Low Carb Blackberry Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad 🫐🍗🧀
Sweet blackberries, creamy cottage cheese, grilled chicken, and crunchy pecans. High protein, low carb, no mayo. Ready in 15 min.
Serves 4 | Prep 15 min | ∼7g net carbs per serving
Ingredients
For the chicken:
Chicken breast: 1 lb / 2 medium breasts, or 3 cups shredded rotisserie
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Garlic powder: 1 tsp
Smoked paprika: ½ tsp
Kosher salt: ¾ tsp
Black pepper: ½ tsp
For the salad:
Cottage cheese: 1½ cups, full-fat 4% — drained if watery
Blackberries: 1 cup, fresh — halved if large
Baby spinach or mixed greens: 4 cups, packed
Pecans or walnuts: ⅓ cup, toasted + chopped
Red onion: 2 tbsp, minced — soak in ice water 5 min to mellow
Fresh basil or mint: 2 tbsp, torn
Avocado: ½, diced — optional, adds healthy fats
For the lemon-poppy dressing — optional but killer:
Olive oil: 3 tbsp, extra virgin
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp, fresh
Lemon zest: 1 tsp
Dijon mustard: 1 tsp
Honey or allulose: 1 tsp — skip or use allulose to keep it keto
Poppy seeds: 1 tsp
Kosher salt: ¼ tsp
Black pepper: ¼ tsp
Method
Cook the chicken — 10 min
Pound breasts to ¾-inch even. Rub with oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper.
Hot skillet or grill: 5–6 min per side until 165°F. Rest 5 min, then dice or shred.
Shortcut: Rotisserie chicken. Pull off skin, shred 3 cups. Done.
Toast the pecans — 3 min
Dry skillet, medium heat. Add pecans 2–3 min until fragrant. Cool + chop. Don’t burn them.
Make the dressing — 2 min
Jar: olive oil, lemon juice, zest, Dijon, honey/allulose, poppy seeds, salt, pepper. Shake hard 30 sec. Taste: bright + lightly sweet.
Assemble — 3 min
Option A – Mixed bowl style: Toss spinach, chicken, blackberries, red onion, pecans, basil. Dollop cottage cheese on top or mix it in for creamy dressing effect. Drizzle lemon-poppy over.
Option B – Stacked plate style: Bed of greens. Scoop of cottage cheese. Top with chicken, blackberries, onion, pecans, basil, avocado. Drizzle dressing. Looks café-fancy.
Serve
Crack extra black pepper. Eat immediately. Cottage cheese + berries are best fresh.
Why this combo works:
Sweet + savory + creamy: Blackberries + salt + cottage cheese = wild but it works
No mayo: Cottage cheese gives protein + creaminess without heavy mayo
Low carb: ∼7g net carbs. Blackberries are the lowest-carb berry
Protein bomb: ∼38g protein per serving. Keeps you full for hours
Texture: Creamy cottage cheese, juicy berries, crunchy pecans, tender chicken
Macros per serving:
Calories: ∼380
Protein: 38g
Carbs: 10g
Fiber: 3g
Net carbs: 7g
Fat: 22g
Gluten-free, keto-friendly, high protein.
Pro tips:
Drain cottage cheese: If it’s watery, put in fine strainer 5 min. Salad stays thick, not soupy
Use full-fat: 4% tastes way better. Low-fat = watery + sad
Don’t cook berries: Raw only. Heat turns them to mush
Chicken temp: Rest it before cutting. Dry chicken ruins the salad
Meal prep: Keep components separate. Assemble day-of. Berries + cottage cheese get weepy
Easy swaps:
Fruit: Raspberries or strawberries if blackberries aren’t peak
Nuts: Sliced almonds, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds
Cheese: Goat cheese or feta if you hate cottage cheese texture — blend cottage cheese smooth first if texture’s the issue
Greens: Arugula for peppery bite, or romaine for crunch
No chicken: Canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, or chickpeas
Dairy-free: Coconut yogurt + extra avocado for creaminess
Make it fancy:
Grill the chicken with lemon + oregano for Mediterranean vibes
Hot honey drizzle: 1 tsp hot honey over top = sweet-heat kick
Add cucumber: Thin slices for extra crunch + freshness
Balsamic glaze: Zigzag over berries for sweet-tart finish
Storage:
Best fresh. Undressed + components separate: 2 days fridge. Don’t freeze. Cottage cheese gets grainy.
This is what you eat when you want “healthy” but also “tastes like summer.” Sweet, salty, creamy, high protein. Your meal prep just got an upgrade.