Tex-Mex style chicken and vegetables stuffed into creamy, grilled avocado halves. This is a small batch recipe that makes about six large, grilled, stuffed avocado halves, and comes together in 30 minutes!
Grilled avocados are an underrated treat. Avocados are one of my favorite fruits (yes, they’re technically a fruit!), and a fantastic way to incorporate a variety of vitamins, potassium, healthy fats, and fiber into any meal. Grilling them adds a touch of smokiness, and enhances the creamy texture of the avocado. It’s a delicious twist that you’re going to love!
For the stuffing in these grilled avocados, I went with a Tex-Mex flavored chicken and vegetable mixture. It’s veggie-heavy, with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, black beans, and corn, but I also stirred in some salsa, cheese, and taco seasoning for extra flavor and a creamy texture that will help hold it all together. This is a small batch recipe that makes 2 1/2 cups of chicken and vegetable filling, which is perfect for about six avocado halves.
Grilled avocados were introduced to me about ten years ago, when I was a leasing agent at an incredible property and the residents would always bring me food they were grilling poolside. One afternoon, a new resident stumbled in with a little plate that just held one lonely avocado half that was sprinkled with salt and drizzled with hot sauce.
But there was something different about this little avocado half: it had grill marks on the surface of the avocado flesh. I was obviously intrigued, and after the first bite, I was completely hooked. Looking back, I can’t believe it took me this long to publish a grilled avocado recipe on this blog.
I amped up the flavor (and heartiness) with a chicken and vegetable mixture stuffed inside the avocado. It’s packed with goodness like black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cilantro. There’s a lot of flavor packed into these little avocado cups, and we absolutely love them!
You’ll notice that I only made four avocado halves with this recipe, but the chicken mixture could easily fill six avocado halves. If you’re not wanting to eat that much avocado, the chicken mixture is GREAT in wraps, salads, quesadillas, or tacos, too! Or just on its own if you’re in a hurry. 🙂
Ingredients
- 3 large, ripe Avocados
- 2 tsp. Avocado Oil
- 1/3 cup chopped Onion (yellow, white, or red)
- 1/2 cup chopped Green Bell Pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper
- 1 tbsp. Taco Seasoning, divided
- 1/3 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup Frozen Corn
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Chicken
- 1/2 cup Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup Salsa
- ⅓ cup Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or Mexican blend)
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped Cilantro
- 1 tbsp. fresh Lime Juice
Ingredient Notes
Avocados: I know avocados are tricky, but there is a trick to picking the best avocados! Look for avocados that are very dark green, and have just the slightest give if you gently press into the side of them with your thumb. If you’re making these the same day you buy the avocados, they have to be slightly soft when you purchase them. If for some reason you don’t get to make these the same day you bought ripe avocados, stash them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. (I’ve had avocados keep for up to four extra days this way!) The avocados in these photos are extra large, so the amount of filling in your avocados will totally depend on how big your avocados are. Just adjust accordingly!
Onions: Any color will work. I personally prefer the flavor of red onions in this recipe (I used red onions the first time I tested it), but used yellow onions in the photos.
Bell Peppers: I like green pepper for their slight bitterness and red peppers for their sweetness. Don’t feel like you have to buy two separate peppers for this recipe if you don’t have a use for the other halves. Use your favorite bell pepper and you’ll be set!
Cherry Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes are a great substitute for cherry tomatoes, but if you don’t have either, don’t fret. There is plenty of tomato flavor from the salsa, the tomatoes just add a touch of freshness and acidity. 🙂
Shredded Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is the easiest route to take here, but you can use any leftover shredded chicken you have on hand (just as long as it doesn’t have a seasoning that would clash with the Tex-Mex flavors in this recipe.) If you have to make chicken for this recipe, I recommend grilling a small chicken breast and shredding it.
Salsa: Use your favorite! Have some left over from your favorite Mexican restaurant? Even better. 🙂
Shredded Cheese: Cheddar, a Mexican blend, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Colby Jack are all great options for this recipe.
Cilantro: Optional. If you’re not a cilantro person, don’t use it.
Fresh Lime Juice: Believe it or not, a squeeze of fresh lime juice really sends the flavors in this recipe over the top. The acidity brightens everything, and it makes a difference. I don’t recommend anything that is jarred and refrigerated, I only recommend an actual, real, fresh lime for this part.
What if I have leftover Chicken Mixture?
This is totally bound to happen if you have smaller avocados. The leftover Tex-Mex chicken and vegetable mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days! It’s fantastic in salads, quesadillas, tacos, lettuce wraps, or on its own, too. 🙂
You can also omit the chicken in this recipe and make this into a vegetarian dish if you prefer!
Directions
How to Make Stuffed Avocado Cups
- Heat avocado oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Toss in chopped peppers, onions, and two teaspoons of taco seasoning. Cook 5-6 minutes until slightly charred.
- Stir in tomatoes and corn, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in shredded chicken, black beans, salsa, cheese, and remaining taco seasoning. Stir to combine, turn the heat underneath the pan to low, stir in the cilantro, fresh lime juice, and a pinch of salt, and let the mixture rest while you grill the avocados.
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed. Scoop a small amount of the avocado out of the center, creating a well that is about 1/3 – 1/2 cup in size. Place the scooped out avocado into a small bowl, squeeze in a couple lime wedges, sprinkle in a healthy pinch of salt and garlic powder, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Heat an outdoor grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the grates (or ridges) lightly with avocado oil, then grill the avocados, flesh side down, for 4-5 minutes until charred. Transfer avocados to a plate to briefly cool.
- Spoon the chicken mixture into the grilled avocados, then top with crumbled cotija cheese (or feta cheese) and more chopped cilantro. Serve with crunchy tortilla chips on the side.
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