Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
This no-mayo buffalo chicken salad is light thanks to nonfat greek yogurt. It’s an easy protein packed entree that’s perfect for lunch or meal prep!
We’re a family who loves to keep chicken salad in the fridge. It’s a guilt-free snack or lunch and loaded with protein!
My husband is an especially big fan of this one in particular because of the buffalo flavor.
I’m a fan of course of how quickly I can throw it together. It’s especially fast if you use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just shred the chicken, chop some celery and green onions, and then stir all the ingredients together. It can truly take as little as 10 minutes.
To make this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Shredded fully cooked chicken
- Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce
- Plain nonfat greek yogurt
- Celery
- Green onions
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
Is this chicken salad spicy?
It isn’t (unless you’re someone who thinks buffalo sauce is spicy). This has a mild buffalo flavor. For a stronger buffalo flavor simply use more Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce. You can also add a splash of Tabasco to increase the heat.
What chicken is best to use?
Any fully cooked chicken works great! So boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs are both great options. I typically either boil chicken breasts or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken (to save time). The flavor in this dish doesn’t come from the chicken so how you cook it truly doesn’t matter.
Can you use a different hot sauce?
You can use any buffalo sauce you like but I recommend sticking with Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce. This dip was built around the consistency and flavor of Frank’s. It’s truly perfect in here.
What yogurt is best to use?
Select a plain (unflavored) nonfat greek yogurt. It’s perfectly creamy and mostly flavorless so that our flavors come from the ingredients in our chicken salad!
Can you make this in advance?
Absolutely. In fact the flavor gets even better as it sits in the refrigerator so you’ll enjoy it more if you prepare it a few hours or a day ahead of time.
How to store this
This chicken salad is great for meal prep! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days.
How to serve this
This chicken salad is delicious in between two slices of toasted bread, scooped into a croissant, or spread in a wrap.
To keep this dish light, enjoy on romaine leaves, with fresh veggies like broccoli and carrots, or on bibb lettuce. I also love this served with a simple salad or fresh fruit! My Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing would be a perfect accompaniment.
If serving at a party, I recommend using smaller croissants for little two-bite sandwiches! You can also scoop this chicken salad with crackers for easy portable eating!
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups fully cooked shredded chicken
- 1½ cups plain nonfat greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
- 1 cup celery, diced
- ½ cup green onions, sliced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start by flavoring the yogurt base. This ensures that the buffalo flavor is fully mixed in. In a large bowl (we'll use the same bowl for the other ingredients), stir together the yogurt, Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Then stir in (to the same bowl) the shredded fully cooked chicken, celery, and green onion. Taste and add more hot sauce or salt if desired.
- Pair with crackers if serving as an appetizer. You can enjoy this chicken salad between two slices of bread or in a croissant as a sandwich. To keep this low carb, simply scoop onto bibb lettuce or romaine leaves.
3 Comments on “Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad”
This is yummy. It isn’t too hot and feels pretty light for chicken salad.
Thank you so much, Susan!
I do not like mayonnaise so this is a great option! It is light and flavorful. I put it on a bun. Glad to have a Mayo free chicken salad option!