Cottage Cheese Herb Pesto Chicken Cups (Printable)

Tender chicken, creamy cottage cheese, and zesty pesto in crisp lettuce cups.

# List of ingredients:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 oz)
02 - ½ tsp salt
03 - ¼ tsp black pepper
04 - 1 tbsp olive oil

→ Herb Pesto

05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves
06 - ½ cup fresh parsley
07 - 2 tbsp pine nuts (or walnuts)
08 - 1 garlic clove
09 - 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 3 tbsp olive oil
11 - ½ lemon, juiced
12 - ¼ tsp salt

→ Salad Base

13 - 1 cup cottage cheese (small curd, low-fat or full-fat)
14 - 1 small cucumber, diced
15 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
16 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
17 - 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
18 - ¼ tsp black pepper

→ To Serve

19 - 8 large butter lettuce leaves (or little gem lettuce)
20 - Fresh herbs for garnish (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool, then dice into small cubes.
02 - In a food processor, combine basil, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until smooth but slightly textured.
03 - In a large bowl, combine diced chicken, cottage cheese, cucumber, red bell pepper, green onions, chives, and black pepper. Add 3–4 tablespoons of pesto and gently mix until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning or add more pesto if desired.
04 - Spoon the chicken salad mixture evenly into the lettuce leaves to form cups. Garnish with extra fresh herbs if desired.
05 - Serve immediately as a light appetizer or lunch.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of cool crisp lettuce against creamy savory filling is absolutely addictive
  • You get all the satisfaction of chicken salad but with proteinrich cottage cheese keeping it light
  • These cups disappear at parties faster than anything else I serve
02 -
  • Let the roasted chicken cool completely before mixing otherwise it will make the cottage cheese separate and turn watery
  • Don't overdress the salad with pesto start with less and add more as needed since leftover pesto is never a bad problem to have
  • Assemble these right before serving because the lettuce will start to wilt after about an hour
03 -
  • Toasting your pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden makes a huge difference in the final pesto flavor
  • Use kitchen shears to snip the chives and green onions it's faster and creates more uniform pieces than chopping

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