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–+ servings
Overhead view of buffalo chicken salad in a white bowl

Buffalo Chicken Salad

40aprons.com/salad-buffalo-chicken/
All the flavors of deliciously spicy buffalo wings, in salad form! With perfectly tender chicken, fresh, crunchy veggies, and plenty of ranch dressing and blue cheese, my husband and I absolutely love this salad. Leave the blue cheese off and use a compliant ranch dressing to make it paleo.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Marinate Time 30 minutes
Total 1 hour
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 4 salads

Equipment

  • Bowls (3)
  • whisk
  • Large skillet
  • Tongs
  • Basting Brush
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • Serving bowls

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 1 cup hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 3-4 breasts, depending on size)
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil

For the Salad

  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups baby spinach (or leaf lettuce)
  • 3-4 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
  • 1 medium carrot (cut into matchsticks)
  • ½ of one cucumber (cut into half moons)
  • ½ of one red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles (or 1 cup, to taste)
  • ranch dressing (for topping)

Instructions

For the Chicken

  • Whisk together hot sauce and garlic powder.
  • Take ½ cup of hot sauce mixture and combine in a bowl with chicken. Toss to coat, then let marinate, covered, 30 minutes at room temperature or 2 to 3 hours in refrigerator. Reserve remaining marinade, dividing it evenly into 2 bowls.
  • Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Using tongs, remove chicken from marinade, letting as much marinade drop off as possible. Place chicken in skillet.
  • Cook chicken until crisp on one side, approximately 5 minutes. Flip and brush chicken with one bowl of reserved marinade.
  • Continue cooking chicken until no longer pink, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Remove chicken from skillet and place on cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes. After resting, internal temperature should read at least 165° Fahrenheit. Slice chicken into strips.

To Assemble the Salad

  • In serving bowls, arrange romaine, spinach, celery, carrots, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and blue cheese crumbles.
  • Top with chicken. Drizzle ranch dressing on top just before serving. Serve with remaining reserved hot sauce mixture.

Recipe Notes

  • Make it Paleo: Use a compliant ranch dressing, store-bought or homemade.
 
Recipe yields 4 salads. Nutritional values shown reflect information for one salad, not including ranch dressing. Macros may vary slightly based on specific brands or types of ingredients used.
 

 

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1saladCalories: 434calProtein: 57gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 2303mgPotassium: 1509mgTotal Carbs: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 10884IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 227mgIron: 3mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/salad-buffalo-chicken/