Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Make this healthy buffalo chicken salad with quinoa for a light and nutritious dinner, or meal prep for the week's lunches.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rainbow quinoa dry
Chicken
- ⅔ pound chicken breast
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 pinches salt
Salad Mix
- 4 large leaves romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup baby arugula packed
- ¼ small red onion sliced
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 4 medium scallions sliced
- 1 medium roma tomato diced
- 1 medium lemon juiced
Buffalo Sauce
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot
- 1½ tablespoons butter melted
- ½ tablespoon light ranch dressing
Instructions
- First, make the quinoa according to the package directions and let cool to about room temp.
- Next, combine the chicken breast, vegetable oil, vinegar, and salt in a bowl and let marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl: lettuce, arugula, red onion, carrots, scallions, and tomato. Add the juice from half a lemon and toss to coat well.
- Next, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until done, flipping every 3 minutes or so, for about 9 to 12 minutes total.Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
- Now, make the buffalo sauce. Combine the Frank's Red Hot, melted butter, and ranch dressing in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly until combined. You may need to microwave it for about 15 seconds to help fully incorporate the ranch.Then, add the chicken to a large bowl, pour in the buffalo sauce, and toss to coat.
- Fluff the quinoa and stir in the juice from half a lemon. Then, add the quinoa to the salad and mix well to combine.
- Serve the quinoa and salad mix topped with buffalo chicken and optional toppings like ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing or crumbles, or croutons.
Notes
Preparing quinoa: You want to make sure this is the first thing you do so that the quinoa has time to cool down before mixing it into the salad! If you mix piping hot quinoa into the greens and veggies, they will wilt from the steam and become soggy. The best way to keep this salad fresh and crispy is by using room temperature quinoa.
Buffalo sauce: Our homemade buffalo sauce is thick and creamy, so it coats the chicken especially well. It's definitely worth the extra minute it takes to throw it together! But if you want to make this recipe simpler, you can use your favorite store-bought buffalo sauce.
Cooking the chicken: To get the best flavor and texture from your chicken, cook it over medium high heat on a stainless steel pan, cast iron skillet, or grill. The sear will help keep the chicken tender and add flavor. Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temp of 165 degrees F which can easily be checked by a meat thermometer.
Meal prep & storage: Buffalo chicken quinoa salad is great for meal prepping for your week’s lunches. With components that can be made separately in large batches, you can make everything ahead of time on Sunday and save yourself time throughout the week. Portion out all of your salads into ready-to-go lunch containers, and make sure to keep the chicken and any extra dressing in a separate container so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 1083mg | Potassium: 1037mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7528IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4mg
