Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Salads are the perfect all-in-one healthy meal option, and this salad with buffalo chicken brings together the flavors! Easy buffalo chicken salad only takes about 30 minutes to prepare, so it’s perfect for your busy schedule.
Servings: 4 servings
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 1851mg | Potassium: 1291mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8281IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 2mg