Skinny Buffalo Chicken Salad

I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of a great entree salad.  As far back as I can remember, my mother always made the best salads.  She would pile up the best mix of stuff imaginable.  Now here we are with spring and summer looming, which is when everyone seems to really be on the salad train. Salads are an excellent way to get in extra veggies, mix and match textures, and try some of your favorite flavors in new combinations - like this recipe! If you are a fan of buffalo chicken wings but are looking for a healthier lunch or dinner, keep reading! 

Who doesn't love that tangy heat of the buffalo sauce paired with the cool, creamy ranch and blue cheese dips and the crunchy sides that are served along with this super popular appetizer?!  Well you can have all of those awesome flavors right here in this great salad.  I know so many people who are doing their best to cook clean, using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.  So I kept that in mind with this recipe makeover.  I've used no/low/reduced fat options, Greek yogurt, lean protein, took out the fried component of the traditional buffalo chicken, and piled up the fresh veggies! 

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Ingredients: (2 salads)

• 1 medium onion
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 individually packaged chicken breasts
• about the size and thickness of your palm
• Kosher salt
• Restaurant style black pepper
• Spanish style paprika 
• Cooking spray
• Buffalo sauce
• I used Moore's (use your favorite kind)
• Romaine lettuce mix
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut thin on bias
• 1 celery stalk, cleaned and cut thin on bias
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1/3 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half 
• 1/2 cup reduced fat blue cheese crumbles 

Dressing

• 6 oz container fat free plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup 2 % milk (or whatever you have on hand)
• 2 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch mix packet
• if you prefer to not use a mix, you could sub juice of a lemon and a bunch of herbs - chives, parsley, dill, etc., plus salt and pepper. 

Step-by-Step:

Tip -  If you are doing your meal prep for the week, you can totally do all these components ahead of time and store them separately for a salad that comes together as quickly as it takes you to grab each component out of the containers!  You will be the brown bag lunch envy of the office!

Let's get that onion caramelizing first.  It takes the longest.  We won't need or use it all, but the rest of it can be saved in the fridge for another meal.  The sweetness of the caramelized onions work so well to balance the tanginess and the heat of the buffalo sauce!  Peel and slice a yellow onion into thin rings and cook over low-medium low with 1 Tbsp butter until very soft and caramelized and sweet.  I used a non-stick pan for this.

1 medium onion + 1 Tbsp butter

While the onions are cooking, lets get our chicken breasts seasoned and ready to cook.  I used these individually packaged, antibiotic free chicken breasts.  They tend to be a more reasonable size than the gargantuan sized (almost turkey sized) breasts that come in some packs, and therefore a normal serving each.    Pick your seasonings, but I dried them off on paper towels, then seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and spanish style paprika.  

kosher salt + black pepper + spanish style paprika

Then I turned the chicken over, cut them into bite sized pieces and seasoned the other side.  I'm not frying or using more fat to cook them in, so I want them to be flavorful.

season side #2

Let's check those onions.  After they are done, we can just remove them to bowl, wipe out the pan and use it to cook the chicken.  (If you are on a severely carbohydrate restricted diet, you may choose to omit the onions and carrots from this recipe.)

Here are our caramelized onions

Before we get to the chicken (which will cook super quickly), let's make this dressing.  

Dressing - 

Let's start with a base of 6 oz plain Greek yogurt.  It's fat free - that's a plus.  It also has twice the amount of protein of American yogurt - double plus!  

6 oz carton of fat free, plain Greek yogurt

I'll add a 1/2 cup of milk.  We have 2% reduced fat milk in the fridge.  Use what you have or prefer.  I used milk to thin it out.  

1/2 cup 2% reduced fat milk

Now to season up our dressing, I'm going to add 2 Tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (from a packet).  If you prefer to not use this, you could add in some finely chopped herbs (like parsley, dill and chives... and salt/pepper) and perhaps the juice of a lemon.   I was going for convenience here - and I happen to enjoy the flavor of the mix.

*As always, my recipes are a reflection of what I have cooked. Please use them as a concept.  If you would like to use something you prefer or something that fits your lifestyle, preference, or diet better, please do so.  

2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix

Okay folks, I think it's time to cook our chicken pieces now.  Don't blink!  Over medium to medium-high heat, spray the same pan that you used for the onions with some cooking spray and "pan grill" the chicken on both sides until just done.  These will cook very quickly, so please watch and don't overcook them and allow them to dry out.  

