Buffalo Chicken Salad (sort of) with Goat Cheese Dressing
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I have moments where I definitely question my foodie status. I hope I’m not shunned from the food community by mentioning these moments, but a few include a preference for milk chocolate over dark (though I like both), liking truffles enough but not being blown away by them, hating cilantro except in incredibly small doses, and not eating blue cheeses.
Are you still with me? Phew.
I guess it goes without saying that I don’t really like blue cheese dressing. Buffalo chicken salads usually come with blue cheese dressing (or the occasional ranch) so I never really order them in a restaurant. But, I was thinking that with the little leftover goat cheese & buttermilk I had in my fridge, I could take the concept of blue cheese dressing and apply it to a goat cheese dressing. If you’ve read my blog at all, you know I have a major love of the goat cheese.
Now, a lot of blue cheese dressings are made with mayo, which I also despise. I decided to use some Greek yogurt instead. It’s still creamy but it’s better on my palate, and healthier, too. Besides the fact that I made goat cheese dressing insead of blue cheese, the reason I say “sort of” in my post title is because I think a buffalo chicken salad usually has things like carrots & celery and not much else, besides lettuce. I did use celery (no carrots), but I also used tomatoes and cucumbers.
Making buffalo sauce is incredibly easy. It’s just a mixture of a red pepper sauce (like Frank’s) and butter. The most common ratio seems to be 1:1 but I like spice (and, conveniently, am not that crazy about saturated fats) so I use more like a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio. It’s really your preference. You just need to heat those two ingredients to your liking in a small saucepan and then just slather on the cooked chicken (which, in this case, was seasoned very minimally with salt & pepper and just cooked stove-top with a little oil).
This was great! The cool, creamy, slightly tangy dressing paired well with the spicy buffalo chicken. Plus, I am all about minimal cooking in the summer.
Goat Cheese Dressing
Enough to dress 2 dinner-sized salads
1 oz. softened goat cheese
2 Tbsp. lowfat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
seal salt & freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients with a fork, breaking up the goat cheese to mix it in.
Nutrition Per Serving: Calories: 60 / Fat: 3.1g / Saturated Fat: 2.1g / Carbs: 2.2g / Protein: 5.5g
Elly, I’m in the same boat when it comes to chocolate…I prefer the milk variety too and I can barely stomach very smelly blue cheeses! This salad has a real summery feel to it and I love that combination of greek yoghurt and goats cheese. Delightful!
I only like cilantro is small doses too, and I’m not a big fan of blue cheese either!!
I have a few non-foodie hangups too. I don’t get the truffle craze, and sometimes cool whip makes me inexplicably happy…
I am a HUGE fan of replacing mayo with yogurt. I did it with egg salad and I’m definitely going to try it in salad dressing!
I make my blue cheese dressing with Fage yogurt. – but I use blue cheese crumbles in mine.
Thank God we are all different and so I’m ok with you not liking certain things, I share your thoughts about cilantro, but I have learned to love it in hot dishes like Thai curries!!! I LOVE goat’s cheese however so I will be having my buffalo salad with this dressing too!!
Your version looks great! Goat cheese is a perfect substitution! I bet this was delicious!
That salad looks fabulous – and especially so without the moldy cheese!
Many years ago, when I cooked wings in a restaurant, we added extra cayenne to our “hot” sauce, as well . . . .
I’m pretty sure we need to meet each other and have a goat cheese party of some sort. I would have never thought to make a dressing with goat cheese, but that looks and sounds fabulous! You know I will be making this soon!
Ooooh, this is definitely something my husband and I can get behind. He makes (grills) his own wings almost every weekend (the sauces differ) and we are eating lots of salad, thanks to our garden and the rainy month of June! This will be a welcome addition to our rotation!
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Casey
Editor
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This would cater to my tastes as well Elly. We all have ingredients we are not “over the moon” about, but we are passionate about some:D
That dressing totally rules, Elly!!!! So does the salad in general!
This looks delicious! I don’t like Blue Cheese either, so this looks perfect!
I like milk chocolate better too. This looks great! I’m always looking for an excuse to buy a hunk of goat cheese.
I need to make this. Soon. Although I do love blue cheese dressing -I love goat cheese just as much!
I love it! Great idea, goat cheese is just the best! I prefer milk chocolate too (shh..). 🙂
Seriously – goat cheese dressing made with yogurt = GENIUS! I love it!!
Elly, try a milder Blue…saying a Danish one…have I ever led you astray? Think mint! lol
We’re still pals and I’d gladly nosh on this salad.
What a tasty looking salad that eats like a meal!
Rita this is something I thought you would enjoy