Chicken Salad with Whipped Cottage Cheese (High Protein!)

This traditional chicken salad is made with shredded chicken, grapes, green apple, celery, tarragon, pecans, and whipped cottage cheese in place of mayo for extra protein! You will love the sweet and tangy flavor with the crunchy texture. This healthy chicken salad recipe has over 30 grams of protein per serving and makes a fantastic meal prep lunch! This easy recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes!

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A New Spin on Chicken Salad

I am such a fan of all chicken salad recipes for an easy lunch or dinner. My avocado chicken salad, curry chicken salad, and buffalo chicken salad are all staple recipes around here. But since I’ve wanted to make a traditional chicken salad recipe that was mayo free, I figured this high protein cottage cheese variation was the way to go! Here are all the reasons you will love this recipe:

• It’s high in protein recipe with the addition of whipped cottage cheese in place of mayo. Whipped cottage cheese adds another 5 grams of protein to this healthy chicken salad. But it still maintains a creamy flavor and texture! As a nutritionist who is committed to eating 40 grams of protein per meal, this chicken salad is helping me meet my goals very easily. Cottage cheese has been a go-to ingredient in so many of my recent recipes. It’s quick, versatile, and nutrient-packed.
• It’s perfect for meal prep. This salad can last 3-4 days in your fridge! A fantastic idea to make on the weekends and enjoy as lunch throughout the week.
• You can enjoy all the same flavors of traditional chicken salad. This recipe has it all: some sweetness from grapes, crunchy texture from celery and pecans, and some fabulous tarragon for a slightly sweet anise flavor with hints of citrus.

Chicken Salad Ingredients:

• Chicken: you can use rotisserie chicken here (storebought or my rotisserie chicken in the Instant Pot!)
• Cottage cheese: the cottage cheese in this recipe will be whipped to resemble yogurt or sour cream texture. Greek yogurt is also a replacement option.
• Red grapes: the juiciness and slight sweetness really add depth to this recipe. Raisins are also a good substitute here.
• Green apples: a bit of tartness and crunch also add so much flavor to this recipe.
• Veggies: diced celery and red onion are used for both flavor and texture.
• Fresh herbs: I used only tarragon in this recipe, but you can add parsley or dill as additions or substitutes.
• Walnuts: nuts add flavor, texture, and some healthy fats to this recipe! Feel free to swap with almonds or pecans.
• Dijon mustard: I love the tangy addition of dijon mustard to this chicken salad. It pairs perfectly with the creamy cottage cheese and hints of sweetness from fruit. Lemon juice can also be an alternative!

How to make this Chicken Salad

• Shred the cooked chicken. You can use cooked chicken breast or a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken mentioned above.
• Prep the fruits and vegetables: finely chop onion, celery, grapes, apples, walnuts, and tarragon.
• Whip the cottage cheese: place the cottage cheese with some salt and pepper into a food processor. Add some fresh tarragon, the dijon mustard, and pulse until fluffy.
• In a large bowl, stir together the ingredients!

Serving and Storing

You can enjoy this chicken salad several different ways! It’s delicious over a bed of greens, in a wrap, as a sandwich, or with crackers. This meal prep lunch stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days. I prefer these glass containers with lids.

For another creamy, high-protein chicken salad, try this Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Salad (No Mayo) made with chickpeas and a light yogurt dressing.

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Salad with Whipped Cottage Cheese

By Amy Rains

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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This high protein variation of a Chicken Waldorf salad is just what you want for an easy meal prep lunch! It's loaded with crunchy vegetables and fruit, hints of tang and sweetness, and some fresh tarragon for additional flavor.

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 4 cups shredded chicken*
• ▢ 3/4 cup sliced red grapes
• ▢ 1 medium Granny Smith apple, , (diced)
• ▢ 3 stalks celery, , (diced)
• ▢ 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced red onion
• ▢ 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon, , (divided)
• ▢ 1.5 cups cottage cheese
• ▢ 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• ▢ Salt and pepper

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Instructions 

• Begin by prepping your chicken. You can use pre-cooked chicken or place chicken breast into the oven and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut or shred into bit sized pieces. Place in a large bowl.
• Add the grapes, apples, celery, onion, walnuts, and 1 tbsp of tarragon to the chicken.
• Place the cottage cheese into a food processor. Blend until smooth and fluffy (about one minute). Add in the dijon mustard, remaining tarragon, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until just combined.
• Add the cottage cheese mixture to the bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days!

Notes

*4 cups of chicken is about 2-3 large chicken breast. You can also use 1 whole rotisserie chicken that is pre-cooked. 

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 326mg, Potassium: 611mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 226IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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