I’ve said it many times before, but my goal in life? Never another boring salad. OK, so that’s not my only goal in life, but it’s always my goal whenever I set out to make a new salad recipe. Salads can be incredibly boring. We all know this, BUT salads can also be incredibly delicious. I actually LOVE a GOOD salad and find they can even be crave-worthy as opposed to something you dread eating. This is that crave-worthy salad that makes a great lunch, but is hearty enough for dinner too. It’s filled with all things deicious, and then some. It is definitely not 10 ingredients or less. And it’s going to take you more than 30 minutes to prepare (but only about 15 minutes more, so still under an hour!). But every now and again we have to put a little extra time into making a good dinner, and you guys, this salad is so very good. And yes, I know it’s summer. I’m so, so sorry that I’m going to make you turn your oven on today, but please hear me out. I tried pan-frying the chicken, I tried grilling the chicken, and you know what I discovered? Nothing was easier, and nothing tasted better, than cooking it in the oven. It’s worth the heat and the extra time in the kitchen. Here are the details you must know. Start with the chicken. It’s breaded in Panko breadcrumbs which get seasoned up with my homemade ranch seasoning blend, then oven-baked until they are nice and crispy. As soon as the chicken has baked, you’re going to toss it with some spicy buffalo sauce. So basically, this is my black pepper ranch chicken fingers, but tossed in buffalo sauce. Everything you’d ever want out of a crispy chicken breast – herby, hinted with garlic and onion, spicy, and saucy. All things GOOD. The chicken is the hearty layer of the salad and makes up a bulk of the flavor. But the salad and the dressing are extra special too. You all know me, nothing boring and everything extra special, that’s the only way I like to roll. So, the salad is a simple mix of greens, veggies, avocado, and cheese. I’m of course using blue cheese because it’s been one of my favorite cheeses since I was probably 8 years old. I’ve always loved it… Again, I was that super odd child that ate raw broccoli, loved carrots as an after school snack, didn’t eat potato chips, and instead loved blue cheese. So weird. Anyway, the salad base is basic, but it’s perfect for holding up to the goddess dressing. Oh, this dressing. I love it so much. It’s super creamy, but light, refreshing, and cooling, all at the same. Simply combine plain yogurt with fresh herbs, jalapeño, plenty of fresh lemon, and salt. That’s it. In addition to the avocado, the creamy goddess dressing helps to tame the heat from the spicy chicken. Put it all together and you’ll have the most delicious…and least boring…Monday salad. It. Is. SO. GOOD. This is also a current family favorite. But this might be because we all really love anything buffalo chicken around here. It’s one of the first foods I made for my family when I started cooking. And 10 years later everyone still gets excited over any recipe with buffalo in the title. It’s certainly nothing fancy, but sometimes you just need feel-good food that’s uncomplicated and delish. This is that salad. It’s healthy and summery, but also hearty enough to carry on into the fall for football season. PS. If you don’t eat chicken, try roasting cauliflower florets and tossing them with the buffalo sauce…such a great vegetarian option. If you make this crispy buffalo ranch chicken salad with goddess dressing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
