Buffalo Chicken Salad

This Buffalo Chicken Salad is loaded with spicy buffalo chicken, crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, and ranch dressing for an easy lunch or dinner that is super filling and full of flavor.

Key Ingredients In Buffalo Chicken Salad

• Chicken – I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts diced and cooked in a skillet, but rotisserie chicken, chopped chicken tenders, or even lightly breaded frozen chicken chunks also work great. This is also a perfect recipe for using our bulk seasoned diced chicken freezer meal prep recipe.
• Buffalo sauce – I almost always have Frank’s Hot Sauce on hand, so I usually just melt it with a little butter to make a quick buffalo sauce. You can also use Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce if you want something ready to go. I’ve used Buffalo Wild Wings sauce before too and it’s delicious. Honestly, most buffalo sauces taste pretty similar to me, so this is one of those recipes where you can just use whatever brand you already love.
• Lettuce -Chopped Romaine lettuce is the best to use for this salad because it’s nice and crisp and holds up well against the heavy toppings. Spinach or lighter greens can get weighed down too much once the toppings are added. You can add some Spring mix or spinach to the Romaine if you want extra greens or even do half and half, just keep some Romaine in there to help keep the structure.
• Vegetables – I usually add roasted corn, avocado, tomatoes, and green onion as my veggie toppings but I have also added shredded carrots, sliced red onion, and chopped red bell peppers and they are all delicious additions too. Feel free to mix and match and add your favorites!
• Hard boiled eggs – I love adding some hard boiled eggs to my salads because it’s an easy way to get some extra protein. I always use our Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs recipe because it’s so easy and you can just set the Instant Pot and it does all the work and you get the best hard boiled eggs in just 15 minutes.
• Blue cheese – Blue cheese is my favorite topping for buffalo chicken salad because it has that tangy flavor that goes so well with buffalo sauce. I love it but it’s a bit too strong for my kids. When I make these for my family, I will usually use shredded cheddar cheese on the kids’ salads instead.
• Salad dressing – I love to use our homemade ranch dressing or homemade blue cheese dressing recipe but your favorite store-bought dressing works great too!
• Additional toppings – sometimes I will add some sunflower seeds as a topper because I’m not a huge crouton fan. You can definitely add croutons or tortilla strips to top it all off if you need that extra crunch.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad (Restaurant Style)

1. Cut the chicken breasts into small bite-sized cubes and toss with ranch seasoning until evenly coated.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the other side until golden brown and completely cooked through.

3. Reduce heat to low and stir in Frank’s Hot Sauce and butter until the chicken is evenly coated in the buffalo sauce.

4. Add chopped romaine lettuce to a large serving bowl or divide between individual bowls. 

5. Top with buffalo chicken, eggs, avocado, corn, tomatoes, and blue cheese crumbles.

6. Drizzle with ranch dressing and extra buffalo sauce if desired. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.

The Best Chicken For Buffalo Chicken Salad

Call me crazy but I actually prefer pan frying my chicken for this salad instead of deep frying it. I usually use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small cubes, then I’ll season and cook it in a skillet until golden brown. I will even pre-cook the chicken to make it even easier (see “pro tips” below) or use shredded rotisserie chicken and toss it in the buffalo sauce. If you prefer breaded chicken, you can absolutely use pre-cooked fried chicken (like the lightly breaded chicken chunks from Costco) or chopped up chicken tenders.

Pro Tips

Use pre-cooked chicken: This is hands-down my favorite tip for this salad. I will cook up a bunch of seasoned diced chicken and freeze it ahead of time, then when it’s time to eat I can just pull a bag from the freezer, warm it up with the sauce, and dinner is basically done.

Add the buffalo sauce last: Add the buffalo sauce at the very end after the chicken is fully cooked. This keeps the sauce from burning and helps it coat the chicken better.

Use grilled corn: If you want to get all fancy, you can grill up the corn on the cob yourself using our easy grilled corn on the cob recipe. Then just cut the corn from the cob and add it straight to the salad.

Cool it down: For less spicy salads, use extra ranch dressing or mix a little ranch directly into the buffalo sauce before tossing with the chicken.

How to Store Leftovers / Meal Prep Tips

This Buffalo Chicken Salad is great for meal prep, but I definitely recommend storing everything separately so the lettuce stays crisp and fresh. I like to keep the buffalo chicken, chopped veggies, lettuce, and dressing in separate containers and then assemble the salads right before eating. The chicken will keep well in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days and can be reheated quickly in the microwave or skillet before adding to the salad. If I know we’re eating these throughout the week, I will usually prep all the toppings ahead of time so lunches and dinners come together super fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

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