Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad

Some salads are light and leave you still hungry, and some salads, like this Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad, are the complete opposite. Hearty, filling, delicious, and not even close to being just another boring salad, this one is a meal all on its own. Move over side salad; there’s no room for you at this table!

When I eat a salad, I want a salad! None of this side order stuff. There’s a time and place for a simple bowl of greens with balsamic vinaigrette. But, whenever I crave a salad, I want it to be substantial, just like this Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad! I’m a full grown man; if I’m going to eat a bowl full of raw, chopped vegetables, it had better sustain me for the next five to six hours. Otherwise, I’ll be raiding the fridge in no time at all.

Salads are great; I’m not arguing differently. But, it seems to me that when one thinks about a salad, they think of mixed greens topped with a few tomatoes, onions, maybe cucumbers, etc. When I think of salad, I think of a complete and wholesome meal which tastes fantastic and it has to be filling.

PREPPING SALAD IS PURE TORTURE

You all know how much I love to cook and bake. And, I do feel calm and serene when I’m chopping vegetables. I’m that one person who will shred cabbage with a knife rather than use a food processor. But, when the need arises to wash and prep more than five or six vegetables, it tends to lose it’s appeal. Of course, this is significantly more true on a weeknight!

If you want to take some shortcuts and purchase pre-washed and pre-cut vegetables, nobody will blame you. Of the ingredients listed in the card below, there are a few that you can buy ready to eat. I’m no stranger to buying pre-chopped romaine lettuce on my way home from work. And, I have most certainly picked up a bag or two of shredded cheese in my time.

PREPPING ROMAINE LETTUCE

One of the things that I like to do is to prep things on the weekends that we can use throughout the week. We don’t do it as much now that we’re working from home. But, previously, we would prep things like rice, quinoa, beans, etc. If I were making salad on Monday night, I would wash and cut extra lettuce for another meal later in the week.

Here’s a tip that will keep harder lettuces, like romaine, crisp and fresh. Chop the lettuce and wash it well. Use a salad spinner to spin the leaves dry. Transfer to a freezer bag. Run your fingers along the seal, leaving just about an inch or so unsealed. Push as much air out of the bag as possible, and then close the seal. Store the bag of lettuce in your crisper.

Romaine lettuce, especially, will stay fresh and crisp for 5-7 days. I do it all the time! We purchase romaine hearts 99% of the time. I prep all three and store them this way until I feel like a Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad. Chopped romaine is oftentimes added to mixed greens in our salads. The crunch and texture of romaine is one of my favourite things about eating a salad.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE BONELESS CHICKEN BITES

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

For the Chicken:

• Chicken – You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. Since breast meat cooks much faster than thigh meat, cut the breast a little larger to avoid overcooking and drying out the meat. I prefer thigh meat, not only because I prefer dark meat in general, but because it just has more flavour.
• Flour – All-purpose flour will do the trick!
• Seasonings – You will need salt, ground black pepper, and onion powder.
• Hot Pepper Sauce – Use any hot pepper sauce you normally would, but I love to use Franks Hot Sauce.
• Butter – To avoid too much salt, use unsalted butter here.
• White Vinegar
• Worcestershire Sauce – This stuff is like a miracle worker when it comes to imparting flavour. Use it often to get really good results in most of your savoury dishes.
• Vegetable Oil – Optimum frying temperature for chicken is 350 degrees F. You can use vegetable lard or peanut oil as well.

For the Salad:

• Romaine Lettuce – Chopped, washed and dried.
• Tomatoes
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Bacon – I allow two slices of bacon per serving. Cooked and crumbled.
• Corn – I prefer canned corn for this.
• Cheese – You can use sharp cheddar like I did or stick to crumbled blue cheese which is more traditionally paired with cobb salad.
• Guacamole – You can use diced avocado if you wish, but I love the taste of guacamole incorporated into every bite.
• Ranch Salad Dressing

HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO CHICKEN BITES

Measure the flour, onion powder, ground black pepper, and salt into a large resealable bag. Seal the bag and shake to combine. Add the chicken pieces to the bag of seasoning and shake well to coat each chicken piece. Set aside. Next, combine the hot pepper sauce, butter, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Add two inches of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is fully heated to 350 degrees F, cook the chicken in batches until golden brown on both sides. This should take 4-5 minutes on each side. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate and set it aside.

Next, pour the sauce mixture into a large skillet over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked chicken bites and stir well to coat. Continue to cook, stirring the chicken pieces every minute or so until the sauce is reduced and thickened – approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Set aside while you prepare the salad.

HOW TO MAKE A BUFFALO CHICKEN COBB SALAD

The recipe as written will make 4 salads. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your needs. To assemble the salad, start placing one portion of the romaine lettuce into a large, shallow bowl. Working in rows, add the remaining ingredients as follows: tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, corn, bacon, and cheese. Use a scoop to portion the guacamole into a mound on the side. Pile the buffalo chicken into the center and drizzle the salad with the ranch dressing. Serve immediately with extra guacamole, shredded cheese, and ranch on the side. Enjoy!

WHICH CHOICE OF CHICKEN WORKS BEST?

For the chicken, I would highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat. I think it’s more flavourful. So, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go in my opinion.

You can certainly use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into larger pieces. Breast meat can dry out rather quickly, especially if you’re planning to immerse it in hot oil. Using a larger piece of breast meat will ensure that it doesn’t become overdone and too dry. There’s nothing worse than dry breast meat!

Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller pieces. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: fry the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!