Delicious Gluten-free Buffalo Chicken Salad

This Gluten-free Buffalo Chicken Salad is a must make! Ready in under 30 minutes, this is a dairy-free meal for buffalo chicken lovers.

When I was in high school, I used to work at a salad place 3-4x week. I lived to make food even at a young age. My favorite part was guessing what someone would order and getting to see what everyone’s preferences are for their meal. I sound crazy – I know! But it really was one of my favorite parts of working there. Kind of like why I’d love to work as a cashier at the grocery store one day and see what everyone gets.

One of the most popular salads people ordered was this buffalo chicken salad. It had crispy buffalo chicken tenders with blue cheese crumbles, carrots, celery and most got it with ranch or blue cheese dressing. Then you’d get some crunchy tortilla strips right on top and it was the best texture combo ever.

This recipe is a bit of a healthier version of that. The ingredients are all paleo and whole 30 (just don’t add cheese to the salad). Plus this dish comes together so easily for a quick meal! Jord is obsessed. We also add in some bacon too for extra flavor and goods.

Let me know if you guys try this recipe! I hope you love it as much as we do.

What ingredients you need for crispy paleo buffalo chicken salads:

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs or tenders – any boneless/skinless chicken an work in this recipe!
• Egg – I have not tried an egg replacement here
• Almond flour – I haven’t tried a sub here but almond meal can work too!
• Tapioca or arrowroot flour – this acts as a cornstarch to help make the chicken crispy
• Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika – I like to use a blend of these simple spices in this recipe
• Avocado oil, butter or ghee – your favorite oil for frying the chicken
• Mild or hot buffalo sauce – use any buffalo sauce you prefer, mild or hot can both work well
• Romaine lettuce – or another crunchy lettuce!
• Celery – love the added crunch of celery in this!
• Carrots – I like to add diced carrots
• Blue cheese crumbles – if you’re dairy-free, please omit!
• Avocado – I like to do diced avocado but you could also add mashed avocado in too if you prefer
• Dressing of choice – usually ranch or blue cheese works best for this!

How to make a healthy crispy buffalo chicken salad:

1. In a shallow bowl, mix together flour and spices and set aside
2. In another shallow bowl, whisk together egg
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel (don’t skip this or chicken won’t be as crispy!)
4. Warm a large skillet with oil over medium/high heat – you want to have a thin even layer of oil and the pan should be HOT to ensure the flour mixture to stay on the chicken when it cooks
5. Once the skillet is warmed, gently dip each piece into egg then into the flour mixture then add to skillet to cook for about 4-5 minutes over medium heat then flip over and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until ready (chicken should be 165 degrees F)
6. Allow the chicken to cool on a cooling rack or plate (this ensures the breading doesn’t fall off)
7. Then gently toss each piece of cooked chicken in buffalo sauce
8. Slice chicken and add to salad with desired toppings and dressing!

FAQs and tips on making crispy gluten-free buffalo chicken:

• What kind of chicken works best for this recipe? Really any boneless, skinless chicken! I have used thighs, breasts or tenders. You can use whichever you prefer for this salad.
• What is the best way to store leftovers? The leftover chicken will stay good in the fridge for 5 days. I reheat in microwave or over skillet, but often times I like to just cut it up and eat cold in my salad.
• My “breading” didn’t stick, what happened? A few things could have gone wrong. First. make sure the chicken is not wet when you add the egg and flour mixture. Don’t skip patting it down with paper towel. Secondly the skillet should be *hot* and have a thin but not too thin layer of oil when frying. Lastly, make sure the chicken “cools” before you coat in the buffalo sauce.
• Have you used any other flours for this? I have not. Just almond flour and tapioca/arrowroot flour. Please sub at your own risk!

A few of my other favorite healthy dinner ideas:

Delicious Paleo Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

Oven-Baked Paleo Veggie Chicken Nuggets