Buffalo Ranch Chicken Avocado Salad (No Mayo, 46g Protein)

Calories are mostly avocado, same as the others. The number to watch here is sodium. Rotisserie chicken, hot sauce, and ranch seasoning are all salty on their own, and together they add up. This is the saltiest one of the six. If you’re watching sodium, swap the ranch packet for 1 tsp each dried dill, garlic powder, and onion powder, and use a lower-sodium hot sauce. That gets you under 900mg. Skip the blue cheese and use one avocado if you want it lighter on calories too.

Every one of these serves two, and every serving has a whole avocado in it. That’s on purpose. The fat is what makes it a meal without carbs. If the number is more than you want, split it four ways. Half an avocado each, works as a snack or a light lunch. The toast isn’t in the macros.

Game day food that I eat on a Tuesday. More hot sauce on top than the recipe says, every time, and the blue cheese goes on last so it stays in chunks.

Serves 2. No cooking. 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 to 3 tbsp Frank’s RedHot
• 1 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/4 bell pepper, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (optional)
• 4 slices sourdough, toasted

To serve: sourdough toast, lettuce cups, a tortilla, or straight from the bowl.

Steps

1. Mash one avocado. Dice the other.
2. Stir hot sauce, ranch seasoning, and yogurt into the mashed avocado.
3. Add chicken, celery, bell pepper, and green onion. Mix. Taste before you salt. You probably won’t need it.
4. Fold in diced avocado and blue cheese.
5. Serve on toast with more hot sauce if you want it.

Celery and bell pepper hold up better than anything else in this series, so this one is the safest to make a day ahead. Keep the blue cheese on the side.

Don’t freeze the finished salad. Avocado turns to water. In the fridge, press plastic wrap right on the surface and it holds for two days. Better move: freeze the shredded chicken in portions, prep the add-ins, and mix with fresh avocado the day you eat it. Two minutes.

Can I make buffalo chicken avocado salad without mayo?

Yes. Mashed avocado and two tablespoons of Greek yogurt do the job. The hot sauce and ranch seasoning carry the flavor.

How do I lower the sodium in buffalo chicken salad?

Swap the ranch packet for 1 tsp each of dried dill, garlic powder and onion powder, and use a lower-sodium hot sauce. That gets it under 900mg per serving.

Is this spicy?

Frank’s is more tang than heat. Three tablespoons is medium. Use two if you’re unsure, or add cayenne if you want it hotter.

Can I skip the blue cheese?

Yes. It’s optional. Feta works if you want something crumbly without the funk.

• Ranch seasoning: 1 tsp each dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder.
• Frank’s RedHot: any vinegar-based hot sauce. Not sriracha, it’s too sweet here.
• Blue cheese: feta, or none.
• Greek yogurt: sour cream, or a third tablespoon of mashed avocado.