Description
A flavorful Fried Buffalo Chicken Salad featuring crispy, golden chicken strips tossed in spicy buffalo sauce, served over fresh romaine and mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, red onions, and crumbled blue cheese or ranch dressing. Perfect for a hearty, game day meal or a satisfying lunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or ranch dressing
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing for drizzling
Instructions
- Soak the Chicken: Place the cut chicken strips in a bowl with buttermilk and let them soak for 15–30 minutes to tenderize and add moisture.
- Prepare Coating: In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to create a flavorful coating mixture.
- Coat Chicken: Remove the chicken strips from the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour and breadcrumb mixture, ensuring each piece is fully coated for a crispy crust.
- Heat Oil: Pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, ideal for frying.
- Fry Chicken: Fry the coated chicken strips in the hot oil for 3–4 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Toss in Buffalo Sauce: Place the fried chicken in a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce until evenly coated, imparting a spicy flavor.
- Assemble Salad: In a large bowl, combine chopped romaine or mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, sliced red onions, and crumbled blue cheese or ranch dressing and toss lightly.
- Finish and Serve: Top the salad with the buffalo chicken strips and drizzle with additional ranch or blue cheese dressing as desired. Serve immediately to enjoy the crispy texture and fresh flavors.
Notes
- For a lighter meal, bake or air fry the chicken instead of frying.
- Replace fried chicken with grilled buffalo chicken to reduce fat content.
- Add avocado slices or celery for extra crunch and flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
