Healthy Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese

4 Bowls214 cals

I have something to confess…I think I might be addicted to making cottage cheese recipes. This Healthy Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese recipe is great for volume eating, takes no time at all to make, can be made low carb, is super high in protein, and tastes delicious!

Start this one by preparing 12 ounces of chicken. If you’re using a precooked chicken (rotisserie works great!) or canned chicken like I’m using today then you’re ready for the next step. That step? Shredding or breaking up your chicken.

Keep in mind that if you don’t have/don’t want to buy precooked chicken that ANY cooked chicken will work. Chicken breast, thighs, ground chicken, and so on.

With my DRAINED canned chicken I break it up quickly with my hands (think grabbing it and squeezing). If I’m using something like rotisserie or chicken breast/thighs I’ll also use my hands to shred that by pulling apart.

Speaking of canned chicken, drop a comment below with how much a can costs and where you’re located! The bigger can here, without being on sale is usually around $3.00.

Moving on, put your chicken off to the side and take a bowl big enough to prep your mix in.

Healthy Chicken Salad Mix

Add into your large mixing bowl 2 cups of cottage cheese. If you don’t like the texture of cottage cheese you can whip it in a blender or food processor prior to adding it in.

Continue with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of chopped up onion, 1 cup of chopped up celery, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, and a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

This is your base and tastes great as is without adding anything else in.

With that said…for texture, more flavor, and macros I like to add in 1/4 cup of chopped up nuts (usually walnuts), 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries, 1 chopped up apple, and 1/2 cup of some sliced grapes.

Yes, this sounds pretty crazy but I can promise you it’s delicious if you’re willing to try it!

Below in the recipe card I’ll make sure to include the macro breakdown for both variations.

Give all of those ingredients a mix until everything looks incorporated then add in your broken up or shredded chicken and mix that in. That’s it, your healthy chicken salad with cottage cheese is done!

There’s a few ways to eat this mix. By itself, with some crackers, over greens or rice, or in a sandwich like you see below!

Chicken Salad Variations

Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad

  • 1 Cup Chopped Cucumber
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Dill
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Spicy Chicken Salad

  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
  • 2 Tablespoons Chili Sauce (more or less depending on your heat tolerance)
  • Chopped Pickles

Other Tips

  • Use Low Fat or Fat Free ingredients (macros will change).
  • Don’t like mayonnaise? Swap it with plain Greek yogurt!
  • Don’t be scared to try new seasonings!

Ready for dessert? How about an easy to make Chocolate Cheesecake with Cottage Cheese!?

Healthy Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese Recipe

Healthy Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese

All you need is 10 minutes to make this Healthy Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese recipe! Low carb, high protein, and easy to make.
4.67 from 6 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: canned chicken salad, chicken salad, cottage cheese, easy chicken salad
Servings: 4 Bowls
Calories: 214kcal
Cost: $6.70

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Ingredients

Base Chicken Salad

  • 12 Ounces Chicken - Precooked (I like Canned or Rotisserie)
  • 2 Cups Cottage Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise - Use Light/Low Fat if you need to lower the fat
  • ½ Cup Onion - Chopped
  • 1 Cup Celery - Chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

Extras

  • ¼ Cup Nuts - Crushed (I like Walnuts)
  • 2 Tablespoons Cranberries - Dried
  • 1 Apple - Chopped
  • ½ Cup Grapes - Sliced

Instructions

  • Shred or break up your precooked Chicken into a bowl
  • Chop up all of your fruits and vegetables
  • Add all of your ingredients aside from your Chicken into a large mixing bowl
  • Mix everything together
  • Add and mix in your Chicken

Video

Notes

Calories in the WHOLE Base recipe with Low Fat Ingredients:
  • Calories: 858
  • Fat: 22g
  • Saturated Fat: 7g
  • Sodium: 2346mg
  • Carbs: 32g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Sugar: 20g
  • Protein: 133g
 
Calories in Each Bowl (Makes 4) with Low Fat Ingredients:
  • Calories: 214
  • Fat: 5.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.7g
  • Sodium: 586.5mg
  • Carbs: 8g
  • Fiber: .7g
  • Sugar: 5g
  • Protein: 33.2g
 
Calories in the WHOLE recipe with Extras & Low Fat Ingredients:
  • Calories: 1256
  • Fat: 40g
  • Saturated Fat: 8g
  • Sodium: 3707mg
  • Carbs: 86g
  • Fiber: 11g
  • Sugar: 63g
  • Protein: 138g
 
Calories in Each Bowl (Makes 4) with Extras & Low Fat Ingredients:
  • Calories: 314
  • Fat: 10g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Sodium: 600.5mg
  • Carbs: 21.5g
  • Fiber: 2.7g
  • Sugar: 15.7g
  • Protein: 34.5g

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 33.2g | Fat: 5.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Sodium: 586.5mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 5g

11 Comments

  1. Wendy on October 15, 2024 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    This was excellent! Used grilled chicken, shredded. 2 tablespoons of yogurt instead of Mayo. Cut red grapes. Served over salad greens. Love the protein! Thanks for the idea!

  2. Shannon on May 20, 2024 at 3:00 pm

    5 stars
    Made a smaller portion of this with rotisserie chicken and added green grapes and cranberries. I forgot to add the mustard but it was actually pretty good without. next time I won’t miss the Dijon! Love using the cottage cheese instead of all the mayo for extra protein!

  3. Drew on May 18, 2024 at 5:32 pm

    4 stars
    1st time I made this it was really soggy for some reason. Maybe I didn’t drain the chicken enough. 2nd time is spot on 👍 Made it with apple, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and chopped Brazil nuts. Definitely making this again!

  4. Jay on April 11, 2024 at 10:59 am

    4 stars
    Is the a lower sodium option? Tastes great, but less sodium would be nice(for me at least).

    • Derek Howes on October 30, 2024 at 4:53 pm

      Look for lower sodium cottage cheese and that should help.

  5. Lauren H on March 27, 2024 at 8:40 pm

    I have been eating egg salad w cottage cheese all week. I will try your chicken version next week!

    2 eggs
    150g low fat cc
    1 tsp Dijon
    1/2 tsp dried dill
    Paprika to taste
    Salt/pepper
    1-2 tbsp pickle relish
    1 stick celery
    Tiny bit of diced onion
    Lemon juice

    Served w air fried pita chips

  6. Emily on March 26, 2024 at 6:55 pm

    5 stars
    Yes!!! I have been waiting for a chicken salad recipe that isn’t full of mayo!

    • Derek Howes on March 27, 2024 at 9:29 am

      I hope you like it Emily!

    • Todd on March 29, 2024 at 7:12 pm

      Can’t wait to try this, I think I will try your cucumber dill version. Might sub tzatziki for mayo.

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