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Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
If you love buffalo sauce, you’ve gotta try this healthy vegan buffalo tofu chicken salad with crispy buffalo nuggets and vegan ranch. It’s ready in minutes and tastes absolutely amazing every time!
I love the idea of buffalo-sauce coated anything. The heat and buttery goodness tastes amazing on pretty much any food: tofu, tempeh, cauliflower, and straight out of the bottle. Though, this is how I feel about most condiments. Dry food doesn’t do it for me; I like my dishes to be well-covered in some type of sauce. (See also- the hundreds of recipes I have on this site that feature at least one homemade sauce.)
BL and I are huge buffalo fans and make nuggets often as a quick weeknight dinner. Whether I’m doing a homemade tofu nugget or heating up a package of Gardein tenders, nuggets and buffalo sauce were made for each other.
It was only a matter of time then that I put those nuggets on a salad. While I don’t mind digging into a plate of just nuggets for dinner, it seems a little more appropriate when there is also lettuce, carrots, peppers and tomatoes involved.
Buffalo Tofu Chicken Salad
If you like buffalo sauce, then you are going to love this simple vegan chicken salad. To start, you’ll want to press your tofu to drain out the excess water, then coat the cubes in a little cornstarch to ensure a crispy crust.
Yes, I’ve got a few different ways to make perfectly crispy tofu and this is my pan-fried version. The cornstarch sticks to the tofu cubes to create a golden brown crust after lightly frying. The perfect crispy coating is then ready to soak up the buttery buffalo sauce.
Get the salad ready to go, then add on the hot buffalo nuggets and a general drizzle of my vegan ranch. Because the only thing better than a dish with one yummy sauce is a dish with two yummy sauces.
This vegan ranch is so good, I recommend doubling the recipe. Of course, the kind of vegan mayo you get matters. Some are gross and some are so much better than regular mayo, you’ll never go back. I swear by Just Mayo, Hellman’s Vegan Mayo and the O.G. vegan mayo- vegenaise.
If you try this vegetarian chicken salad recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
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Buffalo Tofu Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: dinner, lunch
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American, Vegan, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Description
If you love buffalo sauce, you’ve gotta try this healthy vegan buffalo tofu chicken salad with crispy buffalo nuggets and vegan ranch. It’s ready in minutes and tastes absolutely amazing every time!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: dinner, lunch
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American, Vegan, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: dinner, lunch
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American, Vegan, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Scale
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayo or vegan mayo (I love Just Mayo, Veganaise or Hellman’s Mayo)
- 1/4 cup soymilk
- handful parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (15 ounce) container extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- pinch sea salt
- 1/4 cup oil, to lightly fry the tofu
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (like Frank’s)
- 3 tablespoons butter of choice (or vegan butter)
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 3/4 cup shaved carrots
- 1 avocado, diced
- additional salad toppings, as desired
Instructions
- If you haven’t pressed the tofu yet, wrap the tofu in a paper towel and place a heavy object on top. Let sit while you make the dressing.
- Whisk together the mayo, soy milk, parsley, dill, garlic powder and pinch of salt and pepper. Taste, adjust salt and pepper as needed, and set aside.
- Cube the tofu and combine the corn starch and salt on a large plate.
- Heat a skillet, preferably a cast-iron or non-stick skillet, to medium heat with the oil until oil is hot (it should lightly splatter when you sprinkle a few drops of water on it). While the oil is heating, I usually chop the lettuce and get the salads ready to go.
- Dip the tofu on all sides in the corn starch mixture and place in the skillet. Continue with more tofu that will fit in the pan. Let cook until golden on one side, then flip with tongs, continuing to cook the rest of the tofu until golden and crispy. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel and continue with the rest of the tofu.
- Melt the butter and combine with the buffalo sauce. Toss with the cooked tofu and place on top of the prepared salads. Drizzle with ranch dressing and eat. The cooked buffalo tofu won’t last long once covered in the sauce, so if you aren’t going to eat this right away, wait to coat the tofu with the sauce.
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(3 comments) leave a comment
Mmmmmmmmm….looks SO yummy! I am like you. I LOVE buffalo flavired anything! I will toss things in it, throw it in wraps with a bunch of veggies and some of my vegan ranch and its always so good!
Thanks for commenting! It’s the best, the flavor is so intense without being greasy.