You need this recipe when you want buffalo chicken wings, but in a socially-acceptable-at-lunch sort of way. 

I created a buffalo chicken salad recipe way back in 2013 when this blog was just a baby blog! Seriously, I think it was one of my first posts and the recipe was just like, "I DON'T KNOW JUST PUT SOME STUFF IN A BOWL AND THEN EAT IT." (To be fair, some of my recipes are still written that way...)

The original salad was definitely a throw-together thing where I found stuff in the fridge and made it happen, but I've tweaked it since and thought I'd update this post with the new and improved buffalo chicken salad. It's paleo and keto and Whole30-approved, though it would also be great with a crumble of blue cheese on top.

Beyond the spicy, satisfying flavor punch, I love that this salad can be made ahead of time for easy work lunches or you could do a big batch for a party. I might just throw some chopped spinach into the mix before I'm going to eat, but otherwise everything else is hearty enough to handle being dressed ahead of time and stay tasty for a couple of days.

For the sauce, I used Noble Made's buffalo sauce (which is Whole30-approved and available on Amazon—I got mine at Whole Foods). Tessemae's also makes a paleo-friendly wing sauce. If your local store only sells Frank's, that works too! I included instructions for how to make your own sauce with Frank's in the tips following the recipe below.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

gluten-free, paleo, Whole30, keto recipe | serves 4+

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
• 1/2 cup Noble Made buffalo wing sauce or Tessamae's buffalo sauce 
• 2 sweet bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 2 scallions, sliced thinly
• a big handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• a sprinkle of celery salt
• optional: ranch dressing (Tessamae's is paleo), Greek yogurt, or mayo to make it an even more delicious, creamy salad
• optional: blue cheese crumbles, chopped celery (if you MUST... personally, I find raw celery to be an unacceptable vegetable)

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Serve on top of chopped greens or in lettuce wraps or however you want.
2. Eat.

Tips

• If you're making your own paleo buffalo sauce using the classic (Frank's!), it's okay to "wing it." You want to wind up with 1/2 cup of sauce when you're done, and just taste test until you like it. It should include Frank's Red Hot original sauce, ghee (melted), a little garlic powder and a little white vinegar.
• You can use cooked bell peppers or raw.

This post was published in July 2013, but updated in 2018,