Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad

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I dreamed up this Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad for my husband who is a huge fan of hot wings! It has all the same elements of flavor packed into a filling dinner salad.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad | Get Inspired Everyday!

If ever there was a salad to be day dreaming about… this would be it! Envision crispy chicken cutlets topped with buffalo sauce, all over a chopped salad with extra creamy ranch dressing. It doesn’t take long thinking about it before you know it’s going on the menu straight away!

I love making crispy chicken cutlets for all sorts of things. But always in the past I’ve relied on almond flour for that delicious savory coating. Then I saw the idea floating around on Instagram to use crushed pork rinds. I have no idea who came up with this, but it’s absolute genius, and oh so good.

Paleo Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad | Get Inspired Everyday!

The savory nature of the pork rind encrusted chicken is good enough to be a recipe unto itself since it’s so versatile. But once you give these crispy cutlets the ‘wing treatment’ I think you’re going to be crazy about them too. Plus the chicken pairs so well with the freshness of the salad, it’s just a great all around combo.

Make this recipe step by step

Prepped veggies for Buffalo Chicken Salad!

Step 1:

First we’re going to prep all the veggies for the salad. I used finely sliced carrots, celery, and onion to mimic the classic combination of wings. But anything you love in a chopped salad like cherry tomatoes etc. would be great.

Pork rinds ground into 'panko' like bread crumbs in a food processor.

Step 2:

Next make the ‘panko bread crumbs’ by pulsing the pork rinds in a food processor.

Pork rind crumbs perfect for crispy chicken cutlets!

Step 3:

Once the salad is prepped, cut the chicken breasts in half and pound into 1/2″ thick cutlets with a meat mallet. (I do this between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.) Then you’re going to dip each chicken cutlet first in the egg, then dredge it in the pork rind crumbs.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad on a wooden backdrop with a halved avocado, ranch dressing, and 2 wooden serving spoons around it.

Step 4:

Once the chicken cutlets have been pan-fried, you’re ready to serve dinner. You can either top each salad with a chicken cutlet. Or thinly slice/dice the cutlets and top the whole salad to serve family style.

You can also serve this salad with a blue cheese dressing in place of the ranch. Blue cheese will give you the most authentic buffalo wings flavor. But if you can’t have dairy, (or don’t like blue cheese) ranch dressing really is a next level combination with buffalo sauce!

More Dinner Salad Recipe Inspiration

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad | Get Inspired Everyday!

Tip: You can find big bags of crispy pork rind snacks at health food stores and they’ve been available at our Costco lately. It will save you quite a bit of money to buy the bigger bags rather than the serving sized ones you’d see at a gas station.

I hope you’ll enjoy this salad as much as we have! If you do make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here. Or over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos.

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Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad on a wooden backdrop with a halved avocado, ranch dressing, and 2 wooden serving spoons around it.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad


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  • Author: Kari
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

All your favorite wing flavors turned into a scrumptious dinner salad!


Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients:

1 large head romaine, washed and cut into bite sized pieces, 10-12 cups

1 cup finely sliced celery, 2 stalks

2 cups thinly sliced carrots, 3-4

1 large ripe avocado, sliced or diced

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1/2 recipe Easy Whole30 Blender Ranch Dressing, 8-10 Tablespoons

Crispy Chicken Cutlets:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2

3 ounces unseasoned pork rinds, crushed, 1 1/2 cups

1/2 Teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1/2 Teaspoon granulated onion powder

1 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons avocado oil, for frying

Buffalo Sauce:

1/3 cup Franks red hot sauce

1/4 cup melted ghee, or butter


Instructions

Prep all the salad ingredients and place them in a large serving bowl. Make the ranch dressing and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it.

For the chicken cutlets, cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Then place each of the 4 cutlets between 2 sheet of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound them to 1/2″ thickness, and set them aside.

For the pork rinds I crushed them into crumbs using a food processor. But you can also place them in sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Place the pork rind crumbs into a wide shallow bowl, and mix them together with the garlic and onion powders, sea salt, and pepper. Set the mixture aside.

In another wide shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs until completely combined. Then heat a large (at least 9″) cast iron pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add half of the avocado oil. Dip a chicken cutlet first into the egg mixture, then dredge it in the crumbs. Do this one at a time, and add 2 cutlets to the hot pan. Lower the heat to medium, and cook about 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown and done in the center.

When the first batch of chicken cutlets is done, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Repeat the process with the remaining 2 cutlets, using the remaining oil as necessary. Or use 2 pans to cook all 4 at the same time.

After the chicken cutlets are cooked, thinly slice or dice them before adding them on top of the salad. Whisk together the hot sauce and melted ghee/butter over low heat until emulsified. Then serve it on the side or drizzle it over the top and serve the salad and serve with the ranch dressing.

Notes

The nutrition information was calculated using the full 10 Tablespoons of ranch dressing.

  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Pan-Frying
  • Cuisine: American

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