This recipe for buffalo chicken salad transforms a favorite appetizer into an easy healthy weeknight meal! The crisp vegetables and spicy chicken are drizzled with a cool blue cheese dressing made with Greek yogurt. Such a perfect combination!

When my husband and I were dating (way back in the day) he took flying lessons at a small airport in Lansing, Illinois. After he received his pilot’s license, he used to take me flying in his brother’s Piper Archer. One of my favorite things to do on date nights, was to go flying over Chicago and then eat at Shannon’s Landing, a little Irish pub at the airport.

I’m pretty sure the best part of the date was surviving the flight and then eating appetizers at Shannon’s. We always ordered their homemade chips and the buffalo chicken wings. Their buffalo wings were the best!!! 

Although the wings were delicious, they certainly were not healthy. This buffalo chicken salad allows me to enjoy all of the same flavors found in my favorite appetizer without all of the unhealthy ingredients. A delicious dinner for a busy weeknight or prep ahead for a weekday lunch. 

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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad

A favorite appetizer is transformed into an easy healthy weeknight dinner!

Servings 4

Ingredients

Blue Cheese Dressing

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1/3 cup blue cheese
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vinegar

Buffalo Chicken

• 1 pound chicken breast trimmed of fat if breast is thick cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp for the chicken and 1 tbsp for the hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce I use Frank's

Salad

• 8 cups mixed greens
• 3 ribs of celery sliced
• 2 medium carrots chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes can cut in half depending on size
• 1 cucumber sliced and the then cut in half
• 2 green onions sliced
• crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

For the Blue Cheese Dressing

1. Mix yogurt and sour cream together in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese. Combine milk with vinegar and stir into yogurt mixture. (If you have buttermilk you could use that instead of the milk and vinegar. )Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Chicken

1. Season chicken with chili powder and paprika. 

2. Heat large saucepan over low heat. Add olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Stir in hot pepper sauce.

3. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add chicken breast and brown about 2 minutes on each side.

4. Add browned chicken breast to hot pepper sauce and heat over medium heat about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting into bite size pieces.

For the Salad

1. Place mixed greens in large bowl and stir in cucumber, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Divide salad into 4 bowls. Add chicken to each bowl and top with blue cheese crumbles and green onion. Drizzle blue cheese dressing over salad.

Recipe Notes

We recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.