Buffalo chicken salad is great for those days when you don't want to turn on the oven! It makes an easy meal prep lunch to serve throughout the week and can be enjoyed as a sandwich, with crackers, or on a salad.
Make a batch of buffalo chicken salad for meal prep throughout the week. It makes an excellent cold lunch for when you're on the go.
This recipe can be made with canned chicken, leftover chicken, or a rotisserie chicken from the deli. Your shredded chicken, celery, and red onion are tossed in a creamy buffalo dressing seasoned with ranch. Perfect for those who love a little heat!
Serve buffalo chicken salad on a sandwich, with crackers, or on a bed of lettuce as a salad. It keeps for up to 5 days and is great for meal prepping and quick lunches.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken - For this recipe, you'll need 16 ounces of cooked chicken. Leftover chicken, canned chicken, or rotisserie chicken works. I recommend using lightly seasoned chicken for best flavor.
- Mayonnaise - The base of your chicken salad dressing. Mayonnaise can be substituted with plain Greek yogurt for a tangier flavor and extra protein.
- Buffalo sauce - I used Frank's RedHot buffalo sauce, but feel free to use your favorite brand and desired heat level.
- Celery and onion - Add flavor and crunch.
- Seasoning - Ranch seasoning and salt add tangy, savory flavor to the dressing. Store bought or homemade ranch seasoning will work in this recipe.
Tips and tricks
Dicing veggies - Dice your onion and celery evenly. This creates a uniform flavor and texture throughout the chicken salad.
Allow chicken to cool - If you're using freshly cooked chicken or a warm rotisserie chicken from the deli, allow the shredded chicken cool to room temperature. Hot chicken can melt the mayonnaise and cause it to separate into an oily mess.
Chill before serving - Your chicken salad can be enjoyed immediately, but tastes better after refrigerating for at least an hour. This allows the flavors to meld and ingredients to chill.
Storage
Chicken salad will keep for up to 5 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing chicken salad because the mayonnaise based dressing will separate once thawed.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, buffalo chicken salad keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and is easy to make a day or two ahead of time.
Yes, this recipe can be prepared with an equal weight of canned chicken or tuna. Since canned meats are generally unseasoned, I recommend doing a taste test and adding more seasoning to taste after assembling your chicken salad.
Hot sauce is generally much hotter than buffalo sauce, which is made with hot sauce plus other ingredients. If you'd like to use hot sauce instead of buffalo sauce, I'd recommend adding a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the mayonnaise base, mixing, then doing a taste test before adding to your salad ingredients.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453 g) cooked and shredded chicken
- 1 celery rib, diced
- ½ small red onion, diced
- ½ cup (113 g) mayonnaise
- ¼ cup (60 g) buffalo sauce
- 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add your shredded chicken, celery, and red onion. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, buffalo sauce, ranch seasoning, and salt. Stir until smooth and incorporated. Pour dressing over your salad ingredients and toss until evenly coated.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on bread, with crackers, or over a bed of lettuce as a salad.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Prepared chicken salad will keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Cooked chicken can be substituted with a cooked rotisserie chicken with the skin and bones discarded or canned chicken.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!