Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Updated Apr 22, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
For this grilled chicken with avocado salsa recipe, we took some chicken breasts, soaked them in a little lime juice blended with fresh cilantro, then topped them all off with creamy chunks of avocado and ripe red tomatoes.
🔍 Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa: Quick Look
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Grill Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 25 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~200 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Quick cilantro-lime marinade followed by hot grill cooking for juicy, lightly charred chicken
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Bright, citrusy, and herb-forward with smoky grilled notes and cool, creamy avocado contrast
- ☀️ Best For: Summer grilling, easy weeknight dinners, or casual outdoor entertaining
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, making it great for busy weeknight dinners
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Why You’ll Love this Recipe for Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
This is a quick and tasty grilled chicken recipe with a bright cilantro-lime marinade and a fresh avocado salsa on top. It’s great for meals in warm weather or quick dinners on weeknights.
💡 Good to Know
- Works well with chicken thighs if you want a richer, more forgiving cut
- This recipe comes together fast but benefits from even a short marinade time
- The avocado salsa is best made fresh just before serving for optimal texture and color
Here are some of my other favorite grilled chicken recipes, for your “what to make next” menu planning.
Take a look at all of our Backyard BBQ ideas!
Table of Contents
🛒 Main Ingredients and Notes
- Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts: For fast, even grilling.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Makes the meat taste better and more tender.
- Ripe Avocado: Gives a creamy base that balances the grilled flavor.
- Roma Tomato: Adds freshness and acidity to the dish.
My Top Tips
- If I have the time, I like to let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 10 to 15 minutes. That little bit of extra rest makes the flavor much better, even though it doesn’t take long.
- Don’t think too much about the grill here. I cook the chicken on medium-high heat and take it off the heat as soon as it reaches 165°F. That way, it stays a lot juicier.
- I always choose an avocado that gives a little when I press on it. If it’s too hard, it won’t be creamy; if it’s too soft, it can get mushy quickly.
- I make the avocado salsa just before I serve it. It loses its fresh look and taste if it sits for too long.
- If I’m cooking for a lot of people or want to make sure the food has more flavor, I’ll use chicken thighs instead. They are a little easier to cook on the grill and stay soft.
- Don’t have a grill outside? I’ve made this a lot of times on an indoor grill pan, and it always turns out great.
Frequently Asked Questions
The biggest mistakes I’ve made are rushing the grill, not seasoning the food, and cooking the chicken too long. I always preheat the grill, use enough salt and marinade, and take the chicken off the grill when it reaches 165°F to keep it juicy. I also try not to flip it too often because letting it sit gives it better flavor and those nice grill marks.
Depending on how I feel, I usually have a few marinades that I use all the time. I use a simple citrus mix with lime or lemon, olive oil, garlic, and herbs all the time. I also like a balsamic marinade for a sweeter, deeper flavor, and a soy-based mix with garlic and a little honey when I want something more savory. I also go back to yogurt-based marinades for grilling season because they really help keep the chicken tender.
What Goes with Grilled Chicken?
I like to keep things fresh and simple when I serve this grilled chicken with avocado salsa. I love to serve it this taco salad with Western dressing, or air fryer polenta for a quick side dish if I want something with some texture.
Save This Recipe for Later (You’ll Want It Again)
Get this recipe sent to your inbox, plus a few of our best easy meals
⭐ Most readers end up making this in a few days.
If you want something lighter, our roasted kale or this Mandarin salad recipe will go great with that bright avocado salsa.
And if I’m feeding a lot of people, I’ll often add our crusty bread recipe or one of our easy sides to make the meal more complete without making it too complicated.
👨🍳 Tried this Recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. We love hearing from our readers!
⏩ Stay in touch with us on social media by following us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
📬Get our Recipes delivered to your inbox for FREE!
Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Save This Recipe for Later (You’ll Want It Again)
Get this recipe sent to your inbox, plus a few of our best easy meals
⭐ Most readers end up making this in a few days.
Ingredients
for the chicken and marinade
- 4 6-8 oz chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch kosher salt
for the avocado salsa
Instructions
for the chicken and marinade
- Preheat the grill on high setting.
- Combine cilantro leaves and lime juice with olive oil and salt. Next, combine these in a small food processor and process till cilantro is thoroughly chopped and blended with other ingredients. Transfer marinade to a flat non-reactive marinading pan.
- Use a paper towel and pat the chicken breasts dry. Place them in the marinade for 3 to 5 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the salsa as described below.
- After marinating the chicken, place the breasts on a hot grill. After 3 minutes, rotate meat 90 degrees to mark then reduced heat to low. Flip breasts after another three minutes. Grill until thoroughly cooked, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Plate, marks side up, spoon salsa over each serving.
for the avocado salsa
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, gently mix
Notes
- For better flavor, let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 10–15 minutes.
- Before putting the chicken on the grill, heat it to medium-high.
- While the chicken is grilling, intermittently spoon the marinade over the meat to help keep it moist and add extra flavor.
- To keep the chicken juicy, only grill it until the inside reaches 165°F.
- Before cutting the chicken, let it sit for a few minutes.
- For the best salsa texture, use an avocado that is ripe but not mushy.
- To keep the avocado salsa fresh, make it right before you serve it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Our Best Grill Recipes
Chicken on Grill
Cornell Chicken Barbecue
Beef Recipes
Jerked Beef
Eggplant Recipes
What a gorgeous summer recipe! Love all the wonderful flavours in this dish!
Looks beautiful and DD (darn delicious)! Thanks for sharing – I love a good excuse to eat more avocado.
An absolutely gorgeous and fresh summer dish! We ADORE chicken and I have a couple of Avocados to use up!!!! <3
It’s hard for me to turn down anything with cilantro or avocado in it! This looks wonderful. We’ll be trying it!
The flavor-packed marinade, the beautiful colors, the superb step by step directions and photos… I can’t stop looking at this dish! Summer perfection on a plate Dan!
Thanks, Linda. This is a healthy and fresh entree that tastes delicious. All reasons why I think you in particular would enjoy it!
This is just such a lovely chicken dish. I love how fresh the marinade sounds. Yum! 🙂
Thanks so much, Nicole!
Love all the fresh flavors of this chicken dish, Dan. I love my grill during the summer too!! I think summer is just too short…how about you? lol
Agreed, on all counts, Renee! Thanks so much for your great comments 🙂
can’t wait to try this recipe out (sorry if you get two comments from me, my computer was acting wonky) i love chicken and am always looking for ways to cook it. great recipe
Thanks, Janelle – I think you will enjoy this one!
I am drooling over this recipe – what an abundance of wonderful ingredients paired together in perfect harmony!
Thanks, Patty – wish I could have shared some with you!
Dan, I love all the fresh ingredients in your Summery #Chicken #salsa dish. Do you think I could get away with using Basil instead of the cilantro? I think it would be delish. As always, gorgeous photos! Pinning!
Yes to the basil, and yest to summer!! Thanks so much for the great comments!