About this recipe
Sometimes you need a massive hit of protein, but you absolutely refuse to turn on the stove. That is exactly where this Buffalo Chicken Cottage Cheese Bowl comes in. It uses a base of cottage cheese instead of heavy carbs, which keeps things incredibly light but ridiculously filling. You just toss some leftover rotisserie chicken in spicy buffalo sauce and pile it high with crunchy celery, carrots, and fresh avocado. It gives you all the bold flavors of hot wings without the greasy fallout, and the entire thing is ready in exactly 15 minutes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You get a massive 41g of protein without ever touching the stove.
It perfectly satisfies cravings for hot wings without the heavy, fried feeling afterward.
You can prep all the ingredients on Sunday and assemble fresh bowls in literal seconds all week long.
Ingredients
Buffalo chicken
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken or meal-prepped chicken breast)
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (optional, to make the chicken creamier)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Bowls
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 cup cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup celery (thinly sliced)
- 1 large avocado (sliced or diced)
- 1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
- 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Optional finish
- 2 tbsp extra buffalo sauce (for drizzling)
- 2 tbsp light ranch or yogurt ranch (optional drizzle)
Ingredient Notes
Cottage cheese
Use 4% milkfat small-curd cottage cheese. The non-fat versions are watery and completely lack that rich, creamy texture you want here.
Chicken
Grab a hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to make this completely zero-cook. Just shred the breast meat and toss it straight into the sauce.
Equipment
large mixing bowl
cutting board
small prep bowl
Instructions
Mix the buffalo chicken
In a medium bowl, aggressively stir together the pre-cooked shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, Greek yogurt, and garlic powder. The yogurt is totally optional, but it cuts the sharp vinegar bite of the buffalo sauce and makes the chicken coating incredibly creamy.
Prepare the vegetables
Grab your cutting board and dice the cucumber, shred the carrots, slice the celery, and chop the green onions. Keep your celery and cucumber pieces fairly small so you get a little bit of refreshing crunch in every single bite.
Add the cottage cheese
Spoon the cottage cheese directly into the bottom of two wide serving bowls. Use the back of your spoon to spread it out into an even layer. This acts like a cool, creamy bed for all the spicy toppings.
Add the toppings
Pile your buffalo chicken right into the center of the cottage cheese. Surround it with the diced cucumber, shredded carrots, sliced celery, fresh avocado, green onions, and a heavy sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles.
Finish and serve
Hit the top of the bowl with an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce and some light ranch if you need to cool down the heat. Eat it immediately, or pack the components up in glass containers for a zero-cook meal prep lunch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Assembling too early
If you are meal prepping this, do not build the bowl ahead of time. The water from the cucumbers and the buffalo sauce will turn the cottage cheese into soup overnight.
Watery cottage cheese
Some brands of cottage cheese hold a lot of liquid. Give it a quick stir in the carton, or even drain off the excess whey before scooping it into your bowl.
Tips
- If the chunky texture of cottage cheese freaks you out, toss it in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds until it gets perfectly smooth.
- Always wait to slice your avocado until the exact moment you assemble the bowl so it doesn't oxidize and turn brown.
- Mix a tablespoon of light ranch dressing directly into the buffalo chicken mix if you want a milder flavor profile.
Variations
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Scoop the entire bowl mixture into a massive flour tortilla and wrap it tightly like a burrito for lunch on the go.
Spicy Tuna
Swap the shredded chicken for two cans of drained tuna fish. It sounds weird, but the buffalo sauce completely transforms it.
Substitutions
- If you hate cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt or a crisp bed of chopped romaine lettuce works perfectly.
- Swap the blue cheese crumbles for feta or sharp cheddar if you don't like the funky flavor of blue cheese.
- Use leftover grilled chicken thighs, roasted turkey breast, or even crispy baked tofu instead of rotisserie chicken.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a handful of thick, crunchy tortilla chips or pretzel thins to scoop up the creamy cottage cheese base.
Eat it right after a heavy workout when you need a fast hit of cold protein.
Make Ahead
Prep the chicken
Mix the shredded chicken and buffalo sauce together and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Chop the veggies
Dice your celery, carrots, cucumbers, and onions ahead of time, but always wait to cut the avocado until you eat.
Storage
Refrigerator
Store the buffalo chicken, cottage cheese, and chopped veggies in completely separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Assembly
Never assemble the bowls ahead of time. Keep the components separated and build your bowl right before eating so the veggies stay crunchy and the cottage cheese stays thick.
Freezer
Do not freeze this. Cottage cheese and fresh cucumbers turn into a horribly separated, mushy disaster when they thaw out.
Recipe Notes
Since everything is fully cooked or raw, there are no internal temperatures to track here. Just keep everything safely chilled in the fridge.
If you end up using raw chicken breasts instead of rotisserie chicken, ensure you cook them to a safe internal temperature of 165°F before shredding.
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 bowl
- Calories
- 410
- Protein
- 41g
- Carbohydrates
- 14g
- Fat
- 22g
- Fiber
- 6g
- Sugar
- 6g
- Sodium
- 880mg
FAQ
Can I make buffalo chicken cottage cheese bowls ahead of time?
Yeah, totally. Just prep your buffalo chicken and chop all your vegetables in advance. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge, then just build your bowl right when you're ready to eat so the veggies stay perfectly crunchy.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely. A store-bought rotisserie chicken is the ultimate cheat code for this recipe. Just pull the meat off the bone and toss it in the sauce.
Can I make this bowl lower carb?
It is actually pretty low-carb already! Since we use cottage cheese as the base instead of rice or quinoa, you get a ton of protein without a heavy carb crash.
Recipe Card
Buffalo Chicken Cottage Cheese Bowl
A high-protein bowl with creamy cottage cheese, spicy buffalo shredded chicken, and crunchy fresh vegetables.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Category
- Protein Recipes
- Cuisine
- American
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost
- Budget-friendly
Ingredients
Buffalo chicken
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken or meal-prepped chicken breast)
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (optional, to make the chicken creamier)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Bowls
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 cup cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup celery (thinly sliced)
- 1 large avocado (sliced or diced)
- 1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
- 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Optional finish
- 2 tbsp extra buffalo sauce (for drizzling)
- 2 tbsp light ranch or yogurt ranch (optional drizzle)
Instructions
- Mix the buffalo chicken: In a medium bowl, aggressively stir together the pre-cooked shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, Greek yogurt, and garlic powder. The yogurt is totally optional, but it cuts the sharp vinegar bite of the buffalo sauce and makes the chicken coating incredibly creamy.
- Prepare the vegetables: Grab your cutting board and dice the cucumber, shred the carrots, slice the celery, and chop the green onions. Keep your celery and cucumber pieces fairly small so you get a little bit of refreshing crunch in every single bite.
- Add the cottage cheese: Spoon the cottage cheese directly into the bottom of two wide serving bowls. Use the back of your spoon to spread it out into an even layer. This acts like a cool, creamy bed for all the spicy toppings.
- Add the toppings: Pile your buffalo chicken right into the center of the cottage cheese. Surround it with the diced cucumber, shredded carrots, sliced celery, fresh avocado, green onions, and a heavy sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles.
- Finish and serve: Hit the top of the bowl with an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce and some light ranch if you need to cool down the heat. Eat it immediately, or pack the components up in glass containers for a zero-cook meal prep lunch.
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