I came up with this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Couscous Salad at the 11th hour the night before a horse show. While I have go-to (equestrian-approved) sandwiches and wraps for horse shows, I wasn't in the mood for a sandwich. While I also have a lot of pasta salad recipes I love, I wasn't feeling any of those either. I was craving buffalo chicken for some reason... maybe because I had amazing wings out with some friends the other night and have wanted more ever since. I've also been wanting to make some couscous for a while, so that's where I started with this.
This uses my homemade chicken nuggets recipe as the base (which I have yet to post, sorry!) The cool thing about the nuggets is that they aren't deep fried, but they're also super quick to make. I've started cooking with avocado oil more recently because I do a lot of cooking at high temperatures, and I'm a little tired of my kitchen getting smoky.
This recpe uses your choice of buffalo sauce so you can control the amount of heat. You can also make your own using recipes like this one from Chili Pepper Madness or this one from The Forked Spoon.
The dressing in this buffalo chicken salad is a ranch. It uses some of my homemade ranch dressing and dip mix (another one I have yet to post). I'm not the biggest blue cheese fan, so I top this salad with crumbled cotija cheese. You can definitely use blue cheese crumbles if you're a blue cheese fan, though.
Buffalo Chicken Couscous Salad Recipe Notes
Avocado oil: You can substitute olive oil, but watch the smoke point. Avocado oil is better for high-heat cooking.
Making ahead: Mix together the couscous, carrots, and celery. When ready to serve, stir the couscous/veggies to make it a bit fluffy. Top with chicken and drizzle with ranch. Top with cheese and sliced green onions.
Looking for more make-ahead pasta salads? Check out this post with 30 Pasta Salad Recipes. It includes my Fall Tortellini Pasta Salad, Summer Orzo Pasta Salad, BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad, and others.
Buffalo Chicken Couscous Salad
Equipment
- Medium saucepan with lid
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
- 1½ lbs boneless chicken breasts about 2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup tapioca flour (aka tapioca starch)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
Couscous
- 1½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (reduce by half if using table salt)
- 1 cup pearl couscous
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder
- ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
Toppings
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup diced celery small dice
- cotija or blue cheese crumbles
- sliced green onions
Instructions
Cook the Chicken
- Mix together the tapioca flour, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt in a container that will also be large enough to toss chicken in.¼ cup tapioca flour, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add chicken pieces and toss until all pieces are evenly coated on every side.1½ lbs boneless chicken breasts
- Preheat large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add avocado oil to the skillet. (Use only 2 tablespoons if your skillet is nonstick, 3 tablespoons otherwise.)2 to 3 tablespoon avocado oil
- Cook the chicken undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir the chicken, flipping the pieces to the other side.
- Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes until all chicken pieces are cooked through. (Cooking time will vary based on your individual stove and the sizes of the pieces of chicken.)
- When chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb some of the excess oil.
- Transfer the chicken to a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce.½ cup buffalo sauce
Make Couscous
- Bring chicken or vegetable stock and salt to a boil.1½ cup chicken or vegetable stock, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add couscous and stir. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.1 cup pearl couscous
- Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water until the couscous is cool.
Make Dressing
- Whisk together all ingredients.2 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder, ½ teaspoon dried minced onion, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, pinch kosher salt, pinch black pepper
Assemble Salad
- If eating immediately: Toss together couscous, carrots, and celery. Top with buffalo chicken. Drizzle with ranch. Top with cheese and green onions.1 cup grated carrots, ½ cup diced celery, cotija or blue cheese crumbles, sliced green onions
- If making ahead: Toss together couscous, carrots, and celery. When ready to serve, stir to make it a bit fluffy. Top with chicken and drizzle with ranch. Top with cheese and green onions.
