While I enjoy fine dining establishments and restaurants with Michelin stars, I’m just as happy — sometimes even more so — to grab a meal at the random pub down the street. My favorite thing to order? Buffalo wings. The main reason: They’re nearly impossible to mess up. A great Buffalo wing features crisp skin with juicy, succulent meat, but even a mediocre one is still pretty good thanks to the bright, vinegary tang and mild heat of the sauce that makes it hard to stop at just a few.
I would eat Buffalo wings every day if my doctor said it was okay. That’s where this Buffalo chicken salad comes in. No, it’s not a health food, by any means, but the addition of romaine lettuce, carrots, celery and cucumber makes it at least somewhat nutritionally better than simply eating wings dunked in blue cheese or ranch dressing.
This recipe starts, of course, with the chicken. To lean into the bar snack inspiration, I decided to marinate pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast in a simple mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce before breading and frying them to create a crispy, craggy crust. I understand that the mere idea of frying might be enough to turn people off from wanting to make this recipe at home, but don’t stop reading just yet! When frying a small amount, such as for this recipe, I like to grab a saucepan instead of a larger pot, so that I don’t need to use nearly as much oil, making it that much easier to deal with when you’re done cooking.
But there are also plenty of alternatives if you want to streamline this step.
Instead of breading and frying your own chicken — the only real work involved in this recipe — buy frozen pre-breaded chicken nuggets or tenders and cook them according to the package directions to save time. Or you can cut out the breading altogether by sauteing the chicken chunks or using rotisserie or other precooked chicken. And while this is a Buffalo chicken salad, the emphasis here is much more on the “Buffalo” than the “chicken,” so use plant-based nuggets, cauliflower, chickpeas or tofu if you want to skip the meat.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the sauce.
Buffalo sauce is simply a Cajun or cayenne pepper hot sauce mixed with a bit of butter for richness and to help temper the spice. Ask just about anyone which hot sauce belongs on wings, and they’ll say Frank’s RedHot, which is practically synonymous with all things Buffalo. (However, it does contain a good deal of sodium, so those looking to watch their intake can use less or try to find a lower-sodium alternative.)
Shredded carrots and sliced celery in the salad add to the bar vibes, while romaine and chopped cucumbers contribute even more crunch. Perhaps the biggest decision you have to make when preparing this recipe is which dressing to use: blue cheese or ranch?
After much consideration, I’ve determined that blue cheese makes the better pairing as I find that its funk complements the tangy spice of the sauce oh so beautifully for an explosion of flavor. But, as always, you do you.
