This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad is an easy veggie-packed lunch – it's topped with a homemade ranch dressing that's low in calories!
Buffalo chicken is my main go-to when I don't know what to eat, it's one of my favourite flavours! When I'm in the mood for something light, this salad is what I gravitate towards.
Why You'll Love This Salad
- Nutritious and delicious: It's a healthy salad packed with tons of yummy flavours.
- Meal prep friendly: Layer it in mason jars for an easy on-the-go lunch.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado oil.
- Chicken breasts – chicken thighs will work but will increase the calorie count.
- Buffalo wing sauce – use your favourite store-bought brand or make your own.
- Romaine lettuce – or another leafy green like bibb lettuce.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion would also work but will have a milder flavor.
- Cucumber – swap out for another veggie like zucchini.
- Celery – bell peppers would also give the salad some crunch.
- Carrot matchsticks – grated carrot would also work.
- Frozen corn – fresh or canned corn can be used instead.
- Feta cheese – blue cheese or cheddar would both be good.
- Avocado – leave this out if you don’t like avocado.
Lighter ranch dressing
- Sour cream – non-fat Greek yogurt would also work.
- Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
- Dill – tarragon will work, but you won’t get that authentic ranch flavour.
- Garlic – use freshly minced or jarred minced garlic.
How to make this salad
Step 1: Make the dressing.
Mix the dressing ingredients together.
Step 2: Season the chicken.
Cut the chicken in half lengthwise and season.
Step 3: Cook the chicken.
Sauté in a skillet until fully cooked through.
Step 4: Dice the chicken.
Let it rest, then dice into pieces.
Step 5: Toss in the sauce.
Toss the diced chicken in the buffalo sauce.
Step 6: Assemble your salad.
Toss everything together in the dressing and serve.
Recipe tips
Here are my top tips for making this healthy salad:
- Add more veggies: Tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions would all be good.
- Swap out the greens: Make it even healthier by using baby spinach or spring greens.
- Use another dressing: This blue cheese dressing would also be good.
- Repurpose the chicken: Use it to make loaded fries, wraps or burrito bowls.
- Make it vegetarian: Use buffalo cauliflower or roasted chickpeas in buffalo sauce in place of chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best buffalo sauce to use?
I like using Frank's Red Hot buffalo wing sauce, but you can use any buffalo sauce of your choice.
Is the chicken spicy?
Buffalo sauce definitely has a bit of a kick to it! If you want it to be less spicy, use a milder sauce or cut it with melted butter.
Can you use leftover or rotisserie chicken?
Yes! If you want to cut down on prep time, you can use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Just toss it in the sauce then add it to your salad.
Meal prepping this salad
The best way to prep this salad is using mason jars. Here's how:
- Layer your salads: Put the dressing on the bottom, then the chicken, cheese, veggies and lettuce.
- Storing: Store the salad jars in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Serving: Shake up the mason jar, dump everything onto a plate and dig in.
More buffalo chicken recipes
Meal prep tools
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
- Pack these salads in larger 32oz mason jars for meal prep!
- I like this salad dressing shaker to make homemade dressings easier.
- These colourful mason jar lids are so fun and perfect if you lose your lids.
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad is an easy veggie-packed lunch – it's topped with a homemade ranch dressing that's low in calories!
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 470kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce such as Frank's buffalo sauce
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed, dried and chopped
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks or 1 grated carrot
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
- 1 cup feta or blue cheese crumbled
- 1 avocado sliced
Lighter ranch dressing
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried or fresh dill
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Make the ranch dressing by mixing the sour cream, water, lemon juice, dill, minced garlic and salt and pepper together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise then season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then saute chicken for 3-4 minutes each side until fully cooked through. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing up and tossing in buffalo sauce.
- While chicken cooks, prep the veggies. Add chopped romaine lettuce to large salad bowls, topping with sliced red onion, chopped cucumber, chopped celery, carrot matchsticks, defrosted corn, crumbled feta or blue cheese and sliced avocado.
- Top salads with chicken and drizzle with dressing when ready to serve. Alternatively, add chicken to (1L) mason jars followed by cheese and remaining veggies to meal prep these salads.
Notes
Swap out the romaine lettuce for spring greens, spinach or iceberg lettuce.
Use any leftover chicken to make loaded fries, wraps or burrito bowls.
Meal prep your salad in mason jars. Layer the dressing first followed by the chicken, cheese, veggies and lettuce.
Store the salads in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mg (39%)Sodium: 1531mg (67%)Potassium: 1414mg (40%)Fiber: 9g (38%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 16683IU (334%)Vitamin C: 22mg (27%)Calcium: 294mg (29%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
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