Easy Crispy Buffalo Chicken Caesar Salad

This gluten-free crispy buffalo chicken Caesar salad is a fun twist on a timeless classic. With crispy zesty buffalo chicken and creamy Caesar dressing, this salad is an easy meal for a weeknight dinner or a delicious lunch.

My love for buffalo chicken runs deep! When my husband, Brent, and I first started our Whole30 journey and eliminating gluten I became obsessed with buffalo chicken. We usually have some sort of buffalo chicken at least once a week, and this crispy buffalo chicken salad recipe shows up quite a bit on our weekly menu.

What I love about this delicious salad is it uses simple ingredients, it's a great quick lunch idea for lunch, it's fast to throw together for a weeknight meal, and it is packed with a lot of flavor. I love to serve this salad with a nice crisp aperol and soda in hot Texas weather!

Come along as I show you how to make the most perfect buffalo chicken Caesar salad.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Step by step
• What does a chicken Caesar salad contain?
• Tip
• Add-ins
• Storing/meal prep
• Recipe

Ingredients

Step by step

1. Cut the chicken breast in half long ways making 4 total chicken breasts.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg and then add the chicken breast to the bowl and coat them in the egg.
3. Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt, and black pepper to a large plate and mix it till it's combined.
4. Add the avocado oil to a large skillet and heat to medium heat.
5. One at a time, place a chicken breast onto the plate with the almond flour mixture and gently coat both sides of the chicken in the almond flour mixture. Use a fork or tongs to make sure both sides are coated.
6. Place the chicken in the hot pan and cook for 5-6 minutes a side. Use tongs or a fork to flip the chicken carefully so the coating doesn't fall off. Only flip the chicken once so the coating doesn't start to come off.
7. While the chicken is cooking, add the buffalo sauce to a medium-sized saucepan and let the sauce sit over low heat till the chicken is done.
8. When the chicken is done cooking, use tongs to pick up one chicken breast at a time carefully place it in the sauce, and coat both sides with the sauce.
9. *Optional- cover a cookie sheet in foil and place a cooling rack on top. Add the cooked and sauced chicken on top of the cooling rack and broil in the oven on high for 5 minutes. Be sure to watch it to make sure it doesn't burn. This just helps give the chicken a little more crisp and golden brown color to the sauce.
10. Add your lettuce and Caesar dressing to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
11. Add your mixed lettuce to a plate or bowl then top with the crispy buffalo chicken, extra buffalo sauce, croutons, and fresh parmesan, if you like.

Air fryer method

1. Cut the chicken breast in half long ways making 4 total chicken breasts.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg and then add the chicken breast and make sure they are coated well.
3. Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, and seasonings to a large plate and mix it till it's combined.
4. One at a time, place a chicken breast onto the plate with the almond flour mixture. Use a fork or tongs to make sure both sides are coated.
5. Spray the tray of your air fryer with avocado oil and place the chicken breast in a single layer on the tray. You may have to do this in batches.
6. Turn your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 12 minutes flipping once halfway through.
7. While the chicken is cooking, add the buffalo sauce to a medium-sized saucepan and let the sauce sit over low heat till the chicken is done.
8. When the chicken is done cooking, use tongs to pick up one chicken breast at a time carefully place it in the sauce, and coat both sides with the sauce.
9. Optional- once you coat the chicken breasts you can place them back into the basket of the air fryer and cook for an additional 2 minutes. This just helps give the chicken a little more crisp and golden brown color to the sauce.
10. Add your lettuce and Caesar dressing to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
11. Add your mixed lettuce to a plate or bowl then top with the crispy buffalo chicken, extra buffalo sauce, croutons, and fresh parmesan, if you like.

What does a chicken Caesar salad contain?

A classic Chicken Caesar Salad typically consists of chicken, romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, croutons, and parmesan cheese.

Add-ins

Here are some fun things you can add to jazz up your salad:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Avocado slices
• Bacon bits
• Turkey bacon
• Red onion
• Anchovies
• Homemade croutons
• Blue cheese
• Parmesan cheese

Storing/meal prep

You can store leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days if you have leftover chicken.

If you want to meal prep this salad for fast lunches or dinners, I would make the chicken, add your lettuce to a meal prep container, and place the chicken on top of the lettuce. Leave the dressing out and add that to the salad when you are ready to eat, that way the lettuce and crispy texture on the chicken don't get soggy.

Recipe