buffalo chicken salad

If you like buffalo chicken salads, but are weary of all the calories, try this healhier version. Instead of fried chicken, I bake the chicken with panko crumbs. The salad dressing recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, they revamped the otherwise calorie loaded creamy dressing. Give it a try you won't notice the missing calories- lots of flavor!

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper

For the salad:
2 chicken breasts, cut into tender-sized pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
dash of milk
2 cups panko crumbs
Franks hot sauce
lettuce, romaine or mixed greens works
4 celery sticks, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 package of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, diced
blue cheese, for serving

Instructions

For the dressing:
1. Mash the blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork in a bowl until the mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.

For the salad:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Set up to batter the chicken. Pour panko crumbs and flour on separate plates. Beat the egg in a medium sized bowl and add a dash of milk. Take 1 chicken tender and dredge in flour, shake off excess flour. Coat in egg mixture, shake off excess egg. Then coat with panko. Place on half sheet fit with a cooling rack. Repeat the battering process with all the pieces of chicken. Cook in the oven until chicken is done, about 10-15 minutes (internal temperature should be 160), the chicken will be crispy on the outside and slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Assemble your salad. Toss together the lettuce, onion, celery, carrots, cucumber and tomatoes.
4. When the chicken has cooled, place 1 tender at a time in a medium sized bowl. Pour hot sauce over the chicken. Using kitchen tongs turn the tender until it is completely coated with hot sauce. Repeat this process with all other pieces.
5. Finish the salad with the buffalo chicken pieces and homemade dressing. Top with extra blue cheese.