Add cooking spray to nonstick pan over medium to medium-high heat

Add seasoned chicken pieces to hot pan

Once you have the chicken in the pan, start heating about a cup or so of the buffalo sauce in a small saucepan of low heat.

Heat buffalo sauce over low heat

 Careful! The chicken pieces are just about ready!  

These cook in only a few minutes!

Once the chicken are just cooked through, add them to the warm buffalo sauce, toss to coat them in the sauce, and turn off the heat.

buffalo sauce + cooked chicken pieces

coated chicken in the buffalo sauce

While the chicken is hanging out in the warm buffalo sauce, let's build the salad.  There is NO "down" time in the recipe.  Not a speck of time where you are just standing there waiting to do something.  That's how fast this goes.  

I used a romaine mix, then added all the things I enjoy with buffalo wings - crunchy carrots (sliced very thin), celery (very thin), cucumbers (matchsticks), the buffalo chicken pieces, sweet baby grape tomatoes cut in half, crumbled low fat blue cheese, some of those sweet caramelized onions, then drizzled some of our dressing over the top!  

This salad is SWEET - SOUR - SPICY - TANGY - CRUNCHY - SMOOTH - HOT and COOL!

........and SKINNY!  😄

Written Method:

• Peel and slice a yellow onion into thin rings and cook over low-medium low with 1 Tbsp butter until very soft and caramelized and sweet.  I used a non-stick pan for this.
• While the onions are cooking, get the chicken breasts seasoned and ready to cook with kosher salt, black pepper, and spanish style paprika.  
• Turn the chicken over, cut them into bite sized pieces and season the other side.
• Let's check those onions.  After they are done remove them to bowl, wipe out the pan and use it to cook the chicken.  
• Before we get to the chicken, let's make this dressing.  

Dressing - 

• Let's start with a base of 6 oz plain Greek yogurt.  
• Add a 1/2 cup of milk.  
• Add 2 Tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (from a packet).  If you prefer to not use this, you could add in some finely chopped herbs (like parsley, dill and chives... and salt/pepper) and perhaps the juice of a lemon.  

Chicken - 

• It's time to cook our chicken pieces now.  Over medium to medium-high heat, spray the same pan that you used for the onions with some cooking spray and "pan grill" the chicken on both sides until just done.  These will cook very quickly, so please watch and don't overcook them and allow them to dry out.  
• Once you have the chicken in the pan, start heating about a cup or so of the buffalo sauce in a small saucepan of low heat.
• Once the chicken are just cooked through, add them to the warm buffalo sauce, toss to coat them in the sauce, and turn off the heat.
• While the chicken is hanging out in the warm buffalo sauce, let's build the salad.  
• I used a romaine mix, then added all the things I enjoy with buffalo wings - crunchy carrots (sliced very thin), celery (very thin), cucumbers (matchsticks), the buffalo chicken pieces, sweet baby grape tomatoes cut in half, crumbled low fat blue cheese, some of those sweet caramelized onions, then drizzled some of our dressing over the top!  

This salad is SWEET - SOUR - SPICY - TANGY - CRUNCHY - SMOOTH - HOT & COOL!

........and SKINNY!  😄

Bonus Recipes

As always, here are some Bonus Recipes I hope you might enjoy.  

BLT Buffalo Chicken Wrap
A brown bag lunch wrap version of this salad.  Perfect for picnics and hiking and your kids leftover chicken strips.  (Does that sound familiar?)

Coconut Lime Chicken

A Indonesian inspired favorite of my teens and their friends!

New Orleans Praline Brownies

When you need something to bring to the party... but don't expect to bring anything home!

Black Iron Skillet Deep Dish Pizza

Because we ALL have a black iron skillet.  And this is a FABULOUS use it!  Even better, pick up some dough on the way home from your local pizza joint which makes it even faster.

Mojito Lime Mahi Mahi Tacos with Citrus Slaw

Make extra of these if you expect to get any if you have teenagers in the house! Perfect for the grilling and outdoor season ahead of us.

Classic Cobb Salad

Hi there everybody!  Gosh, I know you all think I've dropped off of the face of the Earth. How do I know?  Because my mother keeps reminding me.  I'm terribly sorry that I've neglected you recently, but my... ahem... plate has been even more full than normal in the last couple of months.  You want to know what's been going on?  Well... In the middle of September, I opened a cafe called Asiago!  YES!  You heard that right, folks!  All of this hard work on the blog for the last 5 and half years was bound to lead to something, right?  And then to throw the cookbook in the mix.  So I've been working my tushie off lately and haven't had time to really put new things on the blog.  If any of you are bloggers, you know that each post requires hours of shooting, editing photos, writing the blog, etc., and I just haven't had it available.  I hope you will understand.  

