I’m kind of over buffalo wings. Not chicken wings – still love those! But there are so many diverse sauces and dry rubs on menus today that there seems to be a much higher opportunity cost to choosing the classic buffalo variety. But buffalo flavor. Definitely not over that! Today, I am sharing a recipe with you that has all the flavors of buffalo wings from the ranch and blue cheese to the celery and carrots that normally adorn a plate of the classic wings. And in the spirit of new year’s resolutions some might have about healthier eating, this version is in salad form.
Now I am not promising this is a low fat, low calorie salad. But it is a big bowl full of veggies, so it’s got to be healthier some alternatives, right? And we get our buffalo flavor from boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are dredges in buffalo sauce before being breaded and pan-fried. Salads not your thing? I urge you to at least try the chicken strips. Seriously, you have no idea how many pieces of chicken don’t make it to the actual salad when I make this.
Here’s what you need:
We are going to start by mixing together our buttermilk ranch dressing so it can hang out in the fridge and the flavors can get to know each other a little better. I don’t remember what the inspiration for this ranch was or where the base of the recipe came from, but it’s one I have used over and over and is written down next to a recipe for a slow cooker chicken I have made as a salad protein on hunting trips numerous times.
In a medium bowl add some mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, salt, garlic that you’ve grated on a microplane, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire, cayenne, paprika, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.
Give it a whisk and then add some chopped fresh parsley, chives and dill.
Stir these in. Taste and adjust anything you like; more buttermilk will help you thin it out if it’s too thick. Then pop it into the fridge to hang out while we move on to the rest of the salad.
I used chicken tenders when I developed this recipe. Normally I don’t use them because they are more expensive then breasts and cutting chicken strips doesn’t take long, but they were on this crazy good sale at the grocery store that made them the cheapest white meat option. So of course, I bought a bunch and froze them, making them a no-brainer when making this salad.
We start by setting up our breading station. Normally, when I make buffalo chicken for sandwiches, I coat the chicken in an egg wash and breadcrumbs, fry it and then toss it in buffalo sauce. But I was out of eggs, so I got this crazy idea to dip the chicken right into the buffalo sauce in place of an egg wash. Best. Idea. Ever! The buffalo flavor seems to permeate the chicken more this way and the chicken stays crisp and crunchy because it doesn’t get a bath is sauce after it’s cooked.
Using two shallow bowls or pie/cake pans, coat the bottom of one in buffalo wing sauce (right out of a bottle is fine) and in a second bowl mix breadcrumbs with a little salt and pepper, garlic powder, and a little cayenne.
Now dip the tenders first in the buffalo sauce and then turn to coat in the breadcrumbs.
Coat a large skillet with an even layer of canola oil – just enough to brown the chicken, and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken strips and cook until golden and 165 degrees, about 3 minutes per side for me.
Transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Then transfer to a cutting board to cut into bite sized pieces.
Here are the fixings for your salad: Chopped romaine (unless there is a recall like when I took these pictures, then use any other leaf lettuce), matchstick carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, red onion, and blue cheese crumbles. Plus the chicken and the dressing we made earlier.
I like to toss the lettuce together with the dressing first, otherwise I find all my fixings end up on the bottom. Then pile on the goodies and dig in.
Enjoy!
- Buttermilk Ranch:
- 1 c mayo
- ½ c sour cream
- 1 c buttermilk (plus more to thin as needed)
- ¼ t salt
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ t white wine vinegar
- ½ t Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ t ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ t paprika
- ½ t pepper
- Dash hot sauce
- ¼ c fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 T fresh chives, chopped
- 2 T fresh dill, chopped
- Chicken:
- 14 oz chicken tenders (or breasts cut into strips)
- Franks buffalo wing sauce
- Breadcrumbs, about a cup
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder, ¼ t
- Cayenne, dash
- Salad:
- Chopped romaine, or other leafy lettuce
- Celery, chopped
- Matchstick carrots
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Red onion slices
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Add more buttermilk to thin to desired consistency. Keep in fridge while you make the rest of the salad.
- Pour wing sauce into a shallow bowl or pie/cake pan. In a 2nd bowl or pan mix together the breadcrumbs with a sprinkle of garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Dip chicken in buffalo sauce, then coat in breadcrumbs. Transfer to a plate or cutting boad.
- Heat enough oil to coat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat until hot. I like just enough to coat the chicken so it’s crisp but not so much that it shallow fries. Add chicken and cook turning once until it’s golden, crispy and 165 degrees. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
- To assemble the salad. Toss lettuce with a dressing. Top with chicken, celery, carrots, tomatoes, onion and blue cheese.
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