Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad

By JenHall

haven't tried this yet

Ingredients

• Chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salad
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 large cucumber, sliced very thin and quartered
• 2 stalks celery, sliced very thin
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced into very thin moons
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
• Ranch Dressing
• 1/4 cup homemade mayo
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• “Wing” Sauce
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup hot sauce (I like Louisiana.)

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the chicken: I learned with The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat that brining pretty much saves boneless, skinless chicken breasts from flavorlessness. So I decided to combine the brining technique with the slow cooker. It worked great! If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can poach the breasts on the stovetop instead.

For the slow cooker: Place all chicken-related ingredients in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours.

For the stovetop: Put all chicken-related ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let chicken rest in the hot water spa for an additional 15-=20 minutes, then follow the rest of the instructions below.

Prep the salad: Slice all the salad ingredients as thinly as possible. If you have a mandoline slicer, all the better. (I shaved the cucumbers and celery on the finest blade of my manoline slicer, and it was perfect.) Toss everything in a very large bowl and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble.

Make the dressing: Place all ingredients — except salt and pepper — in a small bowl and mix energetically with a fork until blended. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Sauce the chicken: Either in the slow cooker or a large bowl, shred the chicken with two forks. It should fall apart pretty easily. Do not be bummed out by its bland color; we’re about to fix that! Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the fat. When it’s melted, add the chicken, toss to coat, then pour in the hot sauce and toss until it’s coated and kinda shiny. You can either stop there, or if you’re like me and are addicted to caramelization, let it sizzle for a few minutes to earn some brown bits.

Assemble: Toss the salad with the ranch dressing — I started with two tablespoons of dressing and added just a little at a time until the vegetables were coated but not swimming in dressing. Toss for at least two minutes for maximum coverage. Divide the salad between plates and top with a mound of Buffalo Chicken. Dig in!