Chopped Buffalo Chicken Salad
This chopped buffalo chicken salad is creamy, crunchy deliciousness! It’s the perfect hearty dinner salad or a great salad to pack for lunch. It takes less than 30 minutes to make (even faster if you use rotisserie chicken!) so it’s great for busy weeknights, too!
If you love this recipe, you’ll also love this buffalo chicken rice bowl, this bruschetta chicken salad, or this chopped Italian grinder salad!
Recipe Ingredients: Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad
For the dressing:
For the salad:
Ingredient Notes, Substitutions & Additions
Chicken/Protein: I like to season and cook my own chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can absolutely use pre cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken breast.
Greens: Romaine is great, but you can use iceberg, mixed greens or a combo.
Veggies: Avocado (ok, a fruit!) red onion, and cucumber are also yummy in this salad.
Dressing: The ranch dressing on this salad is so simple to make–it’s actually my copycat Wingstop ranch dressing with buffalo sauce added 🙂 If you want another shortcut, use your favorite ranch dressing, and stir in the buffalo sauce.
How to Make This Chopped Buffalo Chicken Salad: Step-by-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Storage: You can keep the undressed salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
- Make ahead tip: You can make this salad a few days ahead of time and have it for meal prep. Just store the dressing and the salad separately to ensure freshness.
- Make it faster: In a hurry? Use chopped rotisserie chicken breast or precooked chicken. You can also use a premade ranch or blue cheese dressing.
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Thank you! ~ Casey
Chopped Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix about half of a 1 oz. packet
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp buffalo wing sauce I love Sweet Baby Ray's!
For the buffalo chicken salad
- 1/2-1 lb. chicken breast (raw) or 2-3 cups cooked, diced
- 2 tsp coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2-3 tsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
- 3 romaine hearts, finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 3-4 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1/4-1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles optional, if you don't like blue cheese!
Instructions
- Cook Chicken: Pound chicken breasts to even thickness, if needed. This will allow the chicken to cook quickly and evenly. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, and cook another 3-4 minutes until internal temp is 165°F. Set aside to cool (skip this step if using rotisserie chicken)
- Make the dressing: While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cut chicken: Cut the cooled chicken into slices or bite-sized pieces. Toss with 3 tbsp buffalo sauce.
- Assemble & Finish: Add romaine, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, and chopped chicken to a large serving bowl or platter.Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle on blue cheese crumbles, if using. Serve right away!
I love making a double batch of this salad and having it for dinner and lunches! You will love it, too! XO ~ Casey