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Chicken Salad Recipe: 35g Protein Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad Jar

Oct 23
3 min read

Updated: 15 hours ago

Mason jar layered buffalo chicken salad with cottage cheese ranch, romaine, celery and shredded chicken


35g protein and 9g fiber, keeps 4 days

The layer order is what keeps these crisp for four days: dressing at the very bottom, then the things that can sit in it, then the chicken, and the lettuce packed on top where it never touches liquid. The ranch is built on blended cottage cheese rather than mayo, which is where most of the thirty-five grams of protein come from.

Why this one works

  • Blended cottage cheese makes a ranch that is thicker than the bottled kind and carries about 14g of protein per batch.

  • Rotisserie chicken means zero cooking. One bird fills four jars.

  • Lettuce on top, dressing on the bottom — sealed jars genuinely stay crunchy to day four.

At a glance

  • Prep time: 20 min

  • Cook time: 0 min

  • Total time: 20 min

  • Yield: 4 jars

  • Protein: 35g per serving

  • Calories: 446 per serving

Ingredients

Cottage cheese ranch

  • 1 cup (225g) 2% cottage cheese

  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk, to loosen

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

  • 1 tbsp chopped chives

  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • Black pepper

Buffalo chicken



  • 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, about 1.25 lb (560g)

  • 1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce, such as Frank's

  • 1 tbsp melted butter

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Layers

  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 3 celery stalks, sliced

  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

  • 1 cup shredded carrot

  • 8 cups chopped romaine

  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional

Instructions

  1. Blend the ranch. Put the cottage cheese, buttermilk, vinegar, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper in a blender and run it for 45 seconds until completely smooth with no curds. Stir in the dill and chives by hand so they stay visible.

  2. Dress the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken with the buffalo sauce, melted butter and garlic powder until every strand is coated. Taste it — brands of hot sauce vary a lot in heat and salt.

  3. Start the jars. Spoon 3 tbsp of ranch into the bottom of each of four wide-mouth quart jars. This is the only place the dressing goes.

  4. Layer the sturdy things. Add chickpeas, then celery, then cherry tomatoes, then shredded carrot. These sit in the dressing happily and actually improve by day two.

  5. Add the chicken. Pack the buffalo chicken in next. It acts as a barrier between the wet layers below and the lettuce above.

  6. Pack the lettuce last. Fill the rest of the jar with romaine, pressing it in firmly. The tighter it is packed, the less air gets to it and the longer it stays crisp. Add blue cheese on top if using.

  7. Seal and store. Screw the lids on and refrigerate. To eat, shake the jar hard upside down for 10 seconds, then tip it into a bowl.

Notes and swaps

  • They keep 4 days. Beyond that the romaine starts to wilt even packed tight.

  • No rotisserie chicken: poach 1.25 lb of breasts in simmering water for 15 minutes and shred.

  • The cottage cheese ranch keeps a week on its own and is excellent on anything.

Nutrition per serving

  • Calories: 446

  • Protein: 35g

  • Carbohydrates: 28g

  • Fat: 21g

  • Fiber: 9g

  • Sugar: 8g

  • Sodium: 1280mg

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed and will vary with brands and portion sizes.

Want the rest of them?

Every recipe in the collection is built around 30g+ of protein, with grocery lists and a 4-week meal prep plan.



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