Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Yogurt Ranch
on May 13, 2021, Updated Sep 26, 2022
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Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Yogurt Ranch
Oh haiii! Cue this crispy buffalo chicken salad with yogurt ranch. You NEED to make this immediately.
This salad has all the perfect components – crispy chicken, homemade yogurt ranch, crunchy pickled celery & carrots and of course loads of drizzled buffalo sauce. Get IN on this. All the details below.
To begin:
Okay, okay, I know there are a lot of ingredients below, but I promise this salad is worth it.ย
Think buffalo wings, but in a salad form. One of my personal favorite things about getting wings is dipping celery and carrots in ranch – so this is a play on that. The yogurt ranch is a little bit lighter and fluffy.
Additionally, one of my favorite salads at Sweetgreen is their buffalo chicken salad, so this is also heavily inspired by that! See all the deets below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For The Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast (pounded) or tenders
- โ rd cup chopped parsley
- โ rd cup chopped basil
- ยฝ tablespoon garlic powder
- ยฝ tablespoon ginger powder
- ยฝ tablespoon paprika
- ยฝ tablespoon onion powder
- ยฝ tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups vegetable or canola oil (more if needed)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste (a dash)
Pickled Carrots & Celery
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Yogurt Ranch
- 1/4th cup greek yogurt
- 1/4th cup mayo
- 1 garlic clove, shaved on a microplane
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon water
For The Salad
- 1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup sliced baby cherry tomatoes
- assorted lettuce (we used romaine and butter lettuce) + parsley to serve
- toss your crispy chicken in desired buffalo sauce, and season with more buffalo sauce
How This all Comes Together:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Add sliced celery and carrots in a container with vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Mix well and save in the fridge until ready to use.
Make your sauce: mix yogurt, mayo, garlic, dill, chives, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley and water. Set aside.
In a bag or bowl, add all your panko mixture ingredients: chopped parsley, basil, garlic, ginger, paprika, onion, oregano, salt, pepper. Set aside.
In a bowl, crack 2 eggs and mix with dijon, water, paprika and salt and pepper. Beat really well and set aside.
Flatten and pound your chicken breasts and slice then into super thin tenders (you can feel free to keep them longer if you prefer). Pound until it’s your desired thinness. I like them thin but also like to keep them with a little bit of texture, so I don’t go paper thin.
Set up your dredging station by putting the chicken in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs on a plate, coating all around.
Pour oil in your cast iron until it fills up less than halfway. Heat on high until really hot, add in your chicken and place immediately in the oven for 10-15 minutes – turning halfway. Remove when cooked through, top with salt and pour over desired buffalo sauce.
Assemble your salad! Add in your greens, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, parsley and mix in with your pickled celery, carrots, crispy buffalo chicken and yogurt ranch. Drizzle over more buffalo sauce, mix and enjoy!
Some ideas & inspiration to serve with this dish:
- Broccoli Soup with Crรจme Fraรฎche
- Mozzarella Snap Pea & Prosciutto Pizza
- Pear & Prosciutto Crostini with Gorgonzola
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Rosemary Peppercorn New York Strip Steak with Bรฉarnaise Sauce
- Burrata and Steak Crostini
- Date Night Lamb Ragu Rigatoni
Looking for more salad ideas? Check Out The Below Recipes!
- Horseradish Kale Caesar Salad
- Poached Chicken Salad with a Creamy Sesame Dressing
- Tuna Nicoise Salad
- Little Gem Wedge Salad with a Gorgonzola Dressing
- Little Gem Caesar Salad with Panko Breadcrumbs
- Italian Chopped Salad
Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad with Yogurt Ranch
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast (pounded), or 1 pound tenders
- โ cup chopped parsley
- โ cup chopped basil
- ยฝ tablespoon garlic powder
- ยฝ tablespoon paprika
- ยฝ tablespoon onion powder
- ยฝ tablespoon oregano
- ยฝ tablespoon salt
- ยฝ tablespoon pepper
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups vegetable or canola oil, (more if needed)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste (a dash)
Pickled Carrots & Celery
- 1 cup carrots,, sliced
- 1 cup celery,, sliced
- ยฝ cup white vinegar
- ยฝ cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Yogurt Ranch
- ยผ cup greek yogurt
- ยผ cup mayo
- 1 garlic clove, shaved on a microplane
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- ยฝ tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon water
For The Salad
- ยฝ pound blue cheese, crumbled
- ยฝ cup sliced baby cherry tomatoes
- assorted lettuce (we used romaine and butter lettuce) + parsley to serve
- toss your crispy chicken in desired buffalo sauce, and season with more bufalo sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- Add sliced celery and carrots in a container with vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Mix well and save in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make your sauce: mix yogurt, mayo, garlic, dill, chives, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley and water. Set aside.
- In a bag or bowl, add all your panko mixture ingredients: chopped parsley, basil, garlic, ginger, paprika, onion, oregano, salt, pepper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, crack 2 eggs and mix with dijon, water, paprika and salt and pepper. Beat really well and set aside.
- Flatten and pound your chicken breasts and slice then into super thin tenders (you can feel free to keep them longer if you prefer). Pound until it's your desired thinness. I like them thin but also like to keep them with a little bit of texture, so I don't go paper thin.
- Set up your dredging station by putting the chicken in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs on a plate, coating all around.
- Pour oil in your cast iron until it fills up less than halfway. Heat on high until really hot, add in your chicken and place immediately in the oven for 10-15 minutes - turning halfway. Remove when cooked through, top with salt and pour over desired buffalo sauce.
- Assemble your salad! Add in your greens, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, parsley and mix in with your pickled celery, carrots, crispy buffalo chicken and yogurt ranch. Drizzle over more buffalo sauce, mix and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Step 1 says to Preheat your oven to 450 degrees – why? This recipe is cooked on stove top, was original recipe done in the oven? If so, may I have directions, I’d prefer over frying? Thank you
I did a shallow fry with the skillet in the oven! I start on the stovetop to heat the oil and add the chicken in, then will transfer to the oven to finish up.
Helps with the mess and splatter this way as well. If you don’t want to fry in oil, you can place it on parchment and place the chicken in 400 degree oven, flipping halfway until done and omit oil.
So delicious!!
So happy to hear it, Violet!