Buffalo Chicken Salad

5 from 1 vote
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Buffalo Chicken Salad – a crispy romaine salad topped with lots of buffalo chicken, carrots, celery, cheese, avocado and topped with a spicy ranch dressing!

I love a good salad. Some people think that is strange, but a salad with a good dressing and lots of toppings/mix-ins and I am one happy girl. This one is built around my crispy buffalo chicken, which is also one of my favorite things!

This Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap is another must if you are a buffalo chicken fan as well. The spicy with the crispy lettuce and cool ranch is just a great combo.

looking down on bowl of buffalo chicken salad

 

The thing about making a salad is you can make it a million different ways to customize to your own taste. Like for this one, I used cheddar cheese because it is what I prefer. My husband would rather have bleu cheese, so when he makes his, that is what he uses. So you pick what you like and use it!

If you love buffalo chicken you will love these Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches!

What’s In Buffalo Chicken Salad

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Avocado
  • Cheese
  • Chicken
  • Buffalo Sauce
  • Ranch Dressing
close up crispy buffalo chicken on a salad

Other Topping Ideas

  • Corn Kernels
  • Bell Peppers
  • Green Onions
  • Red Onions
  • Bleu Cheese
  • Croutons

Spicy Ranch Dressing

To make the dressing for this salad I simply mixed ranch dressing with a little buffalo sauce to give it some kick. Just enough to make it spicy and give it great flavor.

You can use Homemade Ranch Dressing or your favorite store bought dressing for this, either works great.

pouring spicy ranch over buffalo chicken salad

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Salad

  1. The first step here is to cook the chicken, and you really can do this multiple different ways, depending on your preference. You can see for the pictures that I used crispy chicken. That is because buffalo chicken is traditional fried, so I used store bought chicken tenders, baked them according to the package directions and topped them in sauce. But you could also use a rotisserie chicken, or grill/bake a piece of chicken or even use your Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe and just toss with buffalo sauce after it is cooked.
  2. While the chicken is cooking you can load up your salad. Fill a large bowl with chopped romaine lettuce and then arrange your toppings.
  3. Make the spicy ranch dressing by whisking together ranch dressing with buffalo sauce until it is well combined.
  4. Once the chicken is cooked and tossed with the buffalo sauce, add it to your salad.
  5. Serve with the dressing and enjoy!
tossed buffalo chicken salad in a white bowl

Recipe Tips

  • If you want to make this a little healthier for you, use grilled chicken. Just cooked it and then toss with buffalo sauce. It works great with the pre-cooked chicken you can buy at the store as well. I like to heat it up a little, toss with the sauce and add to the salad.
  • If you are using grilled chicken, add a few croutons to the salad to give it some crunch! Homemade Croutons make for the best salads.
  • Do not add the dressing until you are ready to serve. The salad will get soggy and not be as good.
  • If you like bleu cheese, use it instead of cheddar. Or use bleu cheese dressing instead of the spicy ranch. The best thing about making a salad like this is you can pick and choose what you like and use it.

What Kind Of Hot Sauce Should I Use

I am partial to Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce. It has been around forever, and just what I always use. I know there are other brands available now, but this is still what I grab every time I am at the store. They do have a heat range available in this brand now as well. So if you like thing really spicy, you can go for it. I always use the original.

If you are looking for ways to use up the leftover buffalo sauce in your fridge try this Buffalo Chicken Burger, Buffalo Chicken Sliders, and even this Buffalo Chicken Pasta – so many great ways to get that delicious flavor!

looking down close up of crispy buffalo chicken salad in a white bowl

More Tasty Salad Recipes

close up crispy buffalo chicken salad
5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Chicken Salad

By Erin
Buffalo Chicken Salad – a crispy romaine salad topped with lots of buffalo chicken, carrots, celery, cheese, avocado and topped with a spicy ranch dressing!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, or bleu cheese crumbles
  • 1 pound chicken tenders
  • 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon buffalo wing sauce
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing

Instructions 

  • Cook chicken according to package directions or if using chicken breasts, grill until it is cooked through. Let rest for a few minutes, and cut into bite sized pieces. Toss with 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce.
  • Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking together ranch dressing with 1 Tablespoon of buffalo wing sauce until well combined. Taste and add more sauce if desired.
  • In a large bowl or platter arrange chopped lettuce, carrots, celery, avocado, and cheese. Plus add whatever other toppings you desire.
  • Once the chicken is cooked add it to the salad.
  • Serve with the dressing drizzled on top or on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1413mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Erin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 645
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About Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and Iโ€™m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, youโ€™ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.

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7 Comments

  1. It doesn’t get better than this! I love interesting salads full of flavor like this. I’m so over iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots. LOL