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Buffalo Grilled Chicken Salad

Buffalo grilled chicken salad with tangy hot sauce butter, juicy chicken, and crunchy romaine. Chopped vegetables, ranch drizzle, and blue cheese bring classic Buffalo-wing flavor without deep-frying.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
resting 5 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the chicken
  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts About 1 lb total
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
  • 0.33 cup Buffalo hot sauce (Frank's RedHot recommended)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter Melted
For the salad
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce Chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes Halved
  • 0.5 cup celery Thinly sliced
  • 0.5 cup shredded carrots
  • 0.25 cup crumbled blue cheese (or shredded cheddar)
  • 0.25 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
  • 1 Extra Buffalo sauce, for drizzling

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the chicken
  1. Pat the chicken breasts dry and pound to an even 3/4-inch thickness so they cook evenly. Rub with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
  2. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side, until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, without moving it so grill marks develop.
  3. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes. Stir the Buffalo hot sauce with melted unsalted butter in a small bowl and slice the chicken into strips, then toss immediately to coat well.
Assemble the salad
  1. Spread the romaine lettuce across a large bowl or platter. Scatter on the cherry tomatoes, celery, and shredded carrots.
  2. Lay the Buffalo chicken slices over the top. Crumble on the blue cheese and drizzle with ranch dressing and a little extra hot sauce, then serve immediately.

Notes

Pro tip: slice and toss the chicken right after it comes off the grill so the Buffalo butter clings while it’s hot. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days, but keep extra dressing/hot sauce separate if possible for best crunch; freezing not recommended. Lighter swap: use grilled chicken tenders and replace ranch with Greek yogurt ranch.