Tangy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Salad With A Kick
This Tangy Buffalo Chicken Salad is a mix of heat, crunch, and creamy ranch dressing. Baked or air fired chicken tenders are brushed in a zesty homemade Buffalo glaze then tossed with crisp greens, tangy pickles, and crumbles of bold blue cheese.
It’s tied together with a drizzle of cool ranch dressing providing a smooth, herby finish to the spicy chicken. Spicy, tangy, and completely irresistible, this is the perfect salad for Buffalo lovers
Which Chicken Should I Choose
I always get asked what kind of frozen chicken do I like to use for recipes. I have two brands I adore, neither of which am I sponsored by, although some free chicken would be nice as a thank you.
The first is the Bell and Evans brand chicken. I love all of their products.
I get them at Whole Foods. They are not cheap (or would it be cheep), but it is some quality chicken. Their chicken comes cooked or uncooked.
I always buy the uncooked, since they are juicer. They will take longer to cook, however, but I also like that they have gluten free options.
The second brand I like is the Aldi red bag chicken. These are not tenders but breast fillets. These are also great for this salad.
I just cut them up into bite sized pieces after they are done cooking. You can find this chicken in their frozen food section.
I also like to use these to make chicken sandwiches on busy nights.
Aloha To The Best Dressing
I love making my Aloha Dressing. The recipe is so good for this salad.
It is sort of a sweeter version of a ranch dressing. This dressing is creamy and is so good with the other components of this salad.
You can also use any ranch that you prefer. I personally like to make the powdered ranch packet dressing.
Some other dressings that would be good for this salad is the Blue Cheese Dressing that is listed in my Chopped Blue Cheese Salad recipe as well as my Jewel Copycat French Quarter Dressing. Any of these dressings will be awesome on this salad.
Separation Of Sauces
When you make the stovetop sauce, you want to make sure to separate it into two bowls. I like to keep one for basting the baking chicken and one to top the salad with.
You don’t want to cross contaminate. I sometimes double this sauce because I like to use it as a condiment on other foods.
You will love the spicy sweetness of this sauce!
Tangy Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
Tangy Buffalo Chicken Salad is a easy to make and even easier to love. Crispy chicken tenders with spicy sauce, tangy blue cheese, and cool ranch lettuce creates the perfect mix.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 frozen, crispy breaded chicken tenders
- 4 to 6 cups of chopped, crisp romaine lettuce
- 2 to 3 stems of celery
- 1 medium sized purple onion
- 1/2 cup of hot sauce (Louisiana or Frank's Red Hot)
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 cup of My Aloha Dressing *linked in post, or your favorite Ranch dressing
- 1 cup of dill pickles diced + a few slices for garnish
- 1 cup of crumbled blue cheese *or small cheddar chunks if you do not like blue cheese
Instructions
- Air fry or bake your chicken tenders according to the package directions. *chicken tender recommendations are in a paragraph in the post.
- While the chicken bakes, in a small sauce pan add your hot sauce, honey, Worcestershire, dried parsley, pepper, and brown sugar. Bring to a very slow simmer and simmer while stirring for about 5 to 7 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Set aside.
- Finely mince your celery and red onion and toss together in a bowl and let sit.
- Finely mince your pickles and add them to the celery and onions. Let this sit.
- When your chicken is nearly done cooking, brush the tenders on all sides with the hot sauce mixture you made on the stove and let it bake on for a few more minutes. You may want to repeat this once or twice. If you are using chicken tenders that are not fully cooked, pour a little of the hot sauce in a separate bowl for basting. You will want to use the remaining for the salad dressing and do not want cross contamination.
- When the chicken is done baking, chop into bite sized pieces.
- Toss the lettuce with the pickle/celery/onion mixture. Add the cooked chicken, drizzle with some of the hot sauce mix and the ranch or Aloha dressing. Top with blue cheese and sliced pickles.
*you can also add crunchy tortilla strips to this or fired onions.