Buffalo Chicken Salad

This recipe comes from Ellie Krieger’s cookbook, The Food You Crave.  This is the perfect salad to make for those of you who crave buffalo chicken but are also trying to eat healthy.  Typical buffalo wings are deep-fried and use mostly the dark meat of the chicken.  In this recipe, the chicken is white meat and is baked rather than fried which results in a much healthier buffalo chicken tender.  If you wish, you can just make the buffalo tenders as an appetizer without the salad portion.

blue cheese dressing

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 3 tablespoons Lousiana Hot Sauce
  • ~2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 hearts Romaine, cut into 1-inch strips (about 8 cups)
  • 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, coarsely grated
  • 2 scallions, green part only, sliced
  • blue cheese dressing (recipe is below)

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or hammer so the chicken is an even thickness of about 3/4-inch, then cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce and the oil, add chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and broil until it is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.

In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, shredded carrots and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Divide the greens between 4 plates, top with the chicken. Serve with extra hot sauce.

*Note: If we had to change anything for next time, we would probably slice the chicken thinner and add some lemon juice and celery salt into the hot sauce (before coating it with chicken).

For the Blue cheese Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Directions

Fold a full sheet of paper towel into quarters and put it into a small bowl. Spoon the yogurt onto the paper towel and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to drain and thicken. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and thickened yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.