Description

A delicious salad with buffalo chicken for lunch or a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

For the Buffalo Creamy Chive Dressing:

1 large egg
3/4 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
1 anchovy, optional
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons buffalo sauce

For the Buffalo Chicken Thighs:

1/3 cup buffalo sauce
6 skin-on boneless chicken thighs
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

12 ounces romaine lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery sticks
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1/8 cup blue cheese crumbles or cheddar cheese, shredded
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1/8 cup sliced green onion

For the Sandwich Variation:

10 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup finely shredded purple cabbage
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup green onions
Kosher salt
6 brioche rolls
Pickle slices or pepperoncini

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Instructions

Make the Buffalo Creamy Chive Dressing: In a wide mouth mason jar, add the egg and, using an immersion blender, slowly add the olive oil until it emulsifies and thickens. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use.
Make the Buffalo Chicken Thighs: In a small bowl, combine the spices. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and coat them with the spice blend. Set aside.
In a small saute pan, heat up the buffalo sauce over low heat. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for a minute or so until heated through.
To cook the chicken, heat a skillet or cast-iron pan over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add the olive oil. Cook the chicken thighs skin down for 5 – 6 minutes or until golden crispy. Note: The timing on the chicken thighs may vary depending on the size of each thigh and how many you cook in the same pan. Once the skin is crispy and golden, flip and cook for 4 more minutes. Using a spoon or basting brush, top each thigh with about a tablespoon of buffalo sauce and quickly flip them twice. Remove chicken from the skillet and place on a plate to rest.
Assemble the salad: To serve, add the romaine to a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Top with the carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, and green olives. Slice the chicken things and add them over the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything together. Sprinkle the green onions, then serve and enjoy.
Teri Tip: If you prefer less heat, adjust the amount of buffalo sauce in both the dressing and the chicken.

For the Sandwich Variation:

Follow all steps through number 4, but do not remove the chicken from the pan. Add two slices of cheese on top of each chicken thigh. Remove from heat and cover the pan to melt the cheese.
In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbages, carrots and green onions, and sprinkle with salt. Add a 1/4 cup of the dressing to coat. Toss to combine and set aside.
Teri Tip: If it makes it easier, you can buy a pre-shredded coleslaw mix but I prefer making it myself because it’s fresher and crunchier.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread a generous amount of the creamy buffalo dressing on the bottom half of each bun. Place one chicken thigh on top of the dressed bun and top with a spoonful of cabbage slaw, pickle slices or pepperoncini, and the bun tops. Serve with extra slaw on the side.

Notes

Turn your salad into a wrap!

For two Buffalo Chicken Wraps, peel the outer 2-4 leaves off a head of iceberg lettuce (use two heads of iceberg if you cannot get 4 intact leaves from one head) and rinse them under cold water then let them crisp up on the fridge on a sheet tray.

Prepare the dressing, chicken, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and green onions as above.

Stack two iceberg leaves together to create a shell and fill it with all of the other ingredients and your choice of blue cheese crumbles or cheddar cheese.

Carefully, using both hands, begin to roll the leaves up into a wrap. Begin with the edge of the leaves closest to you and start wrapping it over the filling. Pull the filling in toward you as you roll and tuck or fold in the sides of the lettuce as you go. Continue rolling as tightly as you can until the sandwich is completely wrapped, like a burrito. Then tightly roll the paper around the wrap. Twist the ends of the paper, and cut the wrap in half. Repeat to make a second wrap, then serve and enjoy immediately.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bowl
Calories: 247
Sugar: 2.7 g
Sodium: 711.2 mg
Fat: 19 g
Carbohydrates: 10.3 g
Protein: 11.6 g
Cholesterol: 57.8 mg