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Buffalo Chicken Tender Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

Crispy buffalo chicken tenders made in the air fryer combined with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, blue cheese and a creamy buttermilk ranch dressing
Print Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 3 salads

Ingredients
  

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

  • 6 chicken breast tenders
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup Frank's buffalo sauce divided in half
  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp buttermilk
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill
  • 1/4 tsp dried chives
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Salad ingredients

  • 1/2 head romaine lettuce
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 Tbsp blue cheese per salad
  • 5 cherry tomatoes per salad

Instructions
 

How to make the buffalo chicken tenders

  • Place the chicken breast tenders in a Ziplock bag. Pour the buttermilk and 1/4 cup Frank's buffalo sauce over the chicken. Seal up the bag and gently massage the chicken so that it's coated in the sauce and the sauce and buttermilk are combined. Let rest in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 375 F. Line the basket with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the panko breadcrumbs with the cayenne pepper and garlic salt on a small plate. Remove one piece of chicken at a time and place in the panko breadcrumb mixture. Gently press the panko into the chicken so that it sticks well. Flip over and coat the other side. Place the breaded chicken tender in the air fryer basket. Repeat with the other 5 chicken tenders.
  • Spray the chicken tenders with cooking oil. Cook for 5-6 minutes in the air fryer until starting to turn golden brown. Flip over the chicken and spray again. Cook the other side for 5-6 minutes.
  • Remove chicken from air fryer and brush with the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce. Be sure to brush both sides with buffalo sauce to get it fully coated. Feel free to use more than 1/4 cup if you want a really bold buffalo flavor.

How to make the buttermilk ranch dressing

  • In a small bowl or jar add all the ingredients. Use the whisk attachment of an immersion blender to mix the ingredients all together. If you do not have an immersion blender you will want to really finely chop up all the dried herbs first and then can just stir everything together. You could also use a small food processor if you have one.
  • If you prefer a thinner salad dressing you can always add a bit more buttermilk. Keep dressing in the refrigerator for up to a few days.
  • Assemble the salad by cutting up the lettuce into bit sized pieces, cut the tomatoes in half, peel the carrot and then cut into thin slices. I used the side of my cheese grater to get the perfect sized pieces of carrot. I made a little assembly line and put together all three salads so the other two would be ready for lunch and just left off the chicken and dressing. I reheated the chicken in a toaster oven at work or you could put it back in the air fryer for a few minutes if able to. Slice the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces and place on top of the salad along with the blue cheese crumbles. Top with as much ranch dressing as you prefer.
Keyword buffalo chicken salad, buffalo chicken tenders, homemade buttermilk ranch