Here's one of the salads we do at the cafe.  It's a Classic Cobb Salad.  The cobb has been around since the depression era mid-1930's, so I definitely think that classifies it as an enduring "classic."  We serve it with our house made Creamy Peppercorn Ranch that everyone really loves.   I hope you'll enjoy it, as well.  It's full of great protein and will definitely leave you feeling satisfied.   Please forgive the lack of step-by-step photos, but all you do is assemble the salad.  The recipe link for the dressing is embedded and does come with full photos.  :)  

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Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Avocados, sliced or diced
• Grape tomatoes, sliced 
• Crumbled blue cheese
• Crumbled crispy bacon
• Hard boiled eggs, sliced or diced
• Grilled chicken, in bite sized pieces  
• Creamy Peppercorn Ranch

Creamy peppercorn ranch dressing

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/3 c freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano
• (or Romano)
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ~ 1 medium lemon
• 2 Tbsp milk (full fat)
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

*For the step-by-step photos of making the dressing, please click the link provided.   But all you do is throw everything into a food processor or blender to combine.  You can do this ahead of time and have the dressing refrigerated.   For the salad, put the Romaine first, then add everything else in pretty rows, or however you would like to present it.  

*Food Nerd Notes - The Cobb Salad was named for its creator, Robert Cobb, the manager of the Brown Derby restaurant in LA.  It was a hit with all of the figure-conscious starlets, who just wanted something to pick at.  Being that it was during the depression, the salad ingredients would have all been something that could have come from the backyard (the chicken, the eggs, the produce, etc), and the blue cheese would have given it a touch of something glamorous and may have been locally produced, or something the hostess could have splurged on. 

Bye for now, my friends.  I do hope things will normalize soon and get into a better pattern so that I can get back to a better routine.  

Here's a glimpse of how it was just before we opened.  I hesitated to put all this on here, but again, my mother said, "Your readers want to know what the heck you've been up to!"  So here it is.  It's an intimate little place that seats only about 20 customers at a time, with tables made from repurposed wood (from old barges that once floated down the mighty Mississippi River) on one side, wine barrel tables on the other side.  You might notice our cute cheese grater lights hanging up in the corner of the photo.  :)  And everything seems to have an Old World feel to it.  We have cheeses from all over the world as well as domestic cheese from all around the US; and we have a limited lunch menu of gourmet salads, sandwiches, soups... that sort of thing.  

Okay.  I'm done with boring you about the cafe.  Thanks for giving me the leeway to do it.  Check y'all later!  

I hope you enjoyed this fabulous and easy recipe!

There are hundreds more in my Recipe Index, just waiting to be chosen and cooked!  You can also visit my Film strips for pinning page, to see whole recipes at a glance, and to click-and-go right to the recipe.

Connect with me.     

If you are new to MenuMusings, click here to subscribe so you won't miss a thing!  I'll send you notifications of new posts to help you avoid that proverbial cooking rut.  You can also follow me on Pinterest and on the MenuMusings facebook page.

Order a copy of the Menu Musings Cookbook!

You can also visit my YouTube page to check out short cooking video tutorials.Here is an example of one for Coconut Lime Chicken!  YUM!!  Just click the picture and view it right in this page.

Here are some bonus recipes for you:
Mozzarella Caprese Skewers

Beef Wellington with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Black Pepper Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Funky Monkey Morning Smoothies

Mahogany Glazed Chicken

Oreo Heath Bar Cake

Southwestern Beef Salad with Creamy Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Okay, now THIS was a shock to me.... This creamy peppercorn vinaigrette was a big hit at our house! I really thought that the majority of my family would be reaching for the standard ranch dressing, and that I was making this for myself; but as it turned out, even the kids loved it!  Whaaat?!  My six year old said "Oh mom, I LOVE this new ranch dressing you made!"  HaHa.... Well... Ummmm... Okay! Let's just go with that!  And the best part is that all you have to do is throw the ingredients together in a food processor or blender and give it a whirl until its all combined.  You probably have all these things in the refrigerator already.  After that, you can refrigerate it (covered) for about a week and it's still mighty delicious.  :)

My friend Barb was going out for her birthday a while back and we were discussing the restaurant.  I looked up the menu and saw a salad similar to this calling out my name from like 900 miles away. That didn't seem to be a viable option for me, so I set about the business of creating my own version. I love a good hearty hearty salad with a mix of lean proteins and lots of different flavors and textures. I get that trait from my mother, who is the best salad maker ever.  If you aren't a big salad fan, the marinated beef can be made into quesadillas (that's what my kids had), tacos or nachos, and the dressing can be used for as many things as you can dream up. 

