• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Dinner Menu
  • Grocery List
  • How-Tos
  • Shop

Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Dinner Menu
  • Grocery List
  • How-Tos
  • Shop
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Dinner Menu
    • Grocery List
    • How-Tos
    • Shop
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Dinner » Buffalo Chicken Salad

    Last Updated: Apr 28, 2023 by Angela G.

    Buffalo Chicken Salad

    914 shares

    This buffalo chicken salad is made with crispy warm chicken strips tossed in buffalo wing sauce served over a bed of lettuce and topped with shredded carrots, black olives, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing. Quick and easy to make. Super yummy!

    Buffalo Crispy Chicken Salad
    Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Olives
    Buffalo Chicken Salad with Black Olives
    Buffalo Crispy Chicken Salad
    Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
    Buffalo Crispy Chicken Salad
    Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Olives
    Buffalo Chicken Salad with Black Olives
    Buffalo Crispy Chicken Salad
    Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
    This post may contain affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a commission.
    Jump down to Recipe

    This Buffalo Chicken Salad is a refreshing, filling and super easy dinner or lunch.

    Who said eating a salad had to be boring? This salad is chock full of flavor and carries a kick with the buffalo chicken.

    ★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★

    The best part of this salad is that it doesn’t take nearly as long to prep and many other salads that are more than just leafy greens. This salad is all the flavor and none of the work! Yas!

    No chopping! No lengthy cooking.

    Using a combination of ready-made chicken and bagged salad mixed saves so much time. Just heat the chicken, toss it in buffalo sauce, and serve it over a bed of greens, topped with black olives, a small bit of cheddar cheese and ranch dressing. Sound easy? It totally is!

    ★ Tips & FAQs ★

    Choose crispy or rotisserie chicken.

    For this Buffalo Chicken Salad, any type of chicken will work just fine. I like a little crunch so I prefer to use cooked, frozen chicken tenders. If you want to skip on the breading that comes along with chicken tenders, you can use rotisserie chicken. Both are great options for saving time, especially if you don’t want to make your own chicken. Although, you could do that too!

    If you have another chicken option in mind, don’t be afraid to use it. This salad is all about making a delicious lunch or dinner without a ton of effort or time.

    What's the best hot sauce to use?

    I prefer Frank's hot sauce because you get that authentic buffalo chicken wing flavor. But if you prefer a different brand or just want to mix things up, try different brands and see what you like best!

    Frank's actually makes a "Buffalo Red Hot Wings" sauce in Buffalo flavor (or they have a hot Buffalo flavor) which is a great shortcut.

    Franks Red Hot Wings Sauce

    However, it's super easy to make your own Buffalo Wing sauce with just Frank's hot sauce and butter.

    So choose what what works for you! I go with whatever I have on hand since I don't always remember to buy the wing sauce but pretty much always have Franks hot sauce on hand.

    The secret is in the cheese!

    Of course, it’s always best to go with the cheese you have on hand to save time, money, and effort. However, if possible, use fresh cheddar cheese and grate it yourself.

    Not only does grating cheese save money, it also allows you to use less, because you get so much more cheesy flavor when you grate it fresh. You only need one tablespoon per salad!

    Pre-shredded vs. Fresh Grated Cheese

    Shredded cheese has a lack of flavor in comparison with fresh cheese. The reason for this is that the store-bought shredded cheese is coated in a powder to prevent it from clumping. The powder takes away from the flavor and makes it taste dry too. It's more expensive too but you’re paying for convenience.

    Listen, I get it if you don't feel like you have time to grate your own cheese. However, you won’t be sitting their grating cheese forever just to get enough to make this Buffalo Chicken Salad.

    It doesn’t take much at all and you can quickly grate you cheese using a hand-held microplane cheese grater. A little nugget of cheese will turn into a big pile of fresh grated cheese so a small block goes a long way!

    Since you don't need nearly as much cheese when you use fresh grated, you’re cutting some calories too. If you don’t have a cheese grater, shop them on Amazon.

    Add some extra vitamins to this buffalo chicken salad.

    You can substitute 1 cup (or more if you want) of the iceberg lettuce mix with 1 cup dark leafy greens — try healthy spinach or kale for extra nutrition!

    Make this buffalo chicken salad kid-friendly!

    If you’re wanting to make this kid-friendly, simply deconstruct the salad. There’s no reason to make more than one meal to please both the kids and the adults.

    Simply put the lettuce and carrots on the side with plain chicken – no buffalo sauce since it will be too spicy for children (unless they like it, of course). This salad includes a lot of amazing ingredients, full of nutrients, perfect for fueling the rest of your day while still being healthy.

    A light yet filling summer dinner idea.

    I’ve made this Buffalo Chicken Salad both for lunches and dinners for the entire family. It’s super quick to make, even if you’re making more than one or making it in bulk.

    Salads with some added protein are always great for quick, one-bowl meals without putting a ton of effort into being healthy. Sticking to a nutritious and balanced diet can be really difficult as a mom.

    This salad is my answer to a quick and healthy meal without a bunch of planning and prepping. You're going to love this salad!

    ★ More Recipes You'll Love ★

    Want more easy dinner ideas?

    Browse all my dinner recipes

    Love Buffalo chicken?

    Check out my creamy crockpot buffalo chicken dip, buffalo ranch chicken soup, and my buffalo chicken puff pastry pinwheels.

    This Buffalo Chicken Salad was featured on Menu Plan Monday and South Your Mouth!

