Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe

This healthy buffalo chicken salad is super easy and unbelievably delicious. If you’re a buffalo chicken fan, you’re going to be absolutely obsessed with this combination of classic chicken salad and spicy buffalo sauce.

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Why you’ll love this one

This buffalo chicken salad recipe is one of my favorite easy chicken salad recipes. It reminds me of buffalo chicken dip, but in chicken salad form!

It’s a great option for a quick delicious lunch with lots of flavor, and perfect for meal prepping to enjoy next day too.

• It’s SO simple. You can make it even faster by grabbing a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store or using leftover chicken breasts.
• It’s absolutely delicious and pretty foolproof. Even if you eyeball the ingredients, it will still come out amazing.
• This easy recipe is great for meal prep! You can make a batch or two of this at the beginning of the week for an easy protein to have with sandwiches, salads, wraps, or for snack plates. It’s a great easy-to-grab protein for a healthy meal.
• It’s high protein with 20 grams of protein per serving, so it’s a great way to hit your protein goals.

Let’s get into what you need next.

Ingredients

Cooked and shredded chicken: You can use any cooking method you prefer for this one. I like to use either chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs. My two favorite ways are to prep my boneless skinless chicken breasts in the air fryer, or buy pre-cooked chicken like rotisserie chicken. You can also use leftover chicken if you have some laying around!

Celery and green onion: Celery and green onions add the perfect amount of veggie flavor and crunch. You could also sub in red onion or sweet onion.

Buffalo sauce: My favorite buffalo sauce is Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce, hands down. It’s a tangy buffalo sauce that’s flavorful, creamy, and you can build the heat to what you like. I also like the Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce. You can use regular hot sauce too or any other buffalo wing sauce, too.

Plain Greek yogurt: This recipe replaces half the amount of mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, and you’ll barely notice! It adds protein, creaminess and a little bit of tang. Make sure it’s plain, we don’t want vanilla-flavored chicken salad! I prefer to use full fat over fat free yogurt, but either will work.

Mayonnaise: Use whatever mayo you prefer. Sir Kensington’s is my favorite.

Garlic powder: This recipe calls for just a little bit of garlic powder, but you can add in any other spices that you enjoy too like onion powder or even everything but the bagel seasoning.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad

1. Add all of your ingredients to a large bowl.

2. Combine ingredients well. Taste test to see if you want to add any additional buffalo sauce depending on your preferred spice level, salt or black pepper.

3. Serve as a sandwich with your favorite bread, in a wrap, or with crackers and fresh veggies like cucumbers and red bell peppers (adult lunchable style!).

How to serve

There are so many different ways to enjoy this one. Here are my favorite ways to serve this high protein buffalo chicken salad:

1. In between two slices of your favorite bread as a sandwich for a quick meal.
2. Use romaine lettuce hearts to serve in lettuce wraps or as lettuce cups.
3. Serve in a tortilla with cheese and lettuce for an easy wrap.
4. Top fresh lettuce with this buffalo chicken and drizzle with homemade ranch dressing.
5. Serve with crackers, sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and cherry tomatoes for an easy lunch plate.

Recipe Variations

1. Add blue cheese crumbles, goat cheese or shredded sharp cheddar to the chicken salad.
2. Add more crunchy fresh vegetables like like diced red bell pepper.
3. Use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt if you don’t have any on hand.
4. Add fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley or fresh dill.
5. If you want to omit the mayo altogether, use a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt instead of 1/4 cup.
6. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add some lemony tang.
7. For a buffalo ranch chicken salad, add a tablespoon or two of ranch seasoning powder.
8. If you’re a blue cheese fan, add two tablespoons of blue cheese dressing

How to store

Store leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Make-ahead instructions

This recipe is excellent for meal prep because it stores so well and there’s no reheating required. To make ahead, make the recipe as written and store for up to 4 days in a sealed container. I love prepping this ahead and storing in these clear 2-compartment containers with sliced veggies or crackers.

More easy lunch ideas:

Easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl

The Best 10 Adult Lunchables (Easy + Healthy!)

Deconstructed Burger Salad Bowl

The BEST Italian Grinder Salad (Quick and Easy!)

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