What's great about this salad, is that it lends itself SO WELL to making up all the components ahead of time, and then putting them all together when you are ready for a pretty quick dinner.  

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:  

Creamy peppercorn vinaigrette

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/3 c freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ~ 1 medium lemon
• 2 Tbsp milk (full fat)
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Southwestern beef salad 

• grilled, chimichurri marinated flank steak (or skirt steak)
• black bean and corn salsa (follow link)
• grated pepper jack cheese
• roasted red pepper peppers and onions 
• creamy peppercorn vinaigrette 
• Romaine salad blend

Argentinean chimichurri sauce* (see food nerd notes)

• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 6 - 8 cloves garlic
• 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• juice from 1/2 of 1 large lime
• 2 Tbsp diced red onion
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Step-by-Step:

Vinaigrette - 

Add everything to a food processor or blender and combine.  You can make this ahead of time and have it ready in the refrigerator.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 c freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano

 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 

 2 Tbsp milk (full fat) 

 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

2 medium garlic cloves, rough chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

 Mix to combine.

And here it is!  So creamy... All you need is a lovely veggie tray and you could be all set for dipping!

Chimichurri - 

We are going to use this Argentinean "sauce" as a marinade for our beef.   The directions are the same as the vinaigrette.  Add everything to a blender and give it whirl until it is combined to your satisfaction.

If you aren't a cilantro fan, feel free to use all parsley rather than half and half cilantro and parsley.

1/2 bunch cilantro 

6 - 8 cloves garlic

(oops!  Forgot to photograph.... 1/2 bunch parsley as well as cilantro)

 2 Tbsp diced red onion 

You will get more juice from that lime if you heat it up first in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then roll it under firm pressure on cabinet before cutting it.

juice from 1/2 of 1 large lime

1/4 c red wine vinegar 

3/4 c extra virgin olive oil 

1  tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper 

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Now blend.....

Note - If you are going to use the chimichurri as a condiment for your meat, and NOT a marinade, I would not blend it.  I would put it in a food processor and just pulse it until you get it to a sort of chunky salsa consistency.  But that was not my intended use here.  

Marinate the flank steak in the chimichurri in a ziptop bag for at least an hour or so.  You can definitely leave it in there for more.  Now just wait a second, dang it!  If I had intended upon someone coming in and picking up the camera, I would have at least NOT used a autumn leaves apron in the Winter! ... I could have at least made an attempt to MATCH or something!  ... but this is just a regular, after work day.  This is how we roll, folks!  :)

Add the chimichurri sauce to your flank steak to get this party started.  The great part about putting it in a zip top bag is that it's easier to ensure it is contact with all the meat at the same time.  And then when you're done, you just toss it out!

You'll want to make sure you squish out all the excess air from the bag before putting it in the fridge.

Here we go.  Just throw it somewhere in the fridge.  The other great thing about the bag is that is squishes in tight spots (as opposed to a bowl).

For the salad - 

Make a quick black bean and corn salsa.  Yum!  This is one of my favorite snacks... and it's super healthy!  Follow the link provided.  This one is also best if you do it ahead of time, which would be a time saver for you when it comes time to put dinner together. 

Saute the onions and red bell peppers.  

You can save some time by using roasted red peppers from a jar.  TaDA!!  After your onions are mostly cooked down, add them together and let them finish heating up and caramelizing.  

On a screaming hot grill, remove the marinated flank steak from the chimichurri and grill on both sides until you achieve your desired level of doneness.  My husband grilled ours, and we generally prefer a medium amount of doneness on ours.  When you take your steak off the grill, you will want to let it rest several minutes.  This will give you an opportunity to start assembling your salad.

Let them REST!

Assemble your salad as you wish, but I started with a bed of romaine lettuce, shredded pepper jack cheese, grilled onions and peppers, your thin slices of grilled beef, some of that beautiful black bean and corn salsa, and finally - the creamy peppercorn vinaigrette.  

With flank steak or skirt steak, it is very important that you cut very THIN strips of meat, and that you cut them AGAINST the grain of the beef.  If the meat is running top to bottom, you want to cut left to right.  If you cut in the same direction as the meat is running, you will probably not be able to chew it!  Also, I recommend that you not cut with your knife straight up and down, but at about a 45 degree angle.  You want the fibers of the meat to be very short.  This is an inexpensive, tough cut of beef that we are trying to trick into being tender.  :)

THAT, my friends, is ONE HECK of a salad!  We've got crunch, creamy, smooth, smoky, sweet, oh my!! This one will never be considered "rabbit food" by any one's stretch of the imagination.

