This High Protein Chicken Bagel is the perfect quick lunch or easy post-workout meal when you want something filling, fresh and full of flavour - not to mention 47 grams of protein per bagel! Juicy chicken breast, layered into a toasted protein bagel with rocket, creamy cottage cheese, Gouda, tomato, avocado and a spicy sriracha yogurt sauce.
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It tastes like a café-style loaded bagel (but much cheaper to make) and packed with protein from the chicken, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Gouda cheese and protein bagel.
This high protein chicken bagel recipe is quick, filling and full of texture. You get the warm toasted bagel, juicy seasoned chicken, creamy avocado, tangy cottage cheese, melted Gouda and that spicy yogurt sauce all in one bite. This really does have it all!
It is also easy to adapt depending on what you have in the fridge. You can make it milder, spicier, lower calorie, higher protein or turn it into a meal prep lunch for the week. Check out all our variation options, so you can make it exactly how you like.
Looking for more high protein recipes? Check out our quick Chicken Carbonara, juicy Cottage Cheese Meatballs or our delicious Hot Honey Chicken Bowls.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bagels - Use a high protein bagel like the New York Deli Co ones. You could also make our Cottage Cheese Bagels.
- Chicken - Skinless and boneless chicken breast.
- Cheese - We used slices of gouda and cottage cheese.
- Lettuce, tomato and avocado
- Seasoning - You can use and Italian seasoning blend, or if you want spicier then a Mexican seasoning.
- Greek yogurt - Make sure it is thick as it will give you a better sauce.
- Sriracha - Any hot sauce will work.
Variations
Spicy - Add extra sriracha to the sauce and increase the chilli powder in the chicken seasoning. You could also add sliced jalapeños for more heat.
BBQ - Swap the sriracha sauce for Greek yogurt mixed with a little BBQ sauce. This gives the bagel a smoky, slightly sweet flavour that works really well with Gouda and avocado.
Lower calorie - Use half a bagel open-faced, reduce the avocado slightly and choose a lighter cheese. You can also use extra rocket, tomato and cucumber to add more volume and bulk it out a bit.
Mediterranean - Swap the Gouda for feta, add cucumber and pickled red onion, and use Greek yogurt with lemon, garlic and herbs instead of sriracha.
How To Make a High Protein Chicken Bagel
- Step 1: Butterfly the chicken breast and coat it in the seasoning. Put it into an air fryer.
See the FAQ section below for alternative cooking methods.
- Step 2: Cook for 14 minutes at 200°C/400°F, or until cooked through.
When the chicken is cooked, allow to rest then slice in half.
- Step 3: While the chicken is cooking, mix together the yogurt and sriracha.
- Step 4: Build the bagel by adding a bed of rocket to the bottom half. Add the cottage cheese, cooked chicken, cheese slice, tomato and avocado.
Spread the sauce over the other bagel half and put on top.
High Protein Chicken Bagel Storage
Meal Prep - This high protein chicken bagel can be meal prepped, but it is best to store the components separately and assemble when ready to eat.
Cook the chicken breasts in advance and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can slice them before storing or keep them whole and slice when needed.
Make the Greek yogurt sriracha sauce ahead of time and store it in a small sealed container. Give it a stir before using.
You can also wash the rocket, slice the cheese and portion out the cottage cheese in advance. For the freshest texture, slice the tomato and avocado just before serving.
Store - A fully assembled bagel is best eaten the same day. If storing it for later, wrap it tightly in foil or parchment and keep it chilled. For best texture, avoid adding avocado too far in advance unless it has been mixed with lemon juice.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Do not skip resting the chicken. Even just 5 minutes helps keep the chicken juicy when you slice it.
- Toast the bagel well so it holds up against the sauce, cottage cheese, tomato and avocado. A lightly toasted bagel can become soft quickly once loaded.
- Use thick Greek yogurt for the sauce. A runnier yogurt can make the bagel messy, especially if you are packing it for lunch.
- Season the chicken generously. Because the bagel has creamy ingredients like avocado, cottage cheese and yogurt, the chicken needs plenty of flavour to stand out.
- Mash the avocado with a little lemon juice if you want it to spread more easily and stay fresher for longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken thighs work well and are usually even juicier than chicken breast. They may need a slightly different cooking time depending on size, so make sure they are cooked through before slicing.
Yes. You can cook the seasoned chicken in a frying pan, griddle pan or oven. Pan-fry over a medium heat until golden and cooked through, or bake in the oven at 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6 for around 20 to 25 minutes depending on thickness. Always use a meat thermometer to check that it is cooked through.
Toast the bagel well, use thick sauce and avoid placing wet ingredients directly onto the bread. Layering rocket first can help create a barrier between the bagel and the cottage cheese, tomato or sauce.
More Bagel Recipes
If you've tried this high protein chicken bagel, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
High Protein Chicken Bagel
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) of Chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
- 2 Protein bagels
- 30 g (1 cups) of Rocket (arugula)
- 0.5 Avocado - sliced
- 1 Heirloom tomato - sliced
- 120 g (0.5 cup) of Fat free cottage cheese
- 50 g (1.75 oz) of Gouda - sliced
- 2 tablespoons of 0% Fat Free Greek yogurt
- 0.5 tablespoons of Sriracha
Instructions
- Butterfly 200 g of Chicken breast and coat it in 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning. Put it into an air fryer.
- Cook for 14 minutes at 200°C/400°F, or until cooked through. When the chicken is cooked, allow to rest then slice in half.
- While the chicken is cooking, mix together 2 tablespoons of 0% Fat Free Greek yogurt and 0.5 tablespoons of Sriracha.
- Build the bagel by dividing 30 g of Rocket (arugula) to the bottom halves of 2 Protein bagels. Add 120 g of Fat free cottage cheese, the cooked chicken, 50 g of Gouda (slices), 1 Heirloom tomato and 0.5 Avocado (slices). Spread the sauce over the other bagel half and put on top.
Recipe Notes
- Do not skip resting the chicken. Even just 5 minutes helps keep the chicken juicy when you slice it.
- Toast the bagel well so it holds up against the sauce, cottage cheese, tomato and avocado. A lightly toasted bagel can become soft quickly once loaded.
- Use thick Greek yogurt for the sauce. A runnier yogurt can make the bagel messy, especially if you are packing it for lunch.
- Season the chicken generously. Because the bagel has creamy ingredients like avocado, cottage cheese and yogurt, the chicken needs plenty of flavour to stand out.
- Mash the avocado with a little lemon juice if you want it to spread more easily and stay fresher for longer.
Nutritional Information
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Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
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