Buffalo Chicken Salad

My Buffalo Chicken Salad combines plenty of protein with fresh and healthy veggies for a quick and nutritious meal. 

I love salads, especially when you can make a complete meal out of them, and when they are just so darn easy to throw together. Like my Caesar Pasta Salad, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, and Chicken Macaroni Salad.

This recipe easily ranks at the top of my salad list because you can also prep this versatile Buffalo Chicken Salad ahead of time. Simply dice up the chicken, veggies and combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Or one of my favorite hacks is using a food processor or blender to shred the chicken and dice the veggies to speed things up even more! Pulse the onion, celery and carrots together, then add the chicken and pulse the rotisserie chicken in the food processor and you will have shredded chicken in seconds. Toss the chicken into the bowl with the veggies, and the rest of the salad ingredients and then pop it in the refrigerator to let it absorb the delicious flavors.  

Note: I personally like how the chicken salad visually looks when the chicken is diced, compared to the using the food processor to blitz everything together. Sometimes using the food processor makes the chicken too small and the salad looses texture. But, they taste the same either way you choose!

When you are ready to serve the Buffalo Chicken Salad you will have fun with choosing from so many serving options. Salads, sandwiches, wraps, toast, or even serve it as a dip with some hearty crackers.

I really like the crispness of romaine lettuce too so you can also serve the buffalo chicken salad onto whole romaine leaves for a light lunch. Don’t forget to drizzle with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, more buffalo sauce, diced avocados and crumbled blue cheese on top.

For a more casual presentation, serve on a croissant, a tortilla wrap, or a lettuce wrap.  Be as creative as you like with this easy-to-make Buffalo Chicken Salad and don’t forget to add extra hot sauce!

Why this recipe works

• Perfect for meal prep!
• Only takes 10 minutes to make.
• This is a great weeknight or busy weekend dinner or lunch.
• Easily double the recipe and serve this up a couple of times during the week.
• Use a rotisserie chicken, or previously cooked chicken to save prep time.
• Full of all the classic buffalo flavors!

Ingredient Notes

For the ingredient measurements and entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.

• Rotisserie chicken: I love the convenience of using a rotisserie chicken. But, feel free to use any leftover chicken breasts or shredded chicken you have on hand.
• Red onion: The spiciness of the fresh red onion adds a subtle kick. You can also use green onions if you don’t prefer red onions.
• Celery & carrots: The crunchy texture of the celery, carrot and onion adds to the freshness of this salad.
• Mayo: The creamy and slightly tangy flavor of mayonnaise is a great foundation for the buffalo sauce. If you are looking for a healthier options, greek yogurt is an excellent substitute for the mayonnaise.( 1:1 ratio)
• Buffalo sauce: I love Frank’s Buffalo Sauce but feel free to use your favorite. I also love Primal Kitchen!
• Dried dill: The subtle sweet, citrus-like taste of dill is delicious when mixed with Buffalo sauce. You can use fresh dill if you have some!
• Dried parsley:  Parsley brings all the flavors together. You can use fresh parsley if you have some!
• Blue cheese dressing/crumbles for serving (or ranch)
• Serve on romaine salad/leaves, crackers, in a spinach wrap, sandwich bread, toast.

Step by Step Directions

For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.

1. Dice the chicken.
2. Dice the veggies.
3. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Chill until ready to enjoy.
5. Serve on a sandwich, on a salad, in a wrap, etc. Garnish with more buffalo sauce, bleu cheese crumbles, ranch or bleu cheese dressing, black pepper, etc.

Expert Tips and Variations

• Pulse the veggies food processor to speed up chopping time
• Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to shred leftover chicken breasts in seconds!
• Feel free to use fresh dill and fresh parsley instead of dried herbs.
• This buffalo chicken salad develops its flavors more after it sits for a few hours or even overnight, making this a great meal prep salad option!
• Use green onions instead of finely diced red onions.
• Use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
• Double the recipe! You’re going to want leftovers!

FAQ