The Ultimate Buffalo Chicken Salad
There are basically no words. Nothing is coming to my mind – because, well, I’m blown away by this salad.
This salad is an anti salad. It’s trying to be a salad but doesn’t quite cut it. But I’m calling it a salad, because check out those greens!
Simply pan fried chicken breast with the easiest breading, topped with my favorite buffalo sauce (it’s paleo friendly too) then add in all the salad ingredients. Crispy romaine lettuce, raw carrot ribbons, fresh celery, and dill.
Garnish is all with spicy cashews, creamy blue cheese and extra dill dressing. It’s a salad recipe you NEED in your life…so give this The Ultimate Buffalo Chicken Salad with Spicy Cashews a try!
Oh those spicy cashews.
Just like making buffalo chicken wings BUT with cashews. Butter, buffalo sauce, garlic and onion powder all coat the cashews
Simply toss them in the sauce and roast them in the oven.
You won’t be able to stop snacking on them.
Don’t want them to be spicy – just add in some roasted and salted cashews. The crunch is worth it.
Other salads I'm loving.
Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag me @whitesparrowfoodco or #whitesparrowfoodco I’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe!
The Ultimate Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
All the flavors in one salad. Creamy, Spicy, Crunchy and oh so good. Give me all that tender chicken.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, tenderized
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons gluten free flour
- 1–2 eggs
- 2 cups gluten free panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3–4 tablespoons coconut oil (or frying oil of your choice)
- 1 head romaine lettuce, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces or roughly torn
- 2 celery stalks, cleaned and small diced
- 1–2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
- 1/3 cup crumble blue cheese
Garlic Dill Dressing (Dairy Free)
- 1 cup unsweetened full fat canned coconut milk (mostly the cream at the top of the can)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped dill
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 1–2 garlic cloves (depending on garlic flavor desired)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Spicy Cashews
- 2 cups whole roasted salted cashews
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoon buffalo sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- optional: 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
To make the breaded chicken
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and flour on both sides.
- Whisk the egg or eggs in a shallow bowl or plate (use more than 1 egg, if you have smaller eggs). In another shallow bowl or plate, mix together the panko, a pinch each of salt and pepper, dried dill, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
- Working with one chicken breast at a time, place it in the egg and flip it over. Using tongs, place it into the panko mixture. Cover both sides with the panko mixture, pressing slightly to help it adhere to the chicken. Repeat until all chicken is breaded.
- Using a large skillet like a Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over high heat. You want the oil to coat the bottom of the pan (use more or less, depending on the side of your pan). When the pan is heated up, carefully add the chicken breasts into the pan. Let them cook for at least 5 minutes or until the sides begin to whiten and the bottom side is crispy brown. (Turn the heat to medium, if the chicken is cooking too fast and browning up too quickly) Flip over and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Drizzle the buffalo sauce on the top of the chicken, while it cools.
To make the dressing
- Combine all the ingredients into a small blender, food processor or use an immersion blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass container with a lid and place in the refrigerator, until using. The refrigerator will help it become thicker.
To make the spicy cashews
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Toss to fully coat the cashews with the sauce. Place them on a small baking sheet.
- Roast them for 8 minutes. Remove them and toss and turn over. Roast for 4 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
When you are ready to assemble the salad, cut the chicken breast into slices and lay it on the romaine, celery and carrots. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese, cashews and salad dressing. Serve at one.
Notes
To tenderize chicken breast, place them on a cutting board. Cover them with plastic wrap or place them in a ziploc bag and close it. Using a rolling pin pat them with a little bit of force, to make them all about the same thickness.
To get the most cream out of the can of coconut milk, place it in your freezer or refrigerator or at least 1 hour, the cream and coconut liquid should separate. Use mostly the cream and add in some of the liquid if needed to get 1 cup.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: chicken
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: salad
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