Buffalo Chicken Salad
With the arrival of summertime comes warmer temperatures.
I notice that it also brings a serious desire on my part to NOT cook much.
Instead, I crave fresh fruits and vegetables to the point of driving my meat-loving boys and husband a little batty.
Thankfully, they don’t mind the occasional salad for dinner…as long as there is meat involved.
A staple for us is Buffalo Chicken Salad.
This post contains affiliate links that may generate a commission for purchases made through them. There is no additional charge to you for using them.
Buffalo Chicken Salad
I will start off by saying that you can do this same approach with any ‘flavor’ of breaded chicken pieces.
Everyone in our family loves the spice taste of buffalo chicken, though, so this is a favorite for the summer.
However, I’ve also made it with panko chicken from Costco and just cut up the chicken to bite-sized pieces for the salads.
Toss the plain chicken with some Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and you’ve come close to the premade buffalo seasoned chicken.
As for the ‘base’, I prefer a mixture of greens rather than just lettuce.
This could be a mix you purchase (e.g. a Spring Mix) or your own blending of greens (I mixed Romaine lettuce and Spinach in the salad we made.)
Toppings are up to you (and what’s in the house when you make it!)
However, I find that the cool of cucumber and the slight sweetness of tomatoes make those ‘must have’ items for this particular salad.
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 cups of mixed greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.)
- 1/4 cup + diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup+ chopped cucumber
- 1/4 cup+ sliced carrots
- 1/4 cup+ diced peppers
- 1/4 cup+ diced snap peas (optional)
- 6 to 8 pieces of Buffalo Chicken Bites
- 1 Tbsp. shredded cheese
- Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cook the Buffalo Chicken Bites per packaging instructions. While they cook, prep all of the raw vegetables.
- Place the mixed greens onto your plate. Top with the other vegetables followed by the chicken pieces and cheese. Drizzle desired amount of Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing on top.
- Enjoy (I love a slice of warm, crusty bread with mine!)
Notes
I wrote this out for ONE serving as we tend to individually plate each family member's dinner. Children would eat less than adults, so adjust the amounts of each ingredient for your family member.
What’s your favorite way to make salad into a meal?
Simple Meal Planning Spreadsheet
Simplify your meal planning with our basic spreadsheet.
Links to several recipes are included!
This recipe is being submitted to the following link ups:
I don’t mind a nice big salad every now and again! The Summer days get so hot that cooking just doesn’t seem appealing-that’s when a nice fresh and hearty salad will do 🙂
I am a fan of the buffalo taste too! I would love to try this salad.
This looks delicious! I love to make salads for dinner, but my husband prefers something more substantial, so I don’t do it often
My husband loves anything with buffalo chicken in it. This would be a great salad to pack for his lunch:)
Wow, that’s a serious salad. Looks super delicious!!!
This is making me really hungry for a nice big salad. I will have to substitute the chicken as I don’t do Buffalo chicken and spicy, but this looks so yummy.
I love big salads in the summertime. One of my favorite salads to eat out is the Wildfire salad at Bob Evans. Instead of buffalo chicken, they have a BBQ sauce on the chicken and the salad dressing they offer has the ‘kick’ in it. I need to try making that one at home and share if it comes out close.
We love salads in the summer as well. I made a new one tonight with the fresh strawberries we picked this morning.
I adore spinach salad with strawberries. That hint of sweetness is fantastic.
This looks really good. I don’t like spicy but I bet I could use a different chicken.
That’s exactly what I used to do for the younger boys, Stacie. Now they like spicy, so we all have the same.