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This Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe is packed full of spicy baked chicken, then cooled off by smooth avocado, crisp lettuce and creamy dressing.
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This Buffalo Chicken Salad is one of my favorite dishes to make at home for lunch. It tastes just like those fancy salads you get at a restaurant, but for a fraction of the cost, and it’s super simple to make. I can’t think of how many times I forget to eat lunch on a busy day or when I nibble at my kids’ leftover sandwich crusts instead of enjoying an actual lunch. This salad is so easy to throw together, especially if you bake the chicken ahead of time!
The Best Chicken for Buffalo Salad
For this salad you can always go for more of a traditional buffalo chicken and use fried chicken tenders. I do love a good crispy chicken salad. Howver I want to keep it a little lighter, I love to bake and slice up a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts and keep in the fridge for salads, wraps, sandwiches and other meals. To simplify this recipe even more, I sometimes buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco and use the delicious meat for up to a week. The chicken tastes delicious soaked in the marinade of your favorite chicken wing sauce. My favorite is Frank’s Buffalo Chicken sauce. Toss in a little bit of that to your shredded chicken and YUM!
Make the Perfect Buffalo Chicken Salad
Once you have your boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and seasoned it’s time to assemble the salad. Start with a bed of green romaine lettuce, then layer on some sliced hard boiled eggs, fresh avocado, corn, cucumbers, and some sharp cheddar cheese or blue cheese crumbles. Toss it together with some sunflower seeds, and top with your favorite dressing. My family loves to use our homemade ranch dressing or homemade blue cheese dressing recipes. Add a little salt and black pepper to taste and you’ve got a delicious lunch or light supper that everyone will absolutely love!
Tips for a Healthier Salad
- Bake or grill the chicken! Baking rather than frying will give you yummy flavor with much less fat. Baking helps keep the juices of the chicken together and helps retain all that yummy moisture needed for tender chicken. Just cover some chicken breasts with my favorite Frank’s Buffalo Sauce and bake for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the breast is 165 degrees and you’re done!
- Really pile this salad high with veggies. I love slicing creamy avocado over the top and adding a handful of corn kernels for a sweet crunch. You could also add shredded carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, baby spinach, red bell peppers, red onions, celery, or just about any vegetable you have on hand in your fridge.
- Add hard boiled eggs. Slice a hard boiled egg over the top of this Buffalo Chicken Salad for extra protein and flavor.
- Opt for low fat cheese. I like to add a handful of low fat shredded cheddar or some blue cheese crumbles. You could leave out the cheese altogether if you really want to keep this on the lighter side.
- Finally, try a low calorie dressing. There are tons of delicious options out there. I like a low calorie buttermilk ranch or blue cheese dressing for this salad. You can even substitute plain Greek yogurt or sour cream mixed with a little dill or onion powder and garlic powder for flavor.
- Add a drizzle of honey or a splash of lemon juice to the salad to balance the spiciness of the chicken.
More Uses for Spicy Baked Chicken
You can bake a huge batch of this buffalo chicken and freeze it to use later. I usually double or triple the amount of chicken I bake, then store it in Ziploc bags in the freezer. It’s so delicious on top of pizza, salad, tacos, nachos, or just plain with a baked potato and green salad. This healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe is also delicious in lettuce wraps or served on crackers.
How to Store Leftovers
According to the Food and Drug Administration, it’s perfectly safe to keep cooked chicken in airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days. So I bake a few breasts early in the week to eat on anytime during the next three or four days. It really saves time, especially during a busy week when my kids are going all different places at once.
The baked chicken breasts will store nicely in the freezer for up to two months. To reheat, just microwave or allow them to thaw in the refrigerator before heating.
Frequently Asked Questions
The level of spiciness depends on what type of hot sauce you use, as well as the amount. But yes, it definitely has a kick to it.
This exact Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe should feed 3-4 people, depending on serving sizes. It’s an easy recipe to double or triple to feed more.
The trick is to add low-moisture ingredients whenever possible. Boneless, skinless chicken is a good option. Soak up excess moisture by toasting your veggies before you add them. Only add a little dressing at a time so it doesn’t get too soggy.
Read more: 35+ Easy Lunch Ideas
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Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 bottle Frank's Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce
- 8 cups romaine lettuce (about two romaine hearts)
- 3 hard boiled eggs peeled and sliced
- 2 avocados peeled, pitted and sliced
- ½ cup grilled corn kernels optional
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup ranch or blue cheese dressing or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Cover chicken in buffalo chicken sauce and place on a greased pan.
- Bake about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Cut chicken into slices and place in a large bowl. Stir in more Buffalo Chicken sauce until chicken is well coated.
- Shred lettuce and place in a shallow bowl or plate.
- Add chicken, egg, avocado, corn, cheese, sunflower seeds.
- Drizzle with Ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
- Shredded carrots
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Red bell peppers
- Red onions
- Croutons
- Green onions or chives
Is this just for one?
Umm it better be for atleast 3 people…1 pound of Chicken & 3 eggs! 😉
Lets say 3 to 4 people. 🙂
I absolutely love buffalo chicken salad even though I know that the way it is generally prepared is completely unhealthy. This recipe however present a more healthy option. While I have opted to use grilled rather then friend chicken in the past I had never considered baking the chicken. I work with Better Recipes so I am constantly looking for great recipes, but personally I seek out Chicken Salad Recipes most commonly because I am not a huge fan of red meat. I can't wait to try baked buffalo chicken.
I love your blog and have several recipes that I can't wait to try1 Yummy! 🙂
This sounds so flavorful…love it!
This salad sounds so great!!! I love salads..and spicy chicken. 🙂 Great combination!
~ Carrie ~
Oh wow, this salad looks so good!
I love buffalo chicken salads and this one looks fantastic – not only that but your picture is amazing1