Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad (Printable)

Vibrant salad with spicy buffalo chicken, crisp romaine, celery, and creamy blue cheese. Ready in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Buffalo Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (14 oz)
02 - 1/4 cup hot sauce
03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Salad

06 - 2 large hearts of romaine lettuce, finely chopped
07 - 2 celery stalks, diced
08 - 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
09 - 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
11 - 1/4 cup shredded carrots

→ Dressing

12 - 1/3 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
13 - 1 tablespoon hot sauce

# How to Make It:

01 - Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, add chicken and cook 5-6 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes, cut into bite-sized pieces, and toss with hot sauce until evenly coated.
02 - Combine chopped romaine, diced celery, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrots in a large bowl. Add buffalo chicken and gently toss to combine.
03 - Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese over the salad, drizzle with ranch or blue cheese dressing, and add extra hot sauce if desired. Toss lightly and serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in 30 minutes flat, perfect for those nights when you're hungry but don't want to overthink dinner.
  • The buffalo sauce clings to every bite of chicken, so you get that wing-bar thrill without the mess or the takeout cost.
  • Blue cheese lovers will find their happy place here, and even skeptics tend to come around once they taste how it balances the heat.
02 -
  • Don't let the chicken sit too long in the hot sauce after it's cooled completely, or it starts to get soggy instead of glistening—timing is everything.
  • If your blue cheese dressing is too thick or your ranch too thin, they won't coat the salad properly, so taste as you go and adjust the amount accordingly.
03 -
  • Cook your chicken on slightly lower heat if your kitchen runs hot—chicken breasts are forgiving up to a point, but they dry out fast once they overcook.
  • Keep your blue cheese cold until the last possible moment, so it doesn't melt into the dressing and disappear; you want those flavor pockets intact.
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