Buffalo Chicken Salad

The last time I made this salad, I didn't live in this house.  It's been a looooong time.  But I remembered it was really good, so when I was going through my binder, putting together our newest menu, I figured I'd drag an old recipe out.  It was as good as I remembered it.

Here's the recipe with my notes:

Buffalo Chicken Salad

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used tenders)
1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Tobasco
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 C diced celery*
1 C diced carrots*
1 C diced radishes*
1 C diced seedless cucumber*
Blue Cheese Sauce
2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsely

Blue Cheese Sauce

1/4 C sour cream

1/4 C mayonnaise

1/4 C crumbled blue cheese

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice (I just realized I forgot this)

Dash of Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp finely chopped onion (I omitted this for The Dad)

Pinch of minced garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp chopped parsely

*Note:  The first time I made this, I did all the dicing.  It took three days.  Okay, maybe not that long, but it took a long time.  This time, I cut everything into half moons.  I did a bed of lettuce under the mixed veggies.  Also, my cucumber was slimy and gross, so I went out to the garden and scrounged up some green beans to make up for it.

Chicken:

In a bowl, combine butter, 1 Tbsp olive oil, Tabasco, salt and pepper.

Marinate, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

Grill chicken over high heat 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Slice.

Vinaigrette:

Combine the orange juice, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Set aside.

Blue Cheese Sauce:

Combine the sour cream and mayonnaise together in a bowl.

Add the blue cheese and fold gently - do not mash the cheese.

Fold in the remaining ingredients and adjust the seasonings to taste. 

To serve, toss the celery, carrots, radishes and cucumber in a bowl with the reserved vinaigrette.

Divide the salad among 4 plates.

For each serving, place the bottom half of a chicken breast on top of the salad; lay the top breast half at a slight angle atop.

Dollop each with a generous tablespoon of the Blue Cheese Sauce.

Sprinkle with parsley.

As you will see, I didn't serve it that way this time, but I remember it was pretty the first time I made it.

We had ours with a yummy, crusty loaf of bread.

Here's dinner on my plate: