Buffalo Chicken Leg Salad Recipe: A Healthy Alternative to Wings!

I love Buffalo chicken, but I'm not always a fan of the mess that comes with eating wings . This classic appetizer isn't always the healthiest either, since most of the time the chicken is fried. That's why we put a twist on the classic finger food with our Buffalo Chicken Leg Salad recipe.

You still get the fun of eating wings without all the napkins, excess sauce and greasy fingers. We let the chicken legs marinate in the buffalo sauce for two to four hours, and once they're coated, these head to the grill, which makes it juicy, tender and easy to cut off the bone if you choose. Once the chicken is done, is when you can dress it up. Add the lettuce, scallions, bacon and blue cheese (or ranch!) for a crunchy filling salad you can't help but devour. Let us know what you think in the comments!

And if you still can't get enough Buffalo flavor, check out these air-fryer Buffalo chicken egg rolls.

Yields

Total Time

Prep Time

Cook Time

Ingredients

• ½ cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 Tbs. butter, melted
• 4 chicken leg quarters
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. celery salt
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small head iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
• 2 scallions, sliced
• ⅓ cup blue cheese salad dressing

Instructions

• In bowl, combine hot sauce, honey and butter. Rub chicken with garlic powder and celery salt. Transfer to large plastic storage bag; add ½ cup sauce mixture. Reserve remaining mixture. Seal bag; toss to coat chicken. Chill 2–4 hrs.

• Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook, flipping, until crisp, 6–8 min. Drain on paper towels. Let cool; chop.

• Prepare grill for medium direct- and indirect-heat cooking. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill chicken over direct heat, skin side down, until browned, 5 min.; flip. Move to indirect heat. Cover; cook until no longer pink, 50 min., brushing with remaining sauce mixture during last 15 min. of grilling.

• Place lettuce on platter. Top with chicken, bacon and scallions. Serve with dressing.

Nutrition

• Calories: 470
• Fat: 31 gram
• Saturated Fat: 11 gram
• Protein: 32 gram
• Carbohydrate: 15 gram
• Fiber: 0 gram
• Cholesterol: 195 mg
• Sugar: 13 gram
• Sodium: 1,350 mg