover frozen bread would work fine too. Let it defrost prior to using.
Garlic powder: Used to sprinkle on the bread to make garlicky croutons to complement the chicken.
Rotisserie chicken: A small bird will be enough for this recipe.
Mixed leaves: Any mixed leaves will be fine for this recipe. Ensure it’s a good mix to get a variety of textures, shapes and flavours.
Avocado: A chicken salad with avocado just goes hand in hand incredibly well—no exceptions to that rule here. Select a small, ripe yet on the firm side avocado.
Carrot: Select a firm carrot that is smooth all around. This will allow you to shave more consistent ribbons without them breaking off.
Cherry tomatoes: Yellow/orange cherry tomatoes were selected for this salad to give it some colour. You can use a medley of colours or just get the regular kind.
Eggs: You will need 2 large eggs for the recipe. It is imperative that they are at room temperature before being submerged into boiling water. If they are fridge cold, they are more susceptible to cracking when it comes in contact with the heat.
Parsley: This fresh herb is perfect for the green Goddess style salad dressing.
Tahini: This sesame paste is just delicious, and when paired with the fresh parsley, they work magic together.
Lemon: The acidity required to cut through the tahini and the richness of the chicken.
Water: To help dilute the tahini.
Sour cream: This tangy component also creates the creamy textures to bind the salad ingredients together.
Olive oil: Use a good olive oil of your choice.
Salt and pepper: To taste.
Instructions
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
Cut up each slice of bread into 9-12 squares. Cover with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Place bread onto a baking sheet lined dish and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the wings of the chicken and set aside.
Remove the chicken breast as a whole with skin on and slice into pieces.
Remove all the other meat and shred into thin pieces with your hands.
Cut avocado into cubes.
Remove the skin of the carrot. Using a Y peeler, peel wide strips. Select 6-8 of the best-looking strips and roll them into ribbons.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
How to Make Green Tahini Dressing
Chop parsley leaves to yield 1 cup.
In a food processor, add parsley, tahini, juice of ½ lemon, water and sour cream.
Blitz until well combined.
How To Assemble The Salad
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Using a ladle, slowly submerge 2 room temperature eggs into the water and boil for 5 minutes.
You need the eggs to be at room temperature because if you introduce cold eggs from the fridge to boiling water, they will most likely crack. The temperature difference is too significant.
It is also essential that you submerge the ladle with eggs very slowly. Allow the eggs to become accustomed to the heat so that again, it doesn’t crack.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the mixed leaves and carrots strips (not the ones made into ribbons) and place them on a platter.
In this order, scatter the shredded chicken, avocado and cherry tomatoes on the platter.
Tuck some ribboned carrots in between the leaves.
Sprinkle croutons.
Add the 2 sliced chicken breasts on top and the 2 wings on the side.
Pour green tahini dressing on top.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken, avocado, tomato, carrots and eggs. All very simple ingredients to make this easy rotisserie chicken salad.
Great Mains For This Salad
Potato Gnocchi: This Potato Gnocchi in Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe is an incredibly easy and oh-so-comforting dish. With a touch of fresh arugula and lemon juice, this is a restaurant-worth one pan meal and the perfect pairing with a big plate of chicken salad!
Cheesy Spaghetti Squash with Spinach: This recipe is a fall favourite! A creamy, cheesy, alfredo-like sauce is mixed with spaghetti squash and baby spinach leaves, then topped with melted cheese to make a hearty and delicious main or side. In short, when paired with a hearty rotisserie chicken salad, its a tasty comfort meal for all!
Cozy Meatball Soup: This cozy winter meatball soup is loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients and super tasty. Pairs perfectly with chicken salad for plenty of vegetables and protein!
Variations and Substitutions
Smaller portions: If you are catering to small eaters, half a rotisserie chicken will suffice. If you can’t buy half a chicken, they make for great sandwiches the next day.
Pre-made croutons: You can use pre-made croutons if you don’t wish to make your own. But it’s a great way to use up some bread you may have at home. Frozen bread would work well too.
