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My Buffalo Chicken Salad is So Good!
This buffalo chicken salad is great for anyone who loves the bold flavors of Buffalo wings but wants something a bit lighter with the same flavor. I use hot sauce and mayonnaise to make the dressing, which is very traditional.
That being said I can’t help but lighten it up by replacing some of the mayo with Greek yogurt. I add in some dried dill and garlic and toss it all together with shredded chicken. (I like to use my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe for this.)
I think the best part for me though is adding the buffalo chicken salad on top of lettuce, because it just makes it more fresh and crunchy!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mayonnaise: It helps hold the dressing ingredients together. I like using avocado oil mayo but any mayo will work.
- Greek yogurt: This is not traditional in a buffalo chicken salad that’s usually made with all mayo, but I swap half the mayo for yogurt to keep it creamy while decreasing the fat and calories. You can use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt.
- Hot sauce: Use your favorite brand of hot sauce. It gives this salad that signature buffalo flavor! You can adjust the amount of spice to put more or less based on your personal preference.
- Lemon juice: Brightens the flavor of the dressing and adds a little acidity, but any acid like lime juice or vinegar will work.
- Spices: I use dried dill, garlic powder and salt only. You can add any other spices you’d like to use. I don’t use black pepper here since there’s enough spice from the hot sauce.
- Shredded chicken breast: Use chicken breast or thighs and shred the chicken into small pieces so it is easier to eat and everything gets evenly coated with the dressing. To make it quicker, you can also use a rotisserie chicken.
- Celery and green onions: Adds a crunchy texture and green color to mix with the buffalo chicken.
- Lettuce: Serve the chicken salad in Boston Bib or iceberg lettuce. This type of lettuce is the perfect holder and easily holds up when filled with ingredients.
Popular Additions
- Make it vegetarian. This salad could easily be made meatless by using cooked chickpeas or Air Fryer tofu instead of chicken.
- Add more veggies. You can never go wrong with adding more vegetables. Try adding some red cabbage, carrots, red bell peppers or even jalapeño peppers.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ways to Serve Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwich – Add the chicken salad to a toasted brioche bun or sandwich roll and top with extra blue cheese crumbles or ranch dressing.
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap – Roll it up in a flour tortilla or whole wheat wrap with some extra greens for an easy handheld meal.
- Loaded Baked Potato – Spoon the buffalo chicken salad over a baked potato or sweet potato and sprinkle with extra blue cheese or shredded cheddar.
- Buffalo Chicken Bowl – Serve it over a bed of greens, quinoa, or lemon rice for a more filling meal. Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
- Stuffed Avocado – Halve an avocado and scoop some of the buffalo chicken mixture right inside for a low-carb, high-protein meal.
- Buffalo Chicken Melt – Spread it on a slice of bread, top with shredded cheese, and broil for a few minutes until melty and golden.
- Buffalo Chicken Nachos – Spoon it over tortilla chips, (or modify my bell pepper nacho recipe and use this instead of the beef!) sprinkle with shredded cheese, and broil until bubbly. Top with chopped green onions and a drizzle of ranch or sour cream.
My Best Buffalo Chicken Salad Tips
- Shred the chicken into smaller pieces. This helps to coat the shredded chicken well with the buffalo ranch dressing, so it delivers the best flavor!
- Don’t mix everything together at once. It’s important to emulsify the dressing first to create a smooth and creamy sauce before adding the chicken and the veggies. That way the dressing stays intact an doesn’t separate.
- Save the celery leaves. When slicing the celery, you might be tempted to toss the celery leaves, but they can add so much flavor to the buffalo chicken salad. Make sure to wash them, chop them up, and use them to garnish the lettuce cups.
- Let it chill. For the best flavor, let the salad sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving. This helps the flavors really get in the chicken.
What to Serve
This is great for watching the big game, so I’m recommending a few other side dishes that would go well with a football game viewing (eating) party!
Recipe Help & Common Questions
The buffalo chicken will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it in an airtight container, and it can be scooped right onto the lettuce cups.
I like to use shredded chicken breast for this recipe, but it’s also a great way to use up leftovers from a roast or rotisserie chicken. If you prefer, you can use chicken thighs that you can cook quickly in the air fryer.
This can happen if the celery releases too much moisture or if the chicken wasn’t fully cooled before mixing. Make sure to pat the celery dry and use well-drained, completely cooled shredded chicken.
More Cold Salad Recipes:
- Salmon Salad
- Yogurt Chicken Salad
- Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad
- Avocado Egg Salad
- Turkey Salad Sandwich
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Healthy Tuna Salad
If you try this feel good Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This buffalo chicken salad recipe was originally published on July 13, 2020 and has recently been updated with a slightly modified recipe to simplify the recipe. It also has new photography, tips, and step-by-step images to help make the recipe.
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast shredded
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 4 green onions sliced
- 1 head Lettuce Boston Bib or iceberg lettuce, about 16 leaves, for serving
- Crumbled blue cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, dried dill, garlic powder and salt.
- Add the shredded chicken, celery and green onions on top of the dressing and stir well to combine.
- To serve, fill the lettuce cups with 3-4 tablespoons of the chicken salad mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I am so in love with your website. It started with the stuffed peppers, date&pecan tarts, zucchini enchiladas (TWICE) and now this delightful dinner that fed 5 hungry teens (my 3 and 2 of their friends) plus me and my hubby…. the plates were clean! Thank you so much for producing such great content of healthy, colorful, and flavorful foods Yumna. We’re grateful
Aww that makes me so happy!! Appreciate you taking the time to share that sweet comment with me. It made my day!! Thank you!!
It’s delicious keep them coming. I’m a diabetic and I could really use ur recipes.
Do u have recipes for diabetes?
Glad these are helpful! I don’t have them specifically mentioned as diabetes friendly unfortunately.
Was looking for a healthy recipe for lunch and found this one! It was delicious. This was my second, VERY yummy recipe from this site. Will search for others!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Love this recipe! I will definitely be making again! I used green onions and cilantro in the sauce and used an immersion blender to mix it all up. Super easy and healthy. 5 stars from me!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
My family has been trying to eat healthier and love anything buffalo chicken. I was a little afraid of the Greek yogurt because I am normally not a fan. I was pleasantly surprised. These tasted great. I’m glad to now have a healthier option when it comes to buffalo chicken.
So glad you were pleasantly surprised! Thank you!
Tried this recipe.It turned out super delicious .
I didn’t have Red cabbage so instead of red ,I added green cabbage.
So glad to hear it!! Thanks so much for sharing!