Name: Best Buffalo Chicken Salad (Healthy Recipe!)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 cups (340g), cooked chicken breast (I use rotisserie or slow cooker shredded chicken), (chopped or shredded); 1/2 cup celery, (diced); 1/2 cup onion, (diced); 1/3 cup carrot, (diced); 1/4 cup low fat Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons buffalo hot sauce ((I like Primal Kitchen)); 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 8-10 butter lettuce cups; blue cheese dressing, extra hot sauce (optional toppings)

This easy-to-make buffalo chicken salad is packed with fresh veggies, lean protein, and bold flavors like hot sauce and blue cheese. All you need is 15 minutes of prep time to make this healthy lunch or light dinner. Serve it in lettuce cups, with crackers, or as a sandwich with whole-grain bread.

If you are a fan of buffalo wings, you are going to love this Buffalo Chicken Salad! It’s a quick and easy, high-protein meal that’s filled with delicious flavor. There’s a fresh, cool taste from the Greek yogurt (which also adds an extra boost of protein) celery, onion, carrots and blue cheese dressing. Then, the chicken coated in buffalo sauce not only adds protein and flavor, but it gives this salad that classic heat to every bite. This recipe is just too good!

Chicken salad is so versatile and my go-to lunch! If you’re not a fan of spice, there are plenty of other options to make a quick healthy chicken salad. Next, add this cranberry walnut chicken salad, avocado chicken salad or this chicken salad with grapes and yogurt to the menu! Each one is easy to make, nutritious and has its own unique flavor profile.

And if you love the taste of buffalo hot sauce as much as I do, you’ll love my recipes for buffalo chicken bites, buffalo cauliflower, buffalo chicken meatballs, buffalo deviled eggs and buffalo chicken chili.

What ingredients are needed

Shredded chicken in a bowl near other bowls of carrots, celery, buffalo sauce, onions, mayo and Greek yogurt.

Chicken breast: I take a short cut by shredding up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or I make my slow cooker shredded chicken breast. It’s a huge time saver and I love how the shredded chicken works in these lettuce cups.
Veggies: A mix of celery, onion and carrot add a fresh crispness to the salad.
Yogurt: Low fat Greek yogurt is the creamy base that keeps the recipe lower in fat and calories while adding an extra protein boost. You could also use 2% or no-fat.
Mayonnaise: Just 1 tablespoon of mayo added to the Greek yogurt base balances the tanginess from the Greek yogurt.
Buffalo hot sauce: I like to use Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce to provide the heat. If you like spicy, use a bit more.

Variations/substitutions

Ways to serve: We love to serve this buffalo chicken salad in lettuce cups, but you can also enjoy it straight out of the bowl, on a whole grain wrap or sandwich bread. It’s also really good on sliced cucumber!
Creamy base: Use any combination of the mayo and Greek yogurt as you’d like. Sometimes, I make this with all Greek yogurt or all mayo. All the varieties work, so choose which aligns with your personal health and wellness goals.
Cheese: If you really love blue cheese, mix in some blue cheese crumbles or even crumbled feta cheese.
Extra add-ins: You can add extra texture and different flavors by adding in diced avocado, cucumber, green onion or corn.
Topping: Top these with a drizzle of my homemade blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.

How to make this recipe

This buffalo chicken salad is so quick and easy to make. It’s a tasty lunch or light dinner, and leftovers the next day are delicious!

Start by adding all ingredients (chicken, onion, celery, carrots, Greek yogurt, mayo, hot sauce, salt, and pepper) to a medium bowl.

Carrots, chicken, celery, onion and shredded chicken in a large bowl.

Gently mix all of the ingredients together until the chicken and veggies are coated in buffalo sauce and everything is well combined.

Buffalo chicken salad stirred together in a large bowl.

Spoon into lettuce cups (or serve another desired way). Top with an extra drizzle of hot sauce and blue cheese dressing, if you’d like. Enjoy!

Buffalo chicken salad in lettuce cups on a white serving platter.

Helpful tips

Get a head start: To make parts of this recipe ahead of time, you can have the chicken cooked and shredded, the dressing made and the veggies chopped about a day ahead of time.
Time saving tip: If you’d like to save a little prep time, you can buy pre-chopped onions, celery and carrots. You can find the prepped vegetables in most grocery stores, located in the produce department.
Chill in the fridge: Letting the salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving will allow the flavors to meld and intensify. However, if you don’t have time to chill, it’s still so delicious eaten immediately.

Storing leftovers

Transfer the buffalo chicken salad into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to about 4 days. Stir everything together when ready to enjoy, and adjust the seasonings as needed. I don’t recommend freezing your leftovers.

Buffalo chicken salad lettuce cups on a white plate.

More healthy lunch ideas

WATCH MY BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE VIDEO!

Thanks so much for reading! If you make this recipe, I would love you to give it a ★ rating below. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more healthy food inspiration. Cheers!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

5 from 3 votes