I’m addicted to buffalo chicken wings, but I don’t always have the time to make them, so I turned them into this 5-minute buffalo chicken salad recipe for an equally spicy and delicious option!
Low carb chicken recipes have never tasted so good…
Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, green onions, and hot sauce — oh, and chicken — cradled inside easy to eat lettuce wraps.
One of those low carb lunch ideas that’ll get you even more excited for lunchtime. Plus, it comes together in minutes and is the perfect chicken salad to stash in the fridge for a quick grab and go lunch option.
Let’s do this!
What I Love About This Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
If you’ve tried buffalo chicken anything before, you already know why this buffalo chicken salad recipe is so great!
- The perfect combination of spicy and creamy
- FINALLY! An exciting and crazy delicious way to eat chicken!
- A low carb lunch you can eat with your hands if you wrap it in lettuce or use my low carb bread.
- Incredible for meal prep. I like to make a big batch and divvy it into containers for the most satiating midday treat.
Recipe Notes
I’m telling you, this buffalo chicken salad is so EASY to make! Here’s all you need to know:
Ingredient Notes
Low carb cheese – As you can see, there are 3 types of cheese in this recipe: cream cheese, cheddar, and blue cheese as a topping. All have unique flavor and textures, so I strongly suggest using all 3!
Hot Sauce – Traditionally, Frank’s Red Hot is the only hot sauce for all things Buffalo chicken. But, if you have a preferred brand, feel free to swap.
Keep in mind, every hot sauce has a different “heat” to it, so you’ll want to adjust your buffalo chicken salad accordingly — Original Frank’s Red Hot is actually not that hot (but it’s loaded with flavor!). Their XTRA Hot version is about 4x hotter.
Chicken – Any sort of cooked and shredded chicken will do here. Turn this into rotisserie chicken salad by using shucked rotisserie chicken, or canned chicken salad using drained and flaked canned chicken for easy options.
You can also use poached chicken — I’ve included instructions to poach the chicken in the “Notes” section of the recipe card.
Storing Tips
Stash your buffalo chicken salad in the fridge, separate from whatever you plan to serve it with.
Serving Recommendations
As you can see, I love to eat these as lettuce wraps for quick and easy lunches, but you do you! Here are some other ideas:
- Serve with low carb crackers and enjoy it as a dip (check out my Mama’s recipe here!)
- Scoop the salad onto a slice of low carb bread.
- Serve it inside low carb wraps.
Recipe Variations
Looking to add your own twist to this recipe?? Here are some ideas:
- Switch up the protein. The truth is, the sauce and mix-ins are what really bring the flavor — so you can swap the chicken with whatever you have on hand! Make turkey lettuce wraps with leftover Thanksgiving meat. Or shrimp lettuce wraps with cooked shrimp!
- Turn up or down the heat by simply increasing/decreasing the amount of hot sauce. You can also add in jalapenos or cayenne pepper for a Mexican chicken salad.
- Swap cream cheese for Greek yogurt (ala Greek yogurt chicken salad) for a lower fat, higher protein alternative. You can also use mashed avocado for a dairy-free version — check out my avocado chicken salad for tips.
More Easy Low Carb Lunches Recipes
Do you LOVE these make-ahead lunches as much as I do?! Well then, here are a few more recipes for you:
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 Cup Hot Sauce I use Frank's (note 1)
- 2 Scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts
- 4 Cups Chicken cooked + shredded (note 2*)
- 1 Cup Celery chopped
Wraps:
- 1/4 Cup Blue Cheese
- Lettuce We love Romaine, butter lettuce works as well
Instructions
- Combine. In a large bowl, stir together hot sauce (1 cup), softened cream cheese (8 Ounces), and shredded cheddar (2 cups). Add scallions ( 2 thinly sliced), chopped celery (1 cup), and shredded chicken (4 cups). Stir until everything is well incorporated.
- Serve. Scoop chicken onto lettuce leaves. Top with blue cheese (1/4 cup) and additional hot sauce. Enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- Hot sauce. Frank's is most traditional for all Buffalo chicken recipes. If using a different type of hot sauce, keep in mind Frank's had a very mild, vinegary flavor.
- To poach chicken: Place chicken and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a large pot and cover with 1" of water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let the chicken simmer for 15 minutes. Cut into chicken and make sure it's cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before shredding.
My husband cannot believe it’s low carb! So gooood!
Right? I’m so happy you enjoyed it as much as I do! ? Thanks Genna!