Whole drumstick: You can leave the drumstick part of the chicken intact instead of shredding it.
Parsley substitution: You can use coriander instead of parsley for the green tahini dressing.
Egg firmness: Feel free to add more eggs or boil for longer if you’re not a fan of soft-boiled eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This is one of the best salads to make ahead of time. Assemble the salad but don’t dress it yet. Only add the green tahini dressing when it’s time to eat.
Yes! A good chicken salad is the perfect main meal to have. It is fresh and hearty, and you’ll easily fill up. It is also a great salad recipe to pack for school or work lunch as it transports and holds well.
A great salad to whip up if you have some leftover roast chicken from the night before. A similar version of the recipe will work well
If you could only get a really large chicken, leftovers are pretty easy to use up. They will make excellent sandwiches for a school lunch or add a fried rice recipe to work the next day.
They could be added to a stew, used to make a soup base as they are so flavoursome or just eat it as it is!
Using a knife, slice down the centre of the chicken but to one side of the breastbone. Cut the front to the back of the chicken, and as you’re cutting, use your hands to pry it loose.
Then use the knife to cut the legs and wings away from the breast, and you’ll find that the breast meat will come away easily in one whole piece
The other great thing about using a rotisserie chicken is the ability to use the parts of the chicken you like best! In our house, my partner only eats the chicken breast; I like the thigh, while my daughter loves the drumstick and wings. Between the 3 of us, the whole chicken is accounted for! No wastage there!
That’s all!
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Recipe
Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 slices bread
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 chicken, rotisserie
- 80 g mixed leaves
- 1 avocado, small
- 1 carrot
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Salad Dressing
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp tahini
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
- Cut up each slice of bread into 9-12 squares. Cover with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Place bread onto a baking sheet lined dish and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken breast as a whole with skin on and slice into pieces. Remove the wings of the chicken and set aside. Remove all the other meat and shred into thin pieces with your hands.
- Wash mixed leaves, pat dry and set aside.
- Cut avocado into cubes.
- Remove the skin off the carrot. Using a Y peeler, peel wide strips. Select 6-8 of the best-looking strips and roll them into ribbons.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
- Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Using a ladle, slowly submerge 2 room temperature eggs into the water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and plunge eggs into ice water to stop the cooking process.
Salad Dressing
- Chop parsley leaves to yield 1 cup.
- In a food processor, add parsley, tahini, juice of ½ lemon, water and sour cream.
- Blitz until well combined.
Assembly
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the mixed leaves and carrots strips (not the ones made into ribbons) and place them on a platter.
- In this order, scatter the shredded chicken, avocado and cherry tomatoes on the platter.
- Tuck some carrot ribbons in between the leaves.
- Sprinkle croutons.
- Add the 2 sliced chicken breasts on top and the 2 wings on the side.
- Peel the eggs, cut in half and place on top of the salad.
- Pour green tahini dressing on top.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve.
Equipment
Notes
- If you are catering to small eaters, half a rotisserie chicken will suffice. If you can’t buy half a chicken, they make for great sandwiches the next day.
- You can use pre-made croutons if you don’t wish to make your own. But it’s a great way to use up some bread you may have at home. Frozen bread would work well too.
- You can leave the drumstick part of the chicken intact instead of shredding it.
- You can use coriander instead of parsley for the green tahini dressing.
- Feel free to add more eggs or boil for longer if you’re not a fan of soft-boiled eggs.
Nutrition
*Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.
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Audrey
The tahini dressing is my fav!
The Devil Wears Salad
We love that dressing too! Soooo yum!
Jessica Formicola
Rotisserie chickens are my jam! They’re so easy and can be used for so many things! This salad looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
The Devil Wears Salad
Hahahah! We love it too! So easy when the week is crazy and I just can’t get my act together!
Chihyu
This salad is super simple to put together and delicious! Love the chicken and egg combo. It’s a fantastic salad for lunch and dinner. Super versatile!
The Devil Wears Salad
Love a good egg with some chicken. Makes it like the perfect recipe!