    Buffalo Crispy Chicken Salad

    Buffalo Chicken Salad

    Author: Angela G.
    This buffalo chicken salad is made with crispy warm chicken strips tossed in buffalo wing sauce served over a bed of lettuce and topped with shredded carrots, black olives, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing. Quick and easy to make. Super yummy!
    5 from 4 reviews
    Read Comments
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch, Sides
    Cuisine: American
    Skill Level: Easy
    Recipe Type: Chicken, Fall, Healthy Choices, Salads, Summer
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 Servings
    Yield: 2 bowls

    Ingredients 

    • 2 chicken tenders
    • ⅓ cup Buffalo Wing sauce or ¼ cups hot sauce + 2 tablespoon butter
    • 4 cups iceberg salad mix include cabbage and carrots
    • 2-4 tablespoon fresh shredded cheddar cheese
    • ¼ cups sliced black olives
    • Ranch dressing to taste
    • Optional: add diced fresh tomaotoes

    Instructions

    • Cook chicken tenders according to package. I usually use a combination of the microwave and toaster oven so that it's quick yet still crispy. If you're using a rotisserie chicken, just cut up about a cup of chicken into bite-sized chunks.
    • In a glass bowl, melt butter then add hot sauce. Give it a stir to combine and create your buffalo sauce.
    • Toss chicken in buffalo sauce.
    • Divide iceberg salad mix and leafy greens between two salad bowls. Tear larger pieces as needed.
    • Layer buffalo chicken on top of the greens (cut up tenders if you'd like), add olives then cheddar cheese. Finish with a drizzle of ranch dressing.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1661mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1140IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 1mg
    Follow Mighty Mrs. for more easy recipes!Find @MightyMrs on Pinterest

    Related Posts:

    • Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup
      Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup
    • Crockpot Vegetable Beef Stew in Bowl
      Easy Crockpot Beef Stew
    • Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup
      Buffalo Chicken Soup
    • American Goulash - Delicious and easy pasta dinner
      Old Fashioned Ground Beef Goulash (American Goulash)
    914 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nancy Carroll says

      August 14, 2020 at 7:58 pm

      I make my own tenders and cook them, but this has become one of our favorite summer meals

      Reply
      • Angela G. says

        August 15, 2020 at 7:09 pm

        Hi Nancy! Ohhhh I bet your homemade tenders are amazing with this. So glad you're enjoying the salad!

        Reply
    2. Becki says

      April 30, 2019 at 5:54 pm

      Looks wonderful!! And I use pre-cooked chicken for lots of recipes - why did it not occur to me for a quick salad? Thanks for the great info on the fresh-grated cheese. Now I'm hungry!

      Reply
      • Angela G. says

        April 30, 2019 at 6:33 pm

        You're welcome! Yes! Pre-cooked chicken is one of my favorite things. So easy. Now that it's grilling season though, could do grilled chicken as well. Or broil chicken in the oven, also yummy and fast. Learned that from Martha Stewart he he. Mix it up or go with whatever is convenient!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Leave A Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this recipe:




    The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Drop file here

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! Welcome.

    Gast family

    I'm Angela, a busy mom and business owner. Here you'll super easy yet delicious recipes! I also have tools to help you get organized, save money, and enjoy cooking! Learn more

    Browse my shop, for my favorite Amazon finds.


    What's for Dinner

    Get seasonal recipe ideas plus a printable dinner menu every month. Free!




    Fall Recipes

    • Loaded Baked Potato Skins
      Loaded Baked Potato Skins
    • Easy Appetizer Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
      Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
    • Crockpot Creamy Tomato Kale Tortellini Soup
      Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup (Vegetarian)
    • Best Authentic Maryland Crab Dip
      Hot Maryland Crab Dip


    Easy Party Apps

    • Loaded Baked Potato Skins
      Loaded Baked Potato Skins
    • Easy Appetizer Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
      Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
    • Best Authentic Maryland Crab Dip
      Hot Maryland Crab Dip
    • Christmas Gingerbread Dip
      Gingerbread Dip


    Delicious Desserts

    • Yule Log Cake made with Cake Mix
      Easy Cake Mix Yule Log
    • Christmas Gingerbread Dip
      Gingerbread Dip
    • Chewy Chocolate Espresso Cookies
      Chewy Chocolate Espresso Cookies
    • Candy Cane Cream Cookie Bars
      Candy Cane Cream Bars


    Dinner Ideas

    • Easy Appetizer Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
      Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
    • Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Pork with Brandy Sauce
      Holiday Stuffed Pork Loin
    • Crockpot Creamy Tomato Kale Tortellini Soup
      Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup (Vegetarian)
    • Hobo Meatball Casserole
      Hobo Meatball Casserole


    Breakfast Bites

    • Low-fat Ham and Cheese Quiche
      Low-fat Ham & Cheese Quiche
    • Homemade Gingerbread Cake with Icing
      Iced Gingerbread Loaf Cake
    • Easy Nutella Rolls with Whipped Icing
      Nutella Rolls (5 Ingredients)
    • Instapot Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites
      Instapot Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites


    Crafted Cocktails

    • Santa Spritz Cranberry-Rosemary Cocktail
      Santa Spritz Cocktail
    • Homemade Eggnog non-alcoholic
      Simple Homemade Eggnog
    • Blood Orange Aperol Spritz Cocktail
      Blood Orange Aperol Spritz
    • Island Time Cocktail


    Light Lunch

    • Crockpot Creamy Tomato Kale Tortellini Soup
      Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup (Vegetarian)
    • Low-fat Ham and Cheese Quiche
      Low-fat Ham & Cheese Quiche
    • Asian Pork Sloppy Joe
      Asian Pork Sloppy Joes
    • German Wurst Salad with Fresh Parsley
      German Wurst Salad

    Footer

    Shop | Subscribe | About | Become a Sponsor | Recipe Stories | Privacy Policy | Terms | Accessibility

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    ©2023 Mighty Mrs. All Rights Reserved. Some links on this site may be affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Exclusive Member of Mediavine Food