No-Mayo Chicken Salad
No-cook assembly · Ready in 15 minutes with cooked chicken · Great for meal prep
A high-protein chicken salad made without mayo. Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and grainy Dijon make it creamy, with crunchy veggies and raisins. Great for meal prep, plus an easy Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe.
Ingredients
- 14 oz Instant Pot Rotisserie-Style Shredded Chicken (400 g, a little over half a batch; recipe below)
- 2 cups celery, chopped small (224 g)
- 1⅓ cups red onion, diced (150 g)
- 1 cup raisins (about 160 g)
- 6 mini sweet bell peppers, chopped (70 g)
- 4 green onions, chopped (30 g)
- 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese (238 g)
- ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt (120 g)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
Instructions
- Prep the veggies. Chop the celery, red onion, bell peppers, green onions, and parsley.
- Mix the dressing. In a large bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Dijon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Combine. Add the shredded chicken, chopped veggies, and raisins. Stir until evenly coated.
- Taste and serve. Adjust salt, pepper, or lemon to taste. Enjoy right away, or cover and refrigerate (see tip).
Chicken shortcut
We suggest our Instant Pot chicken below, but store-bought rotisserie chicken works too if you’re short on time.
Serving tip
Enjoy it with crackers, your favorite bread, pita, or even a lettuce wrap! It’s delicious right away, but even better after an hour or so in the fridge, once the flavors have had time to blend.
Instant Pot Rotisserie-Style Shredded Chicken
Dump-and-go · 2 lbs raw (about 24 oz cooked) · About 40 min
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
- 1½ tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Season. In a bowl, combine the spices, oil, and lemon juice. Toss the chicken until coated.
- Load the pot. Pour the water or broth into the Instant Pot, then add the chicken and any remaining seasoning. Stir so no paste is stuck to the bottom.
- Pressure cook. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes (15 if breasts are thicker than 1½ inches).
- Natural release. Release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest.
- Shred. Check that it reaches 165°F, then shred with two forks and toss in the juices.
Keep the liquid at 1 cup even for smaller batches. Frozen chicken: cook 20–25 minutes. Store leftovers in a little cooking liquid to keep them moist.
Macros are estimates per serving, made with the Instant Pot chicken. Salad adapted from LEAT.
Real nourishment, for real life.
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