This buffalo chicken salad is loaded with chopped lettuce, crunchy coleslaw, vegetables and buffalo chicken. Drizzle with ranch dressing and it will become your new go-to salad for lunch or dinner!
If you love salad recipes, a few other favorites include this mandarin orange salad, Mediterranean salad and spinach berry salad.
Table of Contents
Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad
I’m always on the lookout for healthy dinner ideas that taste restaurant quality! This recipe has all of the same flavors as a buffalo chicken wrap, but in salad form.
This buffalo chicken salad is made completely from scratch, from the mouthwatering buffalo sauce to the blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing. It’s loaded with tomatoes, celery, coleslaw, and avocado, and can be customized to fit your needs!
This recipe comes together in a pinch and is a great way to use up whatever veggies you have on hand. It’s a meal prep game-changer when planning healthy lunches for the week. For a twist, you can use the salad ingredients to make buffalo chicken lettuce wraps instead!
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
All you need for this super simple recipe is the chicken, loads of veggies, and your choice of dressing!
- Prep. Make Instant Pot buffalo chicken if desired or toss cooked chicken with buffalo sauce and warm up.
- Fill. Place the lettuce in bowls or meal prep containers. Top with the chicken, coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes, avocado, celery and red onion.
- Drizzle. Top each bowl with ranch or blue cheese dressing when ready to serve. Add fresh cilantro on top if desired.
Tips + Swaps
- Chicken. Make shredded chicken, use leftover grilled chicken or even baked chicken breast.
- Easy swap. If you’re short on time or want to use up a leftover rotisserie chicken, use 2 cups rotisserie chicken and 1/4 cup buffalo sauce.
- Tortilla wrap. Turn this salad into a traditional wrap for an on-the-go lunch! Toss in as many of the ingredients as you can fit, and you’ve got a meal you can carry with you.
- Lettuce wrap. Swap out the romaine for bibb lettuce, and put the contents of the salad in a lettuce leaf for a low-carb tasty wrap.
- Protein boost: Add some hard boiled eggs for an extra boost of protein and it makes this similar to everyone’s favorite cobb salad.
- Avocado. Learn how to cut an avocado like a pro. It’s easy, but there’s an art to it!
More Salad Recipes
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Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked buffalo chicken
- 4 cups romaine lettuce , chopped
- 2 cups coleslaw mix , plain (no dressing)
- 1 cup tomatoes , diced
- 1 avocado , diced
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup red onion , diced
- ½ cup ranch dressing , or blue cheese dressing
Optional: Cilantro or blue cheese crumbles for topping
Instructions
- Warm the chicken if desired and prepare salad ingredients.
- Place the lettuce in bowls or meal prep containers. Top with chicken, coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes, avocado, celery and red onion.
- Drizzle ranch or blue cheese dressing over top when ready to serve. Add fresh cilantro on top if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Putting this on our regular rotation! Buffalo chicken is our favorite!
It’s so yummy and easy!
Instant pot for the win again! These are some of my favorite flavors! Thanks for another great recipe.
Everything about this dish is just heavenly. The soft shredded chicken against the fresh crispy lettuce. The combination of avocado, tomato, and coleslaw adding a touch of extra flavor, what’s not to love?