Can you indulge my buffalo chicken obsession for one more day?
Thank you. You’re the best.
It’s Monday and I’m bringing a salad—because of course I want pizza. Buffalo chicken pizza, specifically. We’ve been eating it almost every weekend, and that passion keeps seeping into every other meal I make.
I go through phases, and this one might stick around. (Fingers crossed.)
Also, it feels necessary to make buffalo chicken salads today because, well, the pizza habit is real. We eat it on Saturdays, have leftovers on Sundays, and sometimes even for breakfast. So yeah: multiple buffalo meals per weekend. #bikiniseason
I’m a fan of salads that aren’t dominated by vegetables, and this one fits right in. The best salads, to me, are the crunchy ones—think chicken fingers on top. It’s basically chicken nuggets on a bed of greens, finished with cheese and bacon.
You could skip those indulgent extras to make it lighter, but honestly—why would you?
I’m not a huge ranch person and, to be honest, dressings haven’t convinced me to love vegetables any more than I already do. I do like oil and vinegar, but a small drizzle of ranch or blue cheese complements buffalo chicken in a way that feels complete. A little goes a long way—finish with an extra splash of buffalo sauce and you don’t need anything else.
Not that I’m a salad expert or anything.
Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Salads
Yield: 2 | Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup seasoned fine breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salad
- 6 cups butter lettuce, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced or chopped
- 1 big handful snap peas, cut in half
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 4 chives, sliced
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 2 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon creamy blue cheese dressing
- 2 teaspoons buffalo wing sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top; spray the rack with nonstick spray.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk together the egg whites and buffalo sauce in one bowl. In another bowl, mix panko, breadcrumbs, onion powder and flour. Dip each chicken piece in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Arrange the pieces on the wire rack, spray with nonstick spray or a light drizzle of olive oil, and bake 20–25 minutes until cooked through and crisp.
- Whisk together the ranch, blue cheese dressing and buffalo sauce to make the dressing.
- To assemble, toss the lettuce, carrots and snap peas with a light pinch of salt and pepper. Divide among plates, top with chives and green onions, then arrange the chicken on each salad. Sprinkle with gorgonzola and bacon, drizzle with the dressing, and finish with extra buffalo sauce if desired. Serve immediately.
…for now.