Buffalo Chicken Salad (Paleo)
Sarah and I are always looking at recipes at our favorite restaurants in Asheville in an effort to recreate them at home. I took one of my favorite fried meals and cleaned it up a bit, using more wholesome ingredients… all of which are #glutenfree. The salad is a simple combination of delicious flavors and textures: chopped lettuce, crispy chicken nuggets rolled in Frank’s hot sauce, blue cheese crumbles, shaved broccoli & carrots, topped with Tessemae’s creamy ranch. To make this meal completely paleo, whole30 friendly, and dairy free simply remove the blue cheese crumbles.
For the chicken nuggets (serves 2):
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup almond flour
1 T arrowroot flour
1 egg with splash of almond milk, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste (I used Frank’s)
2 T coconut oil
Instructions:
First, pound the chicken breast to create even thickness. Cut chicken into small “nuggets”. The size of the nuggets is up to you, just make sure they are as similar in size as possible. (I wish I had remembered to brine the nuggets in pickle juice, as recommended by Sarah… oh well, will definitely try that next time!)
Combine egg and almond milk in one bowl. In another bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot flour, and salt and pepper.
Dip nuggets (several at a time, work in batches) into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture.
Warm large skillet to medium high heat and add coconut oil. Place nuggets in melted oil and once the oil starts bubbling, let them cook for about 4 minutes on each side.
*Don’t stray far from the stove. You may have to adjust heat or flip nuggets a couple more times to prevent burning.
Once nuggets are cooked through and crispy on the outside, douse them in some hot sauce and add to a bed of chopped lettuce, shaved celery (or broccoli) and carrots, and blue cheese crumbles. Top with Tessemae’s creamy ranch, and enjoy!
*Tip: For easier eating, cut cooked nuggets into even smaller pieces before putting them on the salad