Buffalo Chicken Salad

I am nearing the end of my first full week at home in…well…weeks. And it has been wonderful.

Without a doubt, getting to spend the majority of the summer on the road traveling to various places has been a complete privilege and a blast. After being in a job with hardly any vacation time — let alone travel — for 7 years, it has been a thrill to hop from place to place for work, and also to have the flexibility with self-employment to throw a few purely “vacation” trips to see friends and family in there. But I think I am learning that as much as I am a complete traveler at heart, I am also quite equally a homebody.

Quite simply, I love being home.

I love waking up in the morning next to a snuggly pup, and hitting the snooze buttons to soak in a few extra minutes of the warm sunshine beaming through my east window. I love the dance of trying to create two or three new recipes a day in my tiny kitchen, stacking ingredients and dishes expertly high so that my laptop can have its designated counter space to blast music or episodes of Arrested Development while I work. I love that my friends are a minutes (or even a floor) away, and love spontaneous Trader Joe’s runs and rooftop wine nights and deep-hilarious-honest-challenging-encouraging conversations as much as I do. I love that my coffee shop next door feels like a second home, and that my work time there is always wonderfully interrupted by conversations with friends new and old.

And as much as I love eating new food and new places out on the road, I love being able to cook what I want at home.

So when the buffalo craving hit recently, I happened to be home in Kansas City and ran to the grocery store to make it happen.

Since it’s summer and my fridge is filled with greens, I decided to just make a simple fresh buffalo chicken salad. I’m sure this has been done plenty of times on the blogosphere before, but it was new to my kitchen. But I have a feeling this salad may turn into a staple before long. It was just as comforting as I’d hoped!

Fresh Romaine lettuce is tossed in a yummy Greek yogurt blue cheese dressing. And then all of the buffalo classics — spicy chicken, blue cheese, chopped celery and green onions — are sprinkled on top. Oh, and yes you might have spied some avocado in there. I couldn’t resist. ;)

I’m still definitely looking forward to the great meals and memories that are yet to come in my travels this summer. But as a Kansas girl, I can’t help but say it. There really is no place like home.

(Especially with this buffalo chicken salad is on my table.)  ;)

Buffalo Chicken Salad

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Makes: 2 -4 servings

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Buffalo chicken ingredients make for a tasty fresh salad!

Ingredients

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Salad Ingredients:

• 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. cayenne hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s)
• 8 cups roughly-chopped Romaine lettuce
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• crumbled blue cheese
• Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe below)

Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• pinch each of cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper
• (optional: a tablespoon or two of milk to thin the dressing, if needed)

Instructions

To Make The Salad:

• ▢
  Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound to even thickness, about 1/2-inch thick. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• ▢
  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a plate to rest for at least 5 minutes. Cut into strips or bite-sized pieces, then toss chicken with your desired amount of buffalo sauce.
• ▢
  Meanwhile, toss together lettuce, celery, scallions and avocado with the Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing until combined. Serve topped with the buffalo chicken.

To Make The Dressing:

• ▢
  Whisk all ingredients together until combined. Stir in a little extra milk if needed to thin.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!