Buffalo Chicken Salad is a delicious riff on Buffalo Chicken, that appetizer made of chicken wings fried and dipped in hot sauce, served with a blue cheese dip and celery.

In this recipe, the chicken is a rotisserie chicken, combined with bell peppers, celery, and potato wedges in a creamy dressing studded with blue cheese and enlivened with Tabasco sauce. It’s rich, creamy, delicious, and perfect for hot summer nights.

Make this salad in the morning when it’s cool, then pop it in the fridge and all you have to do at dinnertime is take it out of the refrigerator and serve it. You could put some lettuce leaves underneath it for some added crunch and cooling contrast. Serve with some  muffins or scones from the bakery, (or Cheesy Toasted Bread Sticks if you don’t mind turning on the oven) for a great easy dinner

You can make this recipe spicer if you’d like by adding some chopped jalapeños or other peppers, or add some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the dressing. It’s up to you!

How to make the best Buffalo Chicken Salad

• Use a hot rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off when it’s as hot as you can stand. Have the dressing made first, and drop the chicken right into the dressing as you  work. That way the chicken stays moist and tender, and it absorbs the flavors of the dressing.
• The dressing can’t be too thick or the salad flavors will be too intense. It should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
• You could add other veggies if you’d like. Try chopped yellow summer squash, zucchini, or even cooked green beans or peas. Tomatoes would be good here too.

Why this recipe works

• The combination of the cool blue cheese dressing with the tender chicken and creamy potatoes is wonderful. The celery and bell pepper add cooling crunch to the spicy and smooth dressing.