Chicken Salad

Lightly seasoned, packed with lean protein and made without mayo, this is chicken salad perfection

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I love Chicken Salad, and I always talk about how it’s a staple in my kitchen especially in the summer.

I might sound like a broken record, but it’s for good reason – Chicken Salad is a fabulous thing to have on hand. It’s high in protein, incredibly tasty, and quite versatile.

It can be served as a snack with some sliced veggies or crackers, on a bed of lettuce for a light lunch, or spread between some bread for a more substantial meal.

It’s super easy to make.

Just throw everything into a bowl, stir really well, and call it a day. I like to let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours before I eat it {if I can hold off}, so the flavors have time to develop.

Depending on what’s in my fridge, I’ll either poach chicken for the chicken salad or I’ll use leftover cooked chicken from a roasted chicken or crock pot chicken.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Lightly seasoned, high protein chicken salad that is mayo free and not made with yogurt!” quote=”Lightly seasoned, high protein chicken salad that is mayo free and not made with yogurt!”]

Is chicken salad healthy?

Chicken Salad of all different types can be found in pretty much any deli or sandwich shop, and while it sounds healthy {with “salad” is in its name} it usually isn’t the most nutritious.

Most chicken salad uses mayonnaise as a binder meaning it’s pretty rich without many nutrients.

I’m cool with that on occasion, but I want to eat chicken salad daily (especially in the summer) because it is so easy to make in advance and tastes delicious.

However, having that much mayo all week is gonna leave me feeling not-my-best.

Luckily, there is a way to make chicken salad more nourishing.

Some people claim that making chicken salad with yogurt tastes “just as good,” and frankly, I find that offensive because I have taste buds and yogurt & mayonnaise do not taste the same.

Don’t take that the wrong way; I love yogurt.

It’s one of my all time favorite ingredients for both cooking and snacking.

However, I don’t think it can completely replace mayonnaise which has a much more neutral flavor compared to the tangier taste of yogurt.

Which is why I prefer to use cottage cheese in my recipes that call for mayonnaise. When you blend cottage cheese, it turns into a great binder for almost anything.

Can you make chicken salad without mayo or yogurt

Yes, you can make chicken salad without mayo! And you can make chicken salad without yogurt.

If you’ve been here before, you know that I am a cottage cheese lover and that I think it’s the bee’s knees. In fact, 9 times out of 10, there is cottage cheese in my fridge.

So I am celebrating one of my all time favorite dairy ingredients — cottage cheese — by making this Chicken Salad.

It’s your standard chicken salad with celery and onions, letting the chicken shine through.

You will have to take one extra step and blend the cottage cheese along with the seasoning to get the right texture to make your chicken salad look normal.

But this takes all of 5 minutes and it’s 100% worth it.

How to make chicken salad without mayo

It’s quite simple to make.

To get the consistency of mayo, you need to blend your cottage cheese. I like to use a mini food processor.

Then mix this all together, and you’re good to go.

It’s best to make in advance to give time for the flavors to blend, but it can be eaten immediately if needed.

No mayo healthy chicken salad

Lightly seasoned and packed with lean protein — thanks to the chicken + cottage cheese, it becomes chicken salad perfection that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.

Serve it however you like – on crackers, with veggies, over a bed of lettuce, in a lettuce wrap, on toasted bread… and enjoy!

And be sure to check out my other chicken salad recipes below if you’re looking for a recipe that has a more exciting angle (under the recipe)…

Chicken Salad

This delicious, easy, homemade and healthy Chicken Salad without mayo actually tastes like the classic chicken salad you get from a deli.

5 from 7 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 5

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• 10 ounces cooked chicken 2 1/2 packed cups
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• dash nutmeg optional
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper, optional
• 1/4 cup onion diced or grated (about 1/4 small onion)
• 1/2 cup celery diced

Instructions

• Add the cooked chicken to a large bowl. Set aside.
• Add the cottage cheese, lemon juice, honey, salt, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and nutmeg (if using) to the bowl of a mini food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth, about 30-45 seconds.
• Add in onion and process for about 10 seconds until the onion is incorporated and the pieces are very small.
• Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to the chicken. Stir well until completely combined.
• Add in celery and stir well.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Taste and add extra lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or garlic powder if desired (but wait to add extra seasoning until after the chicken salad has been refrigerated for at least 1 hour).

What to Use in This Recipe

Mini Food Processor

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

What to use in this recipe:

Meme

Other Chicken Salad Recipes:

Avocado Chicken Salad

Hummus Chicken Salad

Basil Balsamic Chicken Salad

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Mexican Chicken Salsa Salad

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