Cottage cheese chicken salad skips the mayonnaise and uses a creamy, blended cottage cheese dressing instead. This lighter version of a classic chicken salad is just as flavorful, with crunchy celery, lemon, Dijon mustard, and fresh herbs. It’s perfect in sandwiches or lettuce wraps!
A Lighter Version of Classic Chicken Salad
I may or may not be a little obsessed with using cottage cheese in recipes. From pancakes to those viral cottage cheese flatbreads, IYKYK. This creamy cottage cheese chicken salad is quick to make, super flavorful, and meal prep-friendly. Instead of the mayonnaise you’ll find in a classic chicken salad, blended cottage cheese makes a lighter, high-protein dressing filled with shredded chicken, crunchy celery, and seasonings.
Serve cottage cheese chicken salad in lettuce cups for a low-carb option, make a chicken salad sandwich, or tuck this salad into homemade lavash bread for an easy lunch.
Why Use Cottage Cheese in a Chicken Salad Recipe?
- High protein. Between the cottage cheese and shredded chicken, this salad is hearty and satisfying.
- A classic, made lighter. Cottage cheese chicken salad is just as creamy as the one that uses mayo.
- Made for meal prep. I love to make a big batch of this to keep in the fridge during the week. It’s great in sandwiches, wraps, lettuce cups, and more!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the key ingredients in my cottage cheese chicken salad recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact amounts for each ingredient.
- Cottage Cheese – Blending the cottage cheese breaks up the curds to make a smooth, creamy dressing for the chicken salad.
- Celery – Chopped into fine pieces.
- Lemon Juice – I recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice, but bottled juice works too. Apple cider vinegar, or red or white wine vinegar, is a good alternative.
- Dijon Mustard – Use regular yellow mustard if needed.
- Avocado Oil – Olive oil is a good alternative.
- Fresh Herbs – Chopped dill and sliced spring onions. Dried dill works here, too, though you’ll need ⅓ of the amount as fresh. You can substitute spring onions with diced red onions or shallots.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder (or onion powder), salt, and freshly ground pepper. You can get creative with seasonings. Try adding mild curry powder or the spice blend from my curry chicken salad.
- Chicken – Use any cooked chicken you have on hand, or make quick air fryer chicken breast. You could use baked chicken or even a store-bought or homemade rotisserie chicken. Shred or chop the chicken into small pieces.
- Something Sweet (Optional) – This is optional, but if you’d like a little sweetness to balance the flavors, go ahead and add a little maple syrup or honey. You could also add raisins or dried cranberries.
Can I Use Mayonnaise Instead of Cottage Cheese?
Sure! If you’d prefer a more traditional chicken mayo salad, swap the cottage cheese in the recipe with your favorite mayonnaise. You could also go half-mayo, half-cottage cheese, or use sour cream (or Greek yogurt). In this case, you won’t need to blend it first.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips
- Use cold chicken. Whether you make this recipe with shredded, cubed, or ground chicken, make sure it’s cooked and fully cooled. If the chicken is warm, it can make the cottage cheese dressing watery.
- Blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Blend until no lumps remain for a smooth, creamy dressing.
- Chill the salad. I recommend letting the finished chicken salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Resting deepens the flavors, so don’t skip it.
How to Serve This Chicken Salad Recipe
- Lettuce cups: Scoop this cottage cheese chicken salad into sturdy lettuce leaves, like butter lettuce, iceberg, romaine, or even endive.
- Sandwiches and wraps: Make a chicken salad sandwich or roll it up in a tortilla wrap, egg white wrap, or naan flatbread.
- In a melt: Swap the tuna salad in my tuna melt recipe with this cottage cheese chicken salad.
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Prepare the chicken. Shred the cooked chicken with two forks or using a chicken shredder tool. You can also chop it into small pieces. Set aside.
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Blend the cottage cheese. Blend the cottage cheese in a bowl using an immersion blender until smooth. You can also blend it in a regular blender.
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Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the blended cottage cheese, celery, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, avocado oil, fresh dill, spring onions, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the shredded chicken, and mix and stir until well combined.
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Chill and serve. Cover the salad and chill it for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.
- You can use cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken.
- For a stronger onion flavor, instead of spring onions, you can use red onions or shallots.
- Chill the salad before serving.
- To balance the flavors, you can add ½ teaspoon of maple syrup or a handful of raisins.
Serving: 1.3cups | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad
This chicken salad seriously takes minutes to make:
- Blend the cottage cheese. First, blend the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor. If you have an immersion blender, you can blend it in the bowl.
- Add the herbs and seasonings. Combine the blended cottage cheese with the celery, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, avocado oil, fresh dill, spring onions, and seasonings.
- Add chicken. Next, stir in shredded or chopped chicken.
- Chill and then serve. Lastly, cover the salad and move it to the fridge. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. This chilling time is key as it gives the flavors a chance to come together.
Proper Storage
Stored in an airtight container, this cottage cheese chicken salad keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
