Buffalo Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad. It's something that can be prepared quickly and easily, and it works perfectly for lunches or for a simple weeknight dinner. So when I saw this recipe combining chicken salad with another of my favorite things, hot sauce, I was smitten. It was another one of those "Why in the world didn't I think of that?" moments that I seem to be having a lot lately when I'm browsing through recipes.

This was a definite winner in our house. I made a few modifications to fit our tastes; we're not blue cheese people, so I used ranch dressing instead. The sauce had the perfect amount of spice, which was balanced nicely by the creaminess of the ranch dressing and Miracle Whip. I love meals like this in the summer. I used a rotisserie chicken, so I didn't even have to turn on the oven. This came together in about 5 minutes and it was absolutely delicious. We'll definitely be making this version of chicken salad again!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
source: adapted from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise, but we love the flavor of Miracle Whip)

1/3 cup hot sauce (we strongly prefer Frank's Red Hot)

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1/4 tsp paprika

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups cooked cubed or shredded chicken breast (a store-bought rotisserie chicken works perfectly)

In a medium bowl combine Miracle Whip, hot sauce, ranch dressing, paprika, and salt and pepper. (Taste test along the way and add more hot sauce if you want it spicier and more ranch dressing if you want it creamier.) When you have the right flavor add the chicken, celery, green onions, and parsley. Serve on sandwiches or in tortilla wraps.