Buffalo Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

I have to say that this recipe has become a new staple in our house. This has been a recipe on heavy rotation when we want to eat healthier without sacrificing taste and when we want some quick leftovers for upcoming busy weeknights.  My boyfriend happens to be a huge fan of my pan-fried chicken cutlets and although it is delicious, it's not exactly the healthiest.  So when I introduced him to this figure-friendly baked version he said that he couldn't even taste the difference.  That's a good thing; it's not always easy to find recipes that trick your tastebuds but ease your conscience.

There is still a lot of prep work involved but it cooks really fast in the oven (under 15 minutes, that's even faster than frozen chicken fingers).  I also love this avocado ranch dressing that goes along with it.  I make one version that's a little thicker in consistency for dipping tortilla chips and a more liquid one for the actual salad dressing.  Usually I end up making a double batch of chicken and the leftovers are reheated to be made into sandwiches or my personal favourite – chicken wraps.

The first time I made the recipe, I followed the instructions and dipped my chicken pieces in the buffalo hot sauce (to resemble actual buffalo chicken wings) but I found that it quickly rendered my crispy chicken soggy and it was a bit too overwhelming in flavour.  So instead, I was left the sauce on the side to dip as desired.  Another little tip I recommend would be to not skip the step of toasting the panko breadcrumbs in a bit of oil, this improves the overall taste and appearance of oven-baked chicken.  This also gives the chicken a nice crispy coating!

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
Chicken 
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoons of minced fresh thyme
Cooking spray
1 lb chicken thighs (trimmed of fat and sliced into 3/4-inch strips)

Buffalo Sauce:
1/2 cup wing sauce (such as Frank's original sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter

Dressing:
1/2 of an avocado, scooped from the skin and roughly diced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Up to 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 small bunch of chives or 1 scallions, roughly shopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoons sea salt
A few cranks of freshly ground black pepper

For salad assembly:
4 to 5 cups chopped romaine or sping mix
11/2 cups of grape tomatoes
Chicken
Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing
Crumbled bacon, crumbled blue cheese, extra chives/scallions (all optional)

To Make the Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.

In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.  In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.

Spray a wire rack with cooking spray (rub the wires to make sure they are well-coated–this will prevent the breading from sticking) and place over a rimmed baking sheet.  Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the breading is lightly golden brown, 10-12 minutes.  While the chicken cooks, melt the butter in the wing sauce in a large bowl in the microwave; whisk the butter into the sauce to combine and transfer to a small serving bowl.

To Make the Dressing:
While the chicken bakes, place all of the ingredients with 1/4 cup of buttermilk in a blender and blend for 10 seconds.  Check consistency and blend in additional buttermilk if desired.  Scrape down the sides of the blender and blend until the avocado is completely pureed.

Lay the buffalo chicken out over the prepared salads and spoon the dressing over the top.  Serve with the chicken still warm.

Source: adapted from Smells like Home