Buffalo Chicken Salad Cottage Cheese (Printable)

Tender shredded chicken with cottage cheese, buffalo sauce, and crunchy veggies for a quick, flavorful meal.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1 lb chicken tenderloins
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
04 - Kosher salt to taste

→ Dressing

05 - 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese
06 - 1/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt
07 - 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
08 - 3 tablespoons buffalo sauce
09 - 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning

→ Salad Mix-ins

10 - 1/3 cup sweet onion, finely diced
11 - 1/3 cup celery, finely diced
12 - 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
13 - Cracked black pepper to taste

# How-To:

01 - In a 3-quart pot, combine 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth with a pinch of kosher salt. Add chicken tenderloins and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Drain and cool completely. Shred using two forks or fingers until tender pieces form.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, buffalo sauce, ranch seasoning, and lemon juice. Whisk together until smooth and well incorporated.
03 - Add shredded chicken, diced celery, diced onion, and grated cheddar cheese to the bowl with dressing. Fold ingredients together until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with cracked black pepper and kosher salt as needed.
04 - Transfer to serving bowls or plates. Serve chilled with crackers, fresh vegetable crudités, or use as sandwich filling. Optional: gently heat and serve warm.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • It's ready in 35 minutes and packs more protein than you'd expect, so you stay satisfied way longer than usual.
  • Buffalo sauce transforms simple chicken into something restaurant-quality, but cottage cheese keeps it light enough that you don't need a nap afterward.
  • The texture is genuinely interesting—creamy dressing, juicy chicken, crunchy celery, and melty cheese all happening at once.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooling the chicken before shredding—the steam makes it harder to handle and the meat tears awkwardly instead of shredding cleanly.
  • Freshly grated cheddar melts slightly into the warm salad and tastes dramatically better than pre-shredded, which contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from integrating.
  • Buffalo sauce brands vary wildly in heat level and sodium, so add it gradually and taste as you go rather than dumping it all in at once.
03 -
  • Rotisserie chicken works beautifully if you're short on time—skip the boiling step entirely and just shred what you buy, then taste the final salad and adjust seasoning since store-bought birds are usually saltier.
  • Grate your cheddar while the chicken is still warm so it softens slightly and distributes through the salad instead of staying in separate little shreds.
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