Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Eggs & Avocado (Easy & Healthy)

This rotisserie chicken salad is what you make when you want something that feels generous, balanced, and genuinely satisfying — without starting from scratch.

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.

Using store-bought rotisserie chicken keeps things easy, while soft eggs, avocado, crunchy croutons, and a vibrant green tahini dressing elevate it well beyond a basic chicken salad.

This is also the perfect salad to make if you happen to have leftover chicken. Really good for a packed lunch for work if you’re on the go. Nothing goes to waste!

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?” Like, how weird is that?

My second thought was that it was so affordable! 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.

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 for Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Green Tahini Dressing

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.

Sour cream: This tangy component also creates the creamy textures to bind the salad ingredients together.

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.

Swap the greens: Mixed leaves can be replaced with romaine, baby spinach, or arugula for a peppery edge.

Make it dairy-free: Replace sour cream with a plant-based alternative or extra lemon juice and water.

Add extra vegetables: Cucumber, radish, or blanched green beans add crunch and freshness.

Instructions for Rotisserie Chicken Salad

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.

Then 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.

Expert Tips for the Best Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Use the whole chicken: Mixing shredded meat with sliced breast gives better texture and flavour contrast.

Don’t overdress the greens: Toss lightly so the salad stays fresh rather than heavy.

Boil eggs gently: Starting with room-temperature eggs and plunging them into ice water helps prevent cracking and overcooking.

Make croutons golden, not dark: Overbrowned croutons can taste bitter and overpower the salad.

Dry greens thoroughly: Excess moisture will dilute the dressing and soften the croutons.

Slice avocado last: This prevents browning and keeps the salad looking fresh.

Serve immediately after dressing: The contrast between warm chicken, cool greens, and creamy dressing is best straight away

Frequently Asked Questions

More Budget Salad Recipes