We love this buffalo chicken chopped salad! It’s packed with bold flavor and lots of crunch, and you can prep most of it ahead for quick weekday lunches. Drizzle with a homemade ranch and you’re ready to go.
I have a serious soft spot for chopped salads.
Chopped salads are my favorite because each bite has a bit of everything — crunchy, fresh, and satisfying. They’re an easy way to get people into salads: uniform, crunchy pieces make the textures more appealing and every forkful feels like a complete mouthful.
This buffalo chicken chopped salad combines juicy grilled chicken with the classic buffalo flavors and crisp chopped vegetables: carrots, celery, romaine, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, chives and crumbled blue cheese.
Full disclosure: I always pick the celery out of my own serving — personal preference — but the salad is delicious either way.
I finish this with my homemade yogurt ranch for drizzling. Sometimes I serve ranch and wing sauce separately so people can control the heat; other times I stir a few tablespoons of wing sauce into the ranch to make a buffalo ranch. Both options are great and this salad always impresses.
Texture is everything here.
The flavors are bold and satisfying — it barely feels like you’re eating a “salad” and more like a hearty bowl meal. That’s often the difference between wanting a salad and avoiding it; when it looks and tastes like a complete, crunchy bowl, it becomes much more appealing.
It’s a salad you’ll crave.
We make this all the time because it hits our favorite flavor notes and it’s so easy. Most components can be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge until assembly.
I usually chop carrots and celery together, peel and chop cucumbers separately, and mince cilantro, chives and green onions into a small container. The chicken can be grilled in advance and the ranch dressing keeps well in the refrigerator.
I prefer to chop the romaine right before serving so it stays extra crisp. That crunch is key to what makes the salad so enjoyable.
This combination is perfect for weekday lunches: flavorful, filling, and easy to customize. Leave out any ingredient someone doesn’t like, add more or less dressing, and make it your own.
It’s also a great way to get kids to enjoy vegetables. For younger eaters I might skip the lettuce and serve bite-sized pieces with milder sauces like BBQ or a house sauce, which they love and often dip into dressing.
The recipe below makes a large salad for four but you can easily halve it. This is more of a method than a strict recipe: add the quantities you prefer, omit what you don’t like, and adjust the dressing and heat to taste.
Our favorite wing sauce is Frank’s RedHot buffalo wing sauce — the buffalo wing variety gives the best flavor.
You really can’t go wrong.
This is what’s on the menu this week!
