Buffalo Chicken Bean Salad (Printer View)

Spicy chickpeas with celery, carrots, and blue cheese combine for a bold and satisfying salad.

# Components:

→ Beans & Legumes

01 - 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cups mixed salad greens (optional)

→ Sauce & Cheese

06 - 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
07 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
08 - 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

→ Garnish

09 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# Method:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, diced carrots, celery, and finely chopped red onion.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together buffalo wing sauce and mayonnaise or Greek yogurt until smooth.
03 - Pour buffalo sauce mixture over chickpea and vegetable mixture, tossing well to coat evenly.
04 - Gently fold in half of the crumbled blue cheese into the salad.
05 - If using, divide mixed salad greens among serving plates.
06 - Top salad greens with buffalo chickpea salad, then sprinkle with remaining blue cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes decadent and spicy but comes together in fifteen minutes flat.
  • Chickpeas give you real staying power without any meat, making you feel genuinely full.
  • The buffalo sauce and blue cheese combo feels like takeout food masquerading as a salad.
  • It gets better sitting in the fridge, so you can make it ahead and steal bites throughout the week.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing your canned chickpeas or the salad will have a weird grainy texture that no amount of flavor can save.
  • If you mix the sauce with hot ingredients it'll separate, so make sure everything is cool before combining or eat it right away so the warmth doesn't matter.
03 -
  • Keep your buffalo sauce in the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature before mