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This buffalo chicken salad recipe makes an easy meal prep chicken salad to make for lunches on-the-go (or you know, just at your desk). It’s got all of the classic buffalo wing flavors you love — ranch, blue cheese, celery, shredded chicken, and of course, buffalo sauce!
And if you love buffalo chicken flavors, be sure to try my baked buffalo chicken, buffalo zucchini boats, or Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip next time.
What Is Buffalo Chicken Salad?
Buffalo chicken salad is like a classic chicken salad — but with the flavor of buffalo wings.
Why You’ll Love This Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
- Classic buffalo flavors
- Tender chicken, crunchy celery, and overall creamy texture
- Takes just 10 minutes to make
- Great make-ahead meal or meal prep option
- Naturally healthy, low carb, keto, gluten free
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best buffalo chicken salad ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Shredded Chicken Breast – I like to make my own in the pressure cooker, but you can also shred rotisserie chicken from the store to make things really easy.
- Ranch Dressing – I think making it from scratch tastes the best (my homemade ranch is made with simple ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs, and spices), but you can also use prepared ranch. If you really love blue cheese, you can sub blue cheese dressing instead.
- Blue Cheese – Use a high quality blue cheese crumbles for best flavor. Buying a block and crumbling it yourself will result in better flavor, but buying crumbles is easier. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, shredded cheddar cheese would also pair well with the other flavors.
- Buffalo Sauce – Use a classic buffalo sauce like Frank’s Red Hot sauce for the classic flavor.
- Celery – Diced finely. Not a fan of celery? Red onions make a good sub for crunch.
- Green Onions – This garnish adds light flavor. You could also use chives instead.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
This section shows how to make this salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Mix salad. In a large bowl, mix together shredded chicken, ranch dressing, blue cheese, buffalo sauce, celery, and green onions. You can adjust salt and pepper to taste, but I typically find this not necessary, since the other ingredients provide plenty of saltiness and heat.
- Chill. Place the salad in fridge until ready to eat. Drizzle with extra buffalo wing sauce if desired.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep this salad in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: There are two options for meal prepping this salad.
- Make shredded chicken a few days ahead and assemble salad before serving.
- Make entire buffalo chicken salad and prep in portioned containers for a meal on-the-go.
Serving Suggestions
- Lettuce Wraps – My favorite option! Butter lettuce (a.k.a. bibb lettuce) or romaine lettuce works best.
- Sandwiches – Make a buffalo chicken salad sandwich using your favorite bread. My bread of choice is this keto sandwich bread, but any kind that fits your lifestyle is great.
- Greens – Serve the salad on a bed of greens, with extra ranch dressing.
- Dip – Scoop the spicy chicken salad with your favorite chips, crackers, or veggies like mini bell peppers, carrots, or celery.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
If you like this buffalo ranch chicken salad, you might also like some of these other chicken and tuna salad recipes:
Tools To Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Meal Prep Salad Bowls – Take this spicy buffalo chicken salad on-the-go with these meal prep bowls.
- Instant Pot – Easily whip up the chicken for this salad in the pressure cooker, so many ways to use it!
Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe (10 Minutes!)
This creamy, easy buffalo chicken salad recipe is made with just 6 ingredients and takes just 10 minutes to throw together. Great for lunch meal prep!
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In a large bowl, add the shredded chicken, ranch dressing, blue cheese, buffalo sauce, diced celery, and green onions. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
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Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat, which will help the flavors develop.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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4 Comments
Sarah Williams
0I made this recipe for my daughter and she loved it. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing this.😊
Agnes
0I love anything buffalo flavored! This is tasty and great for making ahead of time for a quick lunch. Thank you!
Kristyn
0Yum!! Love this buffalo chicken salad! It has tons of flavor & isn’t too spicy!
Taylor
0This is so easy to make and so delicious! Perfect to make for lunches throughout the week. Love serving with lettuce wraps or on top of a big salad!