Salads are the perfect all-in-one healthy meal option, and this salad with buffalo chicken brings together the flavors of your favorite cheat day appetizer with fresh vegetables and a creamy buffalo salad dressing. Easy buffalo chicken salad only takes about 30 minutes to prepare, so it’s perfect for your busy schedule.
Grilled buffalo chicken salad is a little spicy, delightfully creamy and loaded with fresh vegetables for a healthy yet flavorful meal-sized salad. Grilled chicken gives the salad a slightly smoky flavor, and the buffalo salad dressing is so tasty that you’ll be making this salad all the time. Everything can be prepped in advance and combined when you’re ready to serve, so you can enjoy grilled buffalo chicken salad for dinner and take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
If you love buffalo chicken, try my Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese or my Buffalo Cauliflower Wings.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Salad with Buffalo Chicken
- It’s healthy. Enjoy the flavor of deep-fried buffalo wings on a healthy vegetable-packed grilled chicken salad.
- It’s perfect for making ahead. Grill the chicken, prepare the dressing and refrigerate until you are ready to build your salad.
- It’s loaded with flavor. From the spicy marinade for the grilled chicken to the buffalo salad dressing, this salad has flavor in every bite.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad Ingredients
For the marinade
- Hot Sauce: Frank’s Hot Sauce is the standard for buffalo-style chicken but substitute your favorite hot sauce as desired.
- Honey: use local, raw honey for a touch of sweetness. You can also use real maple syrup.
- Lemon Juice: always use freshly squeezed lemon juice when possible.
- Seasonings: combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, salt and black pepper powder. Or use your favorite seasoning for chicken.
- Chicken: we’re using boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you could also use boneless thighs.
For the dressing
- Mayonnaise: use regular or light mayo. Substitute plain greek yogurt to make it even lighter.
- Hot Sauce: add Frank’s Hot Sauce and increase or decrease the amount to control the heat level.
- Lemon Juice: use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Herbs: chopped fresh parsley and fresh dill give the dressing a bright flavor.
- Seasoning: combine salt, black pepper powder, garlic powder and onion powder to season the dressing.
For the salad
- Lettuce: use roughly chopped Romaine lettuce or your favorite lettuce blend.
- Carrot: julienned into thin, bite-sized pieces.
- Bell Pepper: thinly slice red bell pepper. Substitute another color of pepper as needed.
- Avocado: cut slices of a ripe avocado.
- Red Onion: thinly sliced red onion has a mild, sweet flavor that makes it perfect for serving raw.
- Celery: chopped celery adds a nice crunch and fresh flavor that balances the spice of the buffalo chicken.
- Blue Cheese: blue cheese and buffalo chicken go hand in hand but omit if desired.
- Lemon Slices: to garnish.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate the chicken; hot sauce, honey, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, salt, and pepper.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts and coat them well and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Grill the chicken. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill; add the chicken breasts and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with beautiful grill marks. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Prepare the buffalo salad dressing. In another small bowl, combine the ingredients for dressings; mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, parsley, dill, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and set it aside.
- Build the salad. Place the lettuce on a platter and top it with carrots, bell peppers, avocado, red onion, celery, blue cheese, and sliced buffalo chicken. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad, and toss.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish the salad with lemon slices and serve immediately.
Tips To Make Buffalo Salad
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Discard any leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw chicken.
- Use rotisserie chicken instead and just toss it with a bit of the marinade.
- Swap out the chicken and use shrimp instead.
- Customize the heat level by increasing or decreasing the amount of hot sauce.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can grill the chicken on a grill pan or use a skillet or griddle.
- Always cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F. Check for doneness using a meat thermometer.
- Pour all the salad dressing ingredients into a clean jar, seal and shake.
- Double the salad dressing, so you always have some on hand.
- Drizzle the prepared salad with a little extra buffalo sauce for a burst of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buffalo chicken is generally somewhat spicy. Frank’s Hot Sauce has a nice spice level that can easily be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount that you add to the dressing or the marinade. Frank’s also makes extra spicy versions if you like your buffalo chicken flaming hot!
Vegetables are the epitome of healthy. Grilled chicken is a great source of protein when enjoyed in moderation. The salad dressing will be the largest source of calories and fat in this salad, but again, moderation is the key. You can substitute plain greek yogurt for the mayonnaise in the dressing to lighten it up a bit.
Blue cheese and buffalo chicken were a match made in heaven. The tangy creaminess of the blue cheese balances the vinegary spiciness of the buffalo sauce. If you are not a fan of blue cheese, you can substitute feta cheese, your favorite cheese or omit it altogether.
The leftovers can be kept for 2-3 days when all components are stored separately. A prepared salad will become soggy in the fridge.
We do not recommend freezing the salad or the dressing. To freeze the chicken, place it into an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
This salad is a meal in itself but could be served with Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup or a sandwich made with Easy Sandwich Bread.
More Salad Recipes
- Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Shrimp Lettuce Salad
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ⅓ cup hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts boneless & skinless
For the dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
For the salad
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 medium avocado sliced
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- Lemon slices to garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate the chicken; hot sauce, honey, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and coat them well and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill; add the chicken breasts and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with beautiful grill marks. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- In another small bowl, combine the ingredients for dressings; mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, parsley, dill, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and set it aside.
- Place the lettuce on a platter and top it with carrots, bell peppers, avocado, red onion, celery, blue cheese, and sliced buffalo chicken. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad, and toss.
- Garnish the salad with lemon slices and serve immediately.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Discard any leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw chicken.
- Use rotisserie chicken instead and just toss it with a bit of the marinade.
- Swap out the chicken and use shrimp instead.
- Customize the heat level by increasing or decreasing the amount of hot sauce.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can grill the chicken on a grill pan or use a skillet or griddle.
- Always cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F. Check for doneness using a meat thermometer.
- Pour all the salad dressing ingredients into a clean jar, seal and shake.
- Double the salad dressing, so you always have some on hand.
- Drizzle the prepared salad with a little extra buffalo sauce for a burst of flavor.
Beautiful. Thank you Mima. 🧡
Thank you too Viola!