Buffalo Chicken Salad

My all-time favorite, Buffalo Chicken Salad, has 6 different veggies + healthy protein. It’s quick & easy, versatile, and so delicious! Even the kids love it! Serve with my easy dinner rolls, or my no knead overnight artisan bread.

To me, there’s no such thing as a “salad recipe,” which makes today’s post stranger than it already feels.

I’m very much so the toss-it-in, see-what-else-it-needs, and like-it-or-make-dinner-yourself kinda gal.

But I am aware that there are a lot of people who like to follow recipes – even the small ones that I often take for granted!

So I dedicate today’s post to all those who need recipes. Who appreciate recipes.

Allow me to share with you the official recipe for one of the best salads you’ll ever make: Buffalo Chicken (with bacon & ranch) Salad.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Let’s start off by talking about the two things that make this salad absolutely amazing: Buffalo sauce and bacon. But it’s also amazing because it’s:

• Quick & Easy. This recipe isn’t complicated at all, and comes together in a flash!
• Healthy. With tons of veggies & healthy protein, you can’t beat this salad – for lunch or for dinner!
• Versatile. If you don’t have gorgonzola, but you have blue cheese crumbles, by all means, substitute it! If you don’t like ranch dressing, use blue cheese dressing instead (even though my homemade ranch dressing is awesome).

What are the ingredients for buffalo chicken salad?

• lettuce (romaine, iceberg, spring, bibb, etc.)
• greens (baby kale, spinach, etc.)
• chopped chicken (cooked chicken breast, leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken)
• bell pepper
• carrot
• bacon
• Gorgonzola cheese
• green onions
• homemade ranch dressing (or dairy free ranch dressing)
• buffalo sauce

Note: Homemade buffalo sauce is my all-time favorite sauce ever. But if you are short on time, store bought buffalo hot sauce just so happens to be one of the few sauces that don’t contain fake ingredients or weird additives that can cause allergy-like reactions (yes, I’m talking to you MSG).

We’re not brand-loyal, but actually prefer store-brand over the popular name brand. Just pick up whatever is your favorite and affordable.

How to Make Zesty Buffalo Chicken Salad

1.  In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients and top with chicken.
2. Toss with 1/2 cup of homemade ranch dressing.
3. Drizzle buffalo sauce on top of salad, as desired.

If you’d like, season with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder (but I don’t think it needs it)! 

Additional Recipe Notes

I wrote this recipe to accommodate families with kids who aren’t fans of spicy foods. If this doesn’t apply to you, toss the buffalo sauce directly in with the homemade ranch dressing and spice it up!

You can’t tell by the picture, but the chicken in this recipe was actually leftover from a few different taco nights! When there’s leftover chicken at a meal, I dice it up and put it in a freezer-safe bag. I add to it when I can, and when there’s a full cup, I either make chicken and spinach enchiladas or this salad.

We don’t have leftover bacon often, but you can still save up to $2 per pound by buying “ends and pieces” instead of full strips! If you go this route, cook up the whole package and measure out 1/4 – 1/3 cup for this salad. Freeze the rest for a different meal.

This Buffalo Chicken Salad is very affordable (especially if you use leftover chicken). We would typically serve dinner biscuits, or overnight artisan bread with this salad and call it a meal!

One of the keys to enjoying fun things like bacon, chicken, and cheese on a salad is by keeping the portion control, under control. When you have several toppings (there’s six in this salad, including the green onions), a little bit of each really goes a long way. Add any more than a cup and you’ll be taking bites wondering if there’s any lettuce in that salad after all.

More Easy Salad Recipes

• Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta
• Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad
• The Best Kale Salad Recipe
• Chicken Southwest Salad