Buffalo Chicken Salad
with blue cheese dressing
This is a Cook Smarts take on a game day favorite. We've taken all the things we love about spicy Buffalo chicken wings and turned them into a hearty but fresh salad.
Smarts: Feel free to add as little or as much hot sauce as you like (you can even drizzle some on the salad at the end) - it's great either way.
Ingredients
- Ketchup - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Hot sauce - 1 1/2 Tbsp (more or less to taste)
- Honey - 1 Tbsp
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
- Carrots - 8 oz, thinly sliced
- Celery - 2 ribs, thinly sliced
- Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb, cubed
- Cornstarch - 1 Tbsp
- Lettuce, romaine - 8 oz, chopped
- Cucumbers - 8 oz, chopped
- Blue cheese - 3 oz, crumbled
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Blue cheese - 1 oz
- Chives - 1 tsp, chopped
- Mayonnaise - 3 Tbsp
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/4 cup
- Vinegar, white wine - 2 tsp
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make dressing - Warm blue cheese (portion for dressing) in the microwave until soft / melted, ~15 seconds. Chop chives. Whisk together blue cheese, chives, mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, and lemon juice (portion for dressing). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make buffalo sauce - Whisk together ketchup, hot sauce, honey, lemon juice (portion for buffalo chicken), and garlic powder. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Carrots / Celery - Prep as directed and combine. If prepping ahead, cover with cool water and store in the refrigerator to help them retain their crunch. Drain well before using. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Chicken - Cube chicken. Tenderize with a fork. Toss with cornstarch and some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Lettuce / Cucumbers / Blue cheese (portion for salad) - Prep as directed.
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Make
- Give dressing a stir. If it is too thick to easily pour, stir in water a small amount at a time.
- Heat a skillet or wok with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken on one side without moving until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken and pour buffalo sauce over top, stirring to combine. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and is completely coated in sauce, 3 to 4 minutes more. Taste chicken and add more hot sauce if you’d like.
- Assemble salads by forming a bed of lettuce with cucumbers, carrots, and celery. Top with warm chicken and blue cheese crumbles. Finish with dressing. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
18 reviews
This recipe was a dream, pleasing the grown-ups and our adventurous 8-year-old. We loved having a salad with bold flavors! We used the air fryer and made chicken and tempeh in two batches.
0 HelpfulDidn’t turn this into a salad, just dipped tempeh into store bought (Toby’s) blue cheese dressing like vegetarian wings. Added CS grilled za’atar veggies and celery pear salad on the side.
0 HelpfulLoved this! I subbed bbq sauce for ketchup and no fresh chives in Montana this time of year. Would make again and again!
0 HelpfulLoved the chicken and the dressing! I halved the hot sauce because I don’t like a lot of spice, but I would do the full amount next time.
0 HelpfulThis was good! I enjoyed the chicken and the dressing although my family preferred to use ranch dressing. My 6 year old daughter didn’t like that we were having salad for dinner but she survived.
0 Helpful