You’ve had buffalo wings. You’ve had sad desk salads. This is neither. This crispy buffalo chicken salad puts cornflake-crusted chicken tenders baked until genuinely crunchy, tossed in hot sauce on top of a bed of romaine, fresh vegetables, and the best avocado ranch you’ll ever make. It comes together in 30 minutes, delivers 34 grams of protein per serving, and has been our most-requested dinner salad for good reason.
Looking for more chicken salad ideas? Try crispy chicken salad or a BBQ chicken salad next. Or if buffalo chicken is your thing, buffalo chicken chili is worth bookmarking too.
The crunch is the whole point here. The cornflake crust creates a crispy exterior that stays crunchy even after you toss it in sauce something breadcrumbs alone can’t pull off. The avocado ranch is there to cool things down. It’s the kind of dinner that tastes like you ordered it somewhere good.
It’s been our mission to make the flavorful filling, and crisp salads, like our grilled peach salad and grilled zucchini salad, that pack in nourishing vegetables.
Everyone is buffalo chicken obsessed around here. Our dairy-free buffalo chicken dip is one of the most popular recipes on our website and everyone loves buffalo chicken pasta, buffalo chicken meatballs, and buffalo chicken zucchini boats too.
This salad is like healthy boneless buffalo wings on top of a bed of your favorite salad toppings. I used the crispy chicken from these hot honey chicken tenders as the base for this recipe and coated them in buffalo sauce. While the chicken is baking, assemble the salad and make the dressing in 20 minutes or less.
Love buffalo chicken? Try buffalo chicken chili, buffalo chicken stuffed peppers, or buffalo chicken casserole next.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s what goes into this crispy buffalo chicken salad. The full recipe with exact measurements is in the card below.
- Chicken tenders: I use tenders because they’re all roughly the same size, which means they cook evenly and come out perfectly juicy. Chicken breast works too but takes longer and has more room for error. In a real pinch, rotisserie chicken tossed with buffalo sauce gets the job done just know you’re trading the crunch.
- Spices: this bold blend of spices coats the chicken before it’s baked. It includes smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Crushed cornflakes and flour: This is the key to the crunch. Cornflakes create a coarser, crispier crust than regular breadcrumbs — one that actually holds up after you toss the chicken in sauce. We use gluten-free flour and pear-sweetened cornflakes, but any plain cornflakes work.
- Eggs: a few eggs act as the binder to hold the cornflakes in place on the outside of the chicken.
- Lettuce or mixed greens: Romaine lettuce is the base for the salad and adds crunch and nutrition. See the section below for other options.
- Fresh vegetables and herbs: veggies add nutrients, color, and crunch to the salad, while herbs add a ton of fresh flavor. We used carrots, bell peppers, red onion, green onion, and chives.
- Avocado: the creamy, cooling texture and flavor balances out the spicy buffalo chicken. It also adds healthy fats and fiber to keep you full.
- Blue cheese crumbles: This adds a creamy, tangy flavor to the salad and pairs well with the spicy buffalo chicken. It’s optional if you want to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Buffalo sauce: buffalo is one of everyone’s favorite wing sauces for good reason, but there’s several brands you can choose from. Coating thee crispy chicken in Primal Kitchen Buffalo sauce is our favorite way to serve it (it’s the best hot sauce IMO), but you can use any hot sauce, like Frank’s.
- Dressing: skip down to the recipe card for the most delicious avocado ranch dressing. You could also make homemade whole30 ranch dressing, store bought ranch, or any other creamy dressing to offset the spicy chicken.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Salad
Here’s how to make it. The full recipe is in the card below.
Start by preparing the dredging station for the crispy buffalo chicken. Place 3 medium bowls next to a parchment lined baking sheet. Fill one with the flour and spices, one with beaten eggs and the last with the crush corn flakes.
Place the chicken tenders in the flour mixture and turn to coat them, then place them in the egg to fully coat both sides too. Transfer them to the cornflake mixture, turning to coat completely, and arrange the chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with all of the chicken tenders and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, leaving 5-10 degrees for carryover cooking.
While the chicken is cooking, assemble the salad. Add the shredded romaine and cabbage to a large bowl and stir to mix. Top it with chopped celery, red pepper, shredded carrots, red onion, and avocado.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and immediately cover it in buffalo sauce. Turn it in the sauce a few times to coat it then add the chicken on top of the salad. You can also dice the chicken into cubes and serve it that way.
Finish with crumbled blue cheese, if using, thinly sliced green onion, and chopped chives. Drizzle the salad with the creamy avocado ranch dressing or serve the salad and have individuals dress it separately.
