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Whether you're craving a sandwich, wrap, or salad topper, this chicken salad with cottage cheese delivers big flavor in every bite.
Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese
Sometimes I cook chicken for chicken salad, and other times I skip the cooking altogether and make chicken salad with a rotisserie. But now that I always have cottage cheese in the fridge, this simple and healthy swap has me coming back to it again and again.
You can coarsely chop the chicken for a chunky version or finely shred it (my favorite!), and with a simple step, you’ll give the cottage cheese a smooth, creamy texture, without the curds, making it irresistible.
Ingredients
Instead of mayo, the creaminess of this chicken salad comes from a quick dressing made with cottage cheese and lemon juice. You’ll mix it with shredded cooked chicken, chopped celery, and shallot (optional for sharpness!)
How to Make Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad
This high-protein chicken salad comes together as the regular one, but you’ll make the dressing in the blender. Once you chop or shred the chicken, make the dressing by blending the cottage cheese with the lemon juice for a few seconds until smooth. Mix the chicken with the dressing, chopped celery, and shallots, and enjoy!
Variations
It’s so simple to customize this salad to your liking! Make it with rotisserie chicken, chicken leftovers, or even canned chicken to save time. More of the salty-sweet team? Add grapes, cranberries, or apples. I also love to include seeds for extra nutrition and crunchiness!
Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad (Classic Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken, about 2 breasts
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Add cottage cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a blender. Blend for 15 seconds until smooth.
Make the chicken salad:
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded cooked chicken, the chopped celery, and the chopped shallot (if using). Pour the blended cottage cheese dressing on top, and mix it well to coat all the chicken.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for an hour to chill.
Store:
- Refrigerate this cottage cheese chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Herose Nicole says
As far as I remember, this is my first time interacting with cottage cheese in a salad? I’m not that sure, but I’ll surely try this at home.
Rosey says
Cottage Cheese over mayo any time! I am a fan of the former but not really the latter.
Kim C says
What a great idea to swap out mayo for cottage cheese. I often find mayo a bit overpowering, so this will make for a nice alternative to try. The recipe seems fairly easy (not to mention yummy) so I might just give it a go. Thank you.
Beth says
I would never have thought to put cottage cheese in chicken salad. It’s so good, though. It’s so extra creamy.
Jordyn Jordan says
This is such a smart twist. Adding cottage cheese to the salad gives it that extra creaminess and a protein boost. I love when a simple recipe give a tasty upgraded. Definitely trying this!