Now that the party recipes have been exhausted, I am kicking off a mini-series entitled “Mitchell Family Favorites,” recipes we go back to over and over.  This salad is a weeknight staple in our house, something easy to pull together, quick to cook, light and satisfying.  Oh, and spicy.  Pretty darn spicy.

There are three components to this meal:  the chicken, the dressing and the salad.  For the salad, I will just share the ingredients I use…the quantities depend on how many people you are serving!  The dressing and chicken will both keep well for a few days, so I recommend making a whole serving, and using for lunches later in the week.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

For the chicken:

• 1 package chicken tenderloins
• ¾ cup Frank’s Red Hot hot sauce
• 2 TB butter, melted
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of onion powder

For the Fake Ranch dressing:

• 2 TB light sour cream
• 1 TB light mayonnaise
• ¼ c low fat buttermilk
• Juice of half a lemon
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 TB chopped chives
• Salt and pepper

For the salad:

• Arugula
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped scallions
• Chopped cucumbers
• Feta cheese (or blue, if you prefer)

Whisk together hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce and onion powder.  Combine chicken tenders and hot sauce mixture in a zip top bag and marinate for 20 minutes to 2 hours.

While the chicken marinates, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth.  If you prefer a thinner consistency, add additional buttermilk (or regular milk.)  Refrigerate until use.

Heat a large skillet on the stove.  Cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  You can also start the cooking process on the stove, and finish the chicken under your broiler, which caramelizes the sauce a bit more.  Either works!

While chicken cooks, combine all salad ingredients.  To serve, toss salad with Fake Ranch, and top with chicken.