This homemade chopped buffalo chicken salad recipe is made with crisp, fresh vegetables, bite-size pieces of buffalo chicken, creamy avocado, tangy blue cheese, and a homemade ranch dressing. You can get all the flavors of this favorite restaurant salad right at home!
Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
If you have been following along on my Instagram page, you know I have been sharing one brand new homemade salad per week for 2024 because I really love a good salad, but tend to order them from restaurants instead of making them at home.
So far, I have shared my version of the viral Jennifer Aniston Salad, a super popular Chopped Grinder Salad, and a Copycat Panera Bread Green Goddess Cobb Salad. I also updated my Healthy Chicken Salad Post – a healthy spin on the Waldorf Salad!
This week, with the big game day coming up and, well Valentine’s Day, I decided to share a Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad, one of my husband’s favorite take out orders. I was so excited that he loved my homemade version just as much!
Why You Will Love This Salad
Not only do you get all the classic buffalo wing flavors in salad form, but this restaurant style salad is packed with 32 grams of protein and fiber filled veggies!
And everything gets chopped up small – I LOVE using my chopper and it’s the perfect big salad to eat with a spoon or your favorite crackers for a crazy filling lunch. Also, it’s a great recipe for meal prep as the veggies and the chicken all hold up well throughout the week.
Ingredients
For exact amounts, be sure to check out the recipe card below.
For the Buffalo Chicken Bites
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins – cut into bite sized pieces
- Salt and Garlic powder
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Buffalo Wing Sauce or Hot Sauce
- Butter
For the Salad
- Chopped romaine – love the crunch of crisp romaine lettuce in a chopped salad
- Chopped carrots and celery – the classic pairing of raw veggies with chicken wings is one of my favorites – and you totally get that vibe with this salad
- Diced cucumbers and diced cherry or grape tomatoes – getting all the veggies in!
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Diced avocado
For the Dressing
- Lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt
- Fresh lemon juice
- Dried chives and dried dill
- Garlic powder and onion powder
- Salt and black pepper
Substitutions and Variations
- As a shortcut, you can also use pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken breasts. This salad would be delicious with leftover air fryer chicken thighs or Instant Pot shredded chicken, too. Or, use my leftover Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip as the main protein of the salad! Yum!
- For dairy free ranch, you can use dairy free yogurt or sour cream. Primal kitchen ranch dressing is also a great prepared dairy free option.
- For spicy ranch, mix in some buffalo wing sauce or hot sauce.
- You can sub blue cheese dressing for the ranch if you prefer!
- For extra flavor, you can use fresh dill and fresh chives or add chopped green onions, red onion, or fresh cilantro. Or add some crispy bacon on top!
- If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese, you can swap in your favorite cheese. I love cubed cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, but creamy feta cheese would also be delicious.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
This salad recipe is quick and easy!
- Prepare the chicken: Season diced chicken tenderloins with salt and garlic powder. Spray skillet with cooking oil spray. Then add chicken, cooking over medium heat until golden and cooked through. Add in butter and buffalo sauce and stir to coat. Remove from heat.
2. Make the dressing: Mix lemon juice, seasonings and salt with Greek yogurt. Stir well, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.
3. Assemble salads: Add lettuce, veggies, buffalo chicken, cheese and avocado to your bowl.
4. Drizzle with Ranch: Add dressing right before serving. For more of a Buffalo kick, also drizzle with hot sauce.
Meal Prep
This has become one of our favorite weekday lunches. I love to chop all the veggies and store the lettuce, carrots, and celery, and cucumbers together. I keep the tomatoes, chicken, and cheese/avocado, as well as the dressing in separate containers, mixing everything up right before serving. Everything should be stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
My favorite salad storage containers are simple mason jars or these glass meal prep containers. It’s also handy to have small condiment cups for dressing, cheese, and other toppings.
More Healthy Buffalo Recipes
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Buffalo Chicken Soup | The Clean Eating Couple
Chopped Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Chicken Bites
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenderloins cut into bite sized pieces
- salt
- garlic powder
- olive oil cooking spray
- 2-3 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce or hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons butter, vegan butter, or ghee
For the Greek Yogurt Ranch
- ½ cup lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt
- juice from ½ lemon
- 1 tsp dried chives
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Salad
- 6 cups romaine chopped
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup cucumbers diced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup blue cheese
- ⅓ cup diced avocado
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Season diced chicken tenderloins with salt and garlic powder. Spray skillet with cooking oil spray. Then add chicken, cooking over medium heat until golden and cooked through. Add in butter and buffalo sauce and stir to coat. Remove from heat.
- Make the dressing. Mix lemon juice, seasonings and salt with Greek yogurt. Stir well, adding water or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.
- Assemble salads. Add lettuce, veggies, buffalo chicken, cheese and avocado to your bowl.
- Drizzle with Ranch. Add dressing right before serving. For more of a Buffalo kick, drizzle also with hot sauce.
Notes
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- As a shortcut, you can also use pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken breasts. This salad would be delicious with leftover air fryer chicken thighs or Instant Pot shredded chicken, too. Or, use my leftover Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip as the main protein of the salad!
-
- For a dairy free ranch, you can use dairy free yogurt or sour cream. Primal kitchen ranch dressing is also a great prepared dairy free option.
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- If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese, you can swap in your favorite cheese. I love cubed cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, but creamy feta cheese would also be delicious.
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