Food Nerd Notes - Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is one of the most delicious and most versatile sauces around.  It is an sauce or condiment of Argentinean origin similar to pesto that is similar throughout South America.  The basic version uses fresh parley (although cilantro is often found as well), oregano, garlic, oil and vinegar and a little bit of chili pepper, though the variations on the theme are endless.  In Argentina it is used both as a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak, but can be used with fish, chicken or even pasta. The flavor has been described as "like running your steak through a fresh garden" and is absolutely delightful.

I hope you enjoyed this amazingly delicious recipe!

There are hundreds more in my Recipe Index, just waiting to be chosen and cooked!  You can also visit my Film strips for pinning page, to see whole recipes at a glance, and to click-and-go right to the recipe.

The Menu Musings cookbook is sure to be a hit at your house, and make great gifts all year long!  For more information, here is a link!

Order your copy of the Menu Musings Cookbook! 

Connect with me.    

If you are new to MenuMusings, click here to subscribe so you won't miss a thing!  I'll send you notifications of new posts to help you avoid that proverbial cooking rut.  You can also follow me on Pinterest and on the MenuMusings facebook page.

You can also follow along to several Menu Musings recipes on YouTube with these short video tutorials.  Here's one example for Fire Roasted Corn Guacamole!  YUM!

Here are some bonus recipes for you:

Cranberry Orange Muffins with Brown Sugar Pecan Crumble Topping

Overnight Stuffed French Toast Roll Ups 

(One is stuffed with chocolate and strawberries.  One is stuffed with blueberries and cream cheese.)

Center Cut Pork Chops with Cherry Cabernet Glaze

Orzo Artichoke Pasta Salad

One Pot Skillet Lasagna

Ritzy Cheddar Baked Chicken

New Orleans Praline Brownies

Written Method:

Vinaigrette - 

Add everything to a food processor or blender and combine.  You can make this ahead of time and have it ready in the refrigerator.

Chimichurri - 

We are going to use this Argentinean "sauce" as a marinade for our beef.   The directions are the same as the vinaigrette.  Add everything to a blender and give it whirl until it is combined to your satisfaction.  If you aren't a cilantro fan, feel free to use all parsley rather than half and half cilantro and parsley.

Marinate the flank steak in the chimichurri in a ziptop bag for at least an hour or so.  You can definitely leave it in there for more.  Add the chimichurri sauce to your flank steak to get this party started.  The great part about putting it in a zip top bag is that it's easier to ensure it is contact with all the meat at the same time.  And then when you're done, you just toss it out!  You'll want to make sure you squish out all the excess air from the bag before putting it in the fridge. Just throw it somewhere in the fridge.  

For the salad - 

Make a quick black bean and corn salsa.  (Follow the link provided.)  This one is also best if you do it ahead of time, which would be a time saver for you when it comes time to put dinner together. 

Saute the onions and red bell peppers.  You can save some time by using roasted red peppers from a jar.  After your onions are mostly cooked down, add them together and let them finish heating up and caramelizing.  

On a screaming hot grill, remove the marinated flank steak from the chimichurri and grill on both sides until you achieve your desired level of doneness.  We generally prefer a medium amount of doneness.  When you take your steak off the grill, you will want to let it rest several minutes.  This will give you an opportunity to start assembling your salad.

Assemble your salad as you wish, but I started with a bed of romaine lettuce, shredded pepper jack cheese, grilled onions and peppers, your thin slices of grilled beef, some of that beautiful black bean and corn salsa, and finally - the creamy peppercorn vinaigrette.  

With flank steak or skirt steak, it is very important that you cut very THIN strips of meat, and that you cut them AGAINST the grain of the beef.  If the meat is running top to bottom, you want to cut left to right.  If you cut in the same direction as the meat is running, you will probably not be able to chew it!  Also, I recommend that you not cut with your knife straight up and down, but at about a 45 degree angle.  You want the fibers of the meat to be very short.  This is an inexpensive, tough cut of beef that we are trying to trick into being tender.  :)

THAT, my friends, is ONE HECK of a salad!  We've got crunch, creamy, smooth, smoky, sweet, oh my!! This one will never be considered "rabbit food" by any one's stretch of the imagination.