Buffalo Chicken Salad

Last week we put our house up on the market, which means that we're trying to keep it as clean as possible. If you've ever been in our shoes, then you know how frazzled I feel about keeping our kitchen clean. I love cooking, but I'm not always the cleanest cook. Actually, I'm a really messy cook, which now presents a problem.

One night, when I didn't know what to make for dinner because I wanted to keep things mess free, my husband reminded me about a meal we love that is ridiculously easy to make. This salad is filling, spicy, tangy, and is a meal even guys will sink their teeth into.

I love it, because it's a healthy alternative to devouring hot wings submerged in ranch dressing. My husband likes to skimp on the ingredients (just chicken, lettuce, cheese, and dressing for him), but I like including whatever veggies we have on hand. Consider the following more of a "how-to" instead of an actual recipe. In other words: tweak as you see fit!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

by The Tale of Two Kitchens

Ingredients:
Breaded chicken breast tenderloins
Buffalo wing sauce (Frank's RedHot Buffalo tastes great, but we actually use the store brand)
Lettuce
Blue cheese crumbles (reduced fat tastes just as good!)
Ranch or blue cheese dressing
tomatoes (optional)
green onions (optional)
celery (optional)
avocado (optional)

Directions:
Cook chicken in oven according to directions, flipping once to get both sides crisp. While chicken is cooking, prep salad bowls with lettuce and other ingredients. When chicken is finished cooking, set aside to cool. In a medium sized bowl, pour about 1/4–1/2 cup (to taste) hot wing sauce (you can always add more!). Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in bowl with hot sauce. Toss to coat; place buffalo chicken on top of lettuce. Add desired amount of salad dressing; enjoy.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe has been in my family for years—I can't remember a year that my mom didn't make this black-eyed pea salad. Black-eyed peas are supposed to be eaten on New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. (Truth be told, I usually have my first bite a few days into January, because I forget about having a spoonful on January 1st.)

This salad is full of fiber, flavorful, and is perfect to keep in the fridge for a quick, filling snack. The flavor of the salad gets better with time, so don't be surprised if you find yourself eating a huge bowl days after you make it. Black-eyed peas, if you haven't had them before, remind me more of beans than a pea. They're tiny, a little grainy, and pair nicely with the ingredients below. 

When I was younger, my brother and I would do anything and everything we could possibly do to not have a single taste of this salad (I guess black-eyed peas sounded gross back then?), but now I love this and would consider making it any time of the year.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen black-eyed peas
¼  teaspoon salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 jalapeno, rinsed but left whole
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
2 green onions

Directions:
In a medium pot, combine frozen black-eyed peas, salt, vegetable broth, water, sugar, jalapeno pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off heat and allow peas to cool in the cooking broth for two hours or overnight before finishing salad.

There should be about ¼ cup of cooking liquid left in the kettle. Discard the bay leaf and dice jalapeno (optional). Stir tin cider vinegar and olive oil into the cooking liquid. Add green pepper, tomato, green onion, and jalapeno (optional). Toss to mix; serve chilled or at room temperature.

*This is a guest post I wrote for Jolts & Jollies