Buffalo Chicken Salad

Dental school continues to take over my life… the good news is, I graduate in approximately 287 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes. But, I mean, who’s counting?  Last week I took part 2 of my national board exam.  2500 dollars and 3 days of testing later, lets just say it sucked.  The light at the end of the tunnel is dim, but it’s there.

In between the craziness of  school I’ve managed to squeeze in some great times with friends and family. Summertime is my favorite time of year. It’s the season of weddings, cookouts, festivals, pool days and all things warm and fuzzy…  I am sad to realize that it is already over half way over.  Where has the time gone?

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So speaking of summer, I think this is an awesome light summer recipe.  I am so excited to share this recipe because it is so simple and so delicious.  I love that this recipe used greek yogurt as an alternative to mayo, which is in traditional chicken salads.  I’m also pretty much obsessed with anything with Franks Red Hot in it, I think it temporarily satisfies my craving for chicken wings.  And by temporarily I mean for like 5 minutes.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.

Ingredients:

  • 5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup minced cilantro
  • 1/2 cup  crumbled blue cheese ( I hate blue cheese… so I skipped this and a splash or ranch dressing instead!)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.

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2. Stir in chicken, celery, cilantro, and blue cheese.

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3. Refrigerate until serving.  I served mine in pita pockets.  Delicious.

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Recipe has been modified from: The Novice Chef 

Other recipes I’ve made with Franks Red Hot:

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

If you have ever had any type of buffalo chicken dip (will post my recipe soon!) then you know it’s pretty much like crack.  Once you have that first bite you just can’t stop!  I found this awesome buffalo chicken pasta recipe and it reminded me so much of the dip, that I had to try it. You know what else was so great about this recipe?  Its a crockpot recipe!! Perfect for long days and no time for real cooking!

This pasta dish ended up being a HUGE hit for us. If you’re a fan of the buffalo chicken dip or even delicious traditional buffalo chicken wings – then this is a must try!

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients: 

  • 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into pieces
  • 1 can reduced fat condensed cream of chicken
  • 3/4 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce, I used Franks Red Hot
  • 2 cups light sour cream
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1 pound cooked penne pasta
Instructions:
1. Add cream of chicken soup, buffalo wing sauce, and raw, diced chicken to crockpot.  Mix well and make sure that all pieces of chicken are covered in the sauce.
2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
3.  Cook pasta.
4.  While you are waiting for your pasta too cook, turn your crockpot on low (if it isn’t already there) add the sour cream, ranch dressing. Stir until well mixed.
5.  Once pasta is cooked, mix with buffalo chicken sauce.  Top with shredded cheese.  Enjoy!