Like the original wings, this Buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing is finger-lickin’ good, minus the mess. You can toss any veggies into this salad because – let’s face it – everything goes with buffalo chicken.
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If you love buffalo wings, you will love this salad. Here is what’s so good about it:
- The buffalo chicken, of course. I use chicken thighs or breast meat diced and marinated in delicious spiced sauce, then pan-fried and finished in buttery hot sauce. It’s juicy, tender and so flavourful
- The dressing! Oh my, the blue cheese dressing is to die for and it’s the perfect drizzle for the spiced chicken and the salad.
- It’s healthy. While the buffalo wings can often be greasy and deep-fried, this salad version is much cleaner and more nutritious. You’ll be getting protein, fibre, and healthy fats in one meal while enjoying the flavours of buffalo chicken.
- Finally, it’s quick and easy to make so you can enjoy it as a weeknight dinner or meal prep it for lunches.
- This salad first appeared in my Salad A Day cookbook.
👩🍳 If you like this, make sure to check out my other chicken salads such as Asian Chicken Salad With Ginger Garlic Dressing, Apricot Chicken Salad With Curry Mayo, or Chicken Cobb Salad With Chipotle Ranch & Grilled Pineapple.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for buffalo chicken salad. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Chicken – I use chicken thighs, skin off, no bone. You can also use chicken breast but I prefer thigh meat as it’s tastier and harder to overcook.
- For the marinade – garlic and onion powder, paprika, turmeric, salt, hot sauce, egg and flour (tapioca or cassava or gluten-free)
- For buffalo sauce – hot sauce (such as Franks, Sriracha, Cholula), butter and salt.
- For the salad – Cos or Gem lettuce or any other lettuce you prefer, green onions, cucumber, radish and celery (classic with buffalo chicken wings).
- For blue cheese dressing – mild blue cheese, crème fraiche or sour cream (or Greek yoghurt), mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Red onion – I love using pickled red onions here rather than raw onions; they are tangy and sweet and turn lovely pink colour; I use a quick method, using salt, sugar and white wine vinegar, and you only need to pickled them 15 minutes in advance. PS. I make a larger batch in this recipe than you need in the salad as it’s handy to have extra pickled onions in the fridge for other uses.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos.
- Prepare the dressing first, especially if the ingredients are straight out of the fridge. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, using a fork to mash the blue cheese and to whisk it through the dressing.
- Cut the chicken thighs into uniform pieces, a little bigger than bite-size. Place the pieces in a bowl and cover with the spices and salt. Using your hands, combine well to coat evenly. Add the egg and mix through, then add the tapioca flour and combine until well coated.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large frying pan until hot. Add the chicken pieces and spread evenly in the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the meat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Once cooked, remove to a plate.
- Add the butter, hot sauce and sea salt to the same frying pan and melt together. Once it bubbles, add the chicken back and toss through until evenly coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad ingredients. Arrange in two bowls and top with the chicken and a few tablespoons of the dressing. You can toss the dressing through the salad and then top with the chicken pieces.
Recipe Tips
- You can also grill, bake and air fry the chicken pieces. Make the buffalo butter sauce in a skillet and then toss through the chicken.
- Consider adding toppings like sliced avocado, chopped tomatoes, or red onion rings for extra freshness and colour.
- Include crunchy nuts like walnuts or pecans to add texture to your salad.
- Making ahead tips: You can marinate the chicken and make the blue cheese dressing ahead of time. Most of the vegetables can be diced ahead and stored in air-tight containers.
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Buffalo Chicken Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
Servings: 2 servings
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Calories: 550kcal
Spice up your salad game with this Buffalo Chicken Salad topped with creamy Blue Cheese Dressing! Perfect for any meal, this dish pairs tangy Buffalo chicken with crispy salad and a rich dressing for a flavourful and satisfying experience.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 3 chicken thighs skin off, boneless
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2/3 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp hot sauce see notes
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp tapioca flour/starch or gluten-free flour
- Olive oil or ghee for cooking
For the hot sauce
- 20 g / 0.7 oz. butter or 2 tbsp ghee
- 4 tbsp hot sauce
- Pinch of sea salt
For the salad dressing
- 20 g / 0.7 oz. mild blue cheese crumbled (about 2 tbsp)
- 2 heaped tbsp of crème fraiche or sour cream /Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
For the salad
- 6 Romain lettuce leaves shredded, Gem or Cos lettuce
- 6-8 large radishes sliced
- 1 small cucumber sliced
- 1/3 cup diced spring onions scallions
- 2 large sticks of celery sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing first, especially if the ingredients are straight out of the fridge. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, using a fork to mash the blue cheese and to whisk it through the dressing.
- Cut the chicken thighs into uniform pieces, a little bigger than bite-size. Place the pieces in a bowl and cover with the spices and salt. Using your hands, combine well to coat evenly. Add the egg and mix through, then add the tapioca flour and combine until well coated.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large frying pan until hot. Add the chicken pieces and spread evenly in the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the meat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Once cooked, remove to a plate.
- Add the butter, hot sauce and sea salt to the same frying pan and melt together. Once it bubbles, add the chicken back and toss through until evenly coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad ingredients. Arrange in two bowls and top with the chicken and a few tablespoons of the dressing. You can toss the dressing through the salad and then top it with the chicken pieces.
Notes
- You can use any good quality hot sauce of medium heat such as Sriracha, Cholula or Frank’s.
- Arrowroot, cassava, rice or potato starch, as well as buckwheat flour can be used instead of tapioca flour. Gluten-free and regular flour is also fine if that suits your diet needs.
- For a dairy-free dressing, use coconut cream instead of crème fresh, with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and a couple of chopped anchovies instead of blue cheese.
- For the kids, pan-fry the chicken and add less hot sauce or set aside some chicken without the hot sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 269mg | Sodium: 2082mg | Potassium: 1184mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8776IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 4mg
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I remember the first time I made this recipe from the book – it’s delicious 😋
Thanks, Sheila. It’s one of the favourites from that book. The time has come for me to share those recipes on the blog now. Nobody is buying eBooks, such a waste for those salads to not see the light of day.
This is the best salad ever! Talk about a great way to get in some veggies. I love the dressing with the spicy Buffalo chicken and the veggies. Fantastic.
looks so good and so perfect that I had to make it. This will be my lunch from on. The flavors were perfect.
I am saving this to my favorites! Buffalo and blue cheese together are on my top 5.
One of my absolute favorite salads! This is so flavorful and easy to make, it was a total hit, thank you!
I have tried this recipe and this is very easy to make, so delicious as well! thanks for sharing
The whole family loved this healthier twist on buffalo chicken!
This Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing is a fantastic summer meal! It’s easy to make and packed with flavor. The combination of spicy chicken and tangy blue cheese dressing is just perfect. Thanks for this delicious recipe, we loved it!
Congratulations! You just got me to finally eat a salad. I hate anything green, but I can’t wait to make this.
Amazing chicken salad!! Love the contrast between the spicy chicken, cool tangy dressing, and fresh salad.
This salad had just the right amount of spice balanced with the cool blue cheese! Delish!