Tip
The cornflake coating needs direct heat contact to get crispy. Don’t crowd the pan. Give each tender its own space on the baking sheet.
Expert Tips
- Crush the cornflakes by hand, not in a blender. You want pieces, not dust. Larger cornflake shards create more texture and surface area for crunch.
- Bake at high heat. 425°F is the right temperature here. Lower heat means steam instead of crunch.
- Toss the chicken in sauce the moment it comes out of the oven. The hot surface absorbs the sauce faster and the crust stays crispier longer.
- Garnish with fresh herbs: Fresh herbs, such as chives and green onion, can add a burst of flavor and color to the salad. Definitely worth the add to set this salad apart.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. Pull the chicken at 160°F. Carryover cooking will bring it to 165°F. This is the difference between juicy and dry.
Recipe Variations & Modifications
Make them lettuce wraps: swap the bowl for a wrap! Use butter lettuce instead of romaine and place the buffalo chicken inside it with all of the fresh veggies and toppings. Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy!
Fresh greens: try another green, like spinach or arugula, or a mix of them all.
More veggies: use up whatever veggies you have left in the fridge, you can’t go wrong with ingredients like snap peas, shredded brussels sprouts, chopped broccoli or green peppers.
Quick chicken: grab a rotisserie chicken, or leftover chicken, and toss it with your favorite wing sauce.
Don’t like bleu cheese crumbles? Skip it all altogether or try another cheese like cheddar or feta.
Use store-bought dressing: swap the avocado ranch for a blue cheese dressing, classic ranch dressing, or dairy-free ranch dressing (we like Primal Kitchen), if needed.
Recipe FAQs
Yes shred the rotisserie chicken and toss it with buffalo sauce. You lose the crunch but it’s still a solid salad. The whole recipe comes together in about 10 minutes that way.
The homemade avocado ranch in this recipe is the move the fat from the avocado and the cool, herby flavor cut the heat perfectly. Blue cheese dressing is the classic pairing and also works well. For store-bought, Primal Kitchen ranch is our go-to.
Yes. Store the cooked chicken separately from the salad and dressing. The chicken stays great in the fridge for up to 4 days cold; it’s actually delicious that way and doesn’t need to be reheated.
Toss the chicken in sauce immediately after it comes out of the oven and serve it right away. The longer it sits in the sauce, the more it softens. For meal prep, store the chicken without sauce and toss just before serving.
Each serving has 34 grams of protein from the chicken tenders and Greek yogurt in the dressing.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Hearty Salad Recipes
- BBQ chicken salad with cilantro Lime Ranch
- Tomato peach burrata salad
- Crispy chicken salad
- Curry chicken salad
Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken Tenders
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour gluten-free if needed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes (we used Nature’s Path Gluten-Free pear-sweetened corn flakes)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: smoked paprika and kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder and onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup buffalo sauce (we like Primal Kitchen or Frank Red Hot)
Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing
- 1 medium avocado
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, coconut cream or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup milk or almond milk plus more if needed
Buffalo Chicken Salad
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce shredded
- 1 cup shredded cabbage or coleslaw
- 3 celery ribs sliced and chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 thinly sliced red onion
- 2 avocados sliced
- 3 thinly sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles or shredded cheddar cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the crispy chicken: Set up your dredging station with three bowls: flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, and the remaining flour mixed with cornflakes and spices in the third. Crush the cornflakes by hand into uneven pieces — you want texture, not fine crumbs.
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour mixture then place them in the egg to fully coat both sides and then place them corn flake mixture, turning to coast completely. Repeat the process with all of the chicken tenders and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheat oven for 12-15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, leaving 5-10 degrees for carryover cooking. Remove the chicken from the oven and immediately toss them in your favorite buffalo sauce.
- Make the dressing: While the chicken is baking, make the dressing, if using. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a jar and set aside.
- Assemble the salad: add the shredded romaine and cabbage to a large salad bowl and stir to mix. Top it with chopped celery, shredded carrots, red onion and avocado.
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and immediately cover it in buffalo sauce. Turn it in the sauce a few time to coat it.
- Place the whole tenders on top of the salad or cut the chicken up into bite size pieces and arrange them on top. Finish with crumbled blue cheese, if using, thinly sliced green onion and chopped chives. Drizzle the salad with the prepared dressing or serve the salad and have individuals dress it separately.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Awesome! Had to use almond flour but turned out perfect & looks like pic! ❤️❤️❤️