This grilled Buffalo chicken salad is BIG on flavor with a spicy, homemade Buffalo sauce- made with just 4 simple ingredients!
Buffalo chicken is one of my FAVORITE salads!!! Ok…so my favorite salad has recently been discontinued at McDonald’s…*tear…
But, Buffalo chicken salad is a very very close second. There is- So. Much. Flavor. Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of most dressings. I prefer when a salad has enough elements going on that a sauce isn’t even needed. Plus, they tend to have a few unhealthy ingredients or people add so much that the lettuce begins to drown. Gross.
In addition to the flavor, hot sauce also has NO calories! Well, maybe not all hot sauces…but the vast majority should be very low in calories. Then, we’re just going to add some lime juice, butter, and brown sugar. In addition, I make a little extra sauce to act as a dressing, if needed.
For some saltiness and crunch, I also made my own tortilla strips. You can use pre-made tortilla strips or broken tortilla chips.
Ingredients in Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad
Olive Oil
Chicken Breast
Chicken Broth
Hot Sauce
Lime Juice
Butter
Brown Sugar
Romaine or Mixed Greens
Shredded Carrots
Bell Pepper
Shredded Cheese
Small Tortillas
What is Buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is hot sauce plus a fat, usually butter. This creates a creamy sauce, perfect for meat and veggies! For this salad, Buffalo sauce coats the chicken strips. In addition, more Buffalo sauce can be used as the dressing.
35 minutes
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 c. water or chicken broth
- 1/2 c. hot sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp. butter (or plant butter), melted
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 5 oz. romaine or mixed salad greens
- 1/2 c. shredded carrots
- 1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 corn tortillas
- Optional: shredded cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, brown each side for about 3-5 minutes. Next, pour in the water/broth, cover and continue cooking. For tenderloin, this will only take 3-4 minutes. For thicker chicken breasts, this will take around 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the hot sauce, lime juice, butter, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Brush olive oil on each side of the tortillas. Season with salt, then slice into strips. Place in a small skillet over low-medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.
- Allow the chicken to cool before slicing. Meanwhile, pour about 2/3 of the hot sauce into the skillet and allow to bubble for 3-4 minutes. Next, add the sliced chicken and stir until well-coated.
- Top salad greens with shredded carrots, pepper strips, cheese, Buffalo chicken, and tortilla strips. Use the extra hot sauce mixture as a dressing, if needed.