These Paleo stuffed avocados are so satisfying and easy to make! Avocado halves are stuffed with seasoned chicken, baked, and topped with a simple cilantro lime cream sauce.
Cinco de Mayo {aka May 5th, Mexican Heritage Day, and Cinco de Drinko} is just around the corner, my friends!
Seeing as how I’m a stone’s throw from not only Mexico but also a full-blown Mexican pedigree, it’s only right that I contribute to the party with a knock-your-socks-off recipe.
Behold! The {full name, so deep breath} Paleo Mexican Shredded Chicken Stuffed Avocado with a Cilantro Lime Coconut Milk Cream Sauce! Phew. Can you see why my friends convinced me to abbreviate the title?
This dish is dEEElicious, the sternest form of paleo-friendly, and really simple to make.
What’s involved? Shredded seasoned chicken, fresh avocado halves stuffed with said shredded chicken that’s baked to perfection, and finally a dreamy cilantro lime cream sauce made with full-fat coconut milk drizzled over the aforementioned shredded-chicken stuffed avocados. Bam!
I recommend you enjoy with a salted glass of something tart over ice. Mine may or may not involve tequila. {Ahem… a few good options: Paleo Margarita or the Paleo Paloma}. Enjoy!
For starters, chop up about 4 cloves of garlic. Pour about 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) into a wide-base pan {that has a fitting lid} over medium/high heat. Saute the garlic until it’s crispy brown, but not burnt – fine line there. If you want to play it safe, just slightly brown the garlic. Once the garlic is cooked, you can either leave it in the pan {if you just LOVE garlic} or remove it and do the rest of your cooking in the now garlic-infused EVOO.
Wash and dry about 1 pound of chicken tenders. Season one side of the tenders with kosher salt. Turn the heat to medium/high in your pan and cook the seasoned side of the tenders first for about 1-2 minutes. While the seasoned side is down, season the other up facing side now with more kosher salt. Flip the tenders once a white rim forms around the pink. Cook on this side for additional minute or two.
Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the tenders. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 18-20 minutes.
After that, pull the cooked tenders out of the broth and put them in a bowl. Using two forks {or your kitchen aid mixer – rumor has it that works too} shred the chicken. It works best when the chicken is still hot and moist. Right about now is a good time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To your now beautifully shredded chicken, add ½ tablespoon cumin, ½ tablespoon light chili powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Mix it all together!
Halve and de-seed four avocados. Lay them out on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Stuff each avocado with the chicken then bake for about 5 minutes.
In the meantime, let’s focus on the dreamy cilantro lime coconut milk cream sauce. Use a whole can of full-fat coconut milk {make sure you shake it before you open!}. Add the juice of 4 small limes. Chop up about ½ cup of fresh cilantro {or more if you really really love cilantro}. Stir it all together.
Pull the avocados out of the oven. Don’t they look good? Now we’re going to marry the already too good to be true stuffed avocados with the cream sauce. Ta-dah! Drizzle to your heart’s desire.
Paleo Stuffed Avocados with Cilantro Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken Tenders
- 4 Medium-Sized Avocados
- 1 tablespoon EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Chicken Broth
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 can {~14 fluid ounces) Full-Fat Coconut Milk
- 1/2 tablespoon Cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon Chili Powder {light chili powder if you can find it}
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro
- 4 Small Limes Juiced
Instructions
- Sautee 4 cloves of garlic with about 1 tablespoon EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) over medium/high heat in a wide-base pan with a fitting lid.
- Once the garlic is browned, either leave in pan or scoop out and discard {leaving behind the now flavored EVOO}.
- Wash, dry, and season the chicken tenders with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Sautee each side in the seasoned EVOO over medium/high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Cover the chicken tenders with chicken stock, put the lid on the pan, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the tenders from the pan and place in a bowl. Shred using two forks or a stand mixer.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Add the cumin, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the black pepper to the shredded chicken. Stir it together.
- Halve and de-seed four avocados. Lay them out on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
- Stuff each avocado half with the chicken then bake for about 5 minutes at 400 F.
- For the cream sauce, stir one can of full-fat coconut milk with the lime juice and cilantro.
- After the avocados are finished, pull out of the oven, plate, and drizzle with the cream sauce.
Nutrition
My kids wanted seconds on this one, they loved it. It’s super simply and has lots of flavor!
Wahoo! We’re so glad to hear that, Hannah! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.
I am allergic to coconut. Is there any other product I can use instead of the coconut milk? Thanks.
If you can do dairy, then greek yogurt or sour cream will work just fine. If not, I know there is almond milk based yogurt you can find at some stores that would work. I would just make sure to get the plain kind and nothing sweetened. Hope that helps!
Looks delicious! Could you provide the macros for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Carol! We do not provide the macro breakdown for recipes, but you can enter it into an app such as MyFitnessPal and it it will provide the breakdown for you.
How ripe should the avocados be? Should they be ready to make guacamole or more firm?
Hi Lindsey! I would say that you don’t want them too soft, but not too firm either, with a slight give when you squeeze them. One trick that I use is checking under the stem. Peel back the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado. If it comes away easily and you find green underneath, you have a good avocado that’s ripe and ready to eat. If it is brown, then it is overripe and you will find some brown spots inside. If it doesn’t come off, it is not ready. Hope that helps!
Hi there! This recipe looks delicious and I’ll definitely try it out 🙂 I was wondering though, how should one eat this? Do you scoop it out with a spoon or use fork and knife? Thanks!
Hi Anna! I would say anyway you prefer! You could scoop out all the insides from the skin of the avocado (so it is still assembled) and then eat it with a fork and knife or leave it in the skin and scoop out bites with a spoon.