Pioneer Woman Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Salad

Pioneer Woman buffalo chicken with blue cheese salad is a crispy roasted chicken dinner with tangy hot sauce and creamy blue cheese dressing, ready in 50 minutes. Try this easy weeknight chicken dinner for game day or Super Bowl night, since it's sheet pan simple and big on flavor.

Roast the chicken until the skin turns golden before you brush on any hot sauce, because that crisp skin is what holds the glaze. Brush it on too early and the skin turns soft instead of sticky and lacquered.

The blue cheese goes into the dressing and onto the salad, so every bite of cool, crunchy lettuce answers the heat of the wings-style chicken. Shaking the dressing together in a jar means you skip the extra bowl and have a dip for the chicken ready too.

Pioneer Woman Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Salad

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

35

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Calories

620

kcal

Crackly, sauce-glazed chicken sits next to a cold, crunchy salad of iceberg, carrot and celery coated in a thick blue cheese dressing. The hot chicken and chilled salad balance each other in every forkful.

Ingredients

• 4 lb. skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces
  

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
  

• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  

• 1/3 c. Buffalo-style hot sauce
  

• 1/2 c. buttermilk
  

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  

• 1/2 c. sour cream
  

• 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
  

• 1 small garlic clove, grated
  

• 1 c. crumbled blue cheese
  

• 1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped
  

• 3 carrots, grated
  

• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  

Directions

• Roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss 4 lb. chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet, then arrange them skin-side up in a single layer. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the skin is golden and the chicken is no longer pink near the bone.
• Glaze with Buffalo sauce: Brush the chicken with half of the 1/3 cup Buffalo sauce and return it to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes so the sauce bakes in. Then brush on the rest and let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes.
• Shake the dressing: Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons white vinegar and 1 grated garlic clove in a large jar. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper, seal it and shake until smooth.
• Add the blue cheese: Stir 3/4 cup of the crumbled blue cheese into the dressing. Refrigerate it until the chicken is done, so it's nice and cold for the salad.
• Toss the salad: Combine the chopped iceberg, 3 grated carrots and 3 thinly sliced celery stalks in a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup of the dressing and toss well to coat.
• Serve: Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup blue cheese over the salad. Serve it with the chicken and the rest of the dressing on the side for dipping.

Tools for this recipe

• Nordic Ware half sheet pan, ThermoPro instant-read thermometer, Ball regular mouth mason jars, 12 pack, Hellmann's real mayonnaise, 30 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use boneless chicken instead of bone-in pieces?

Yes, but boneless pieces cook faster and have no skin to crisp up. Start checking them around 18 to 20 minutes, since they dry out quickly at 450°F.

How do I store leftover Buffalo chicken and salad?

Keep the chicken and the undressed salad in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Dressed lettuce turns watery, so only toss what you plan to eat right away.

Can I make the blue cheese dressing ahead of time?

Yes, and it actually gets better after a rest in the fridge because the garlic and blue cheese settle into the creamy base. Keep it sealed in the jar and give it a good shake before using.

What can I use if I don't have buttermilk?

Stir 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1/2 cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. It won't be quite as tangy, but it works in the dressing.

What's the most common mistake with this recipe?

Crowding the pan is the big one, because the chicken steams instead of roasting and the skin never crisps. Give the pieces room on the baking sheet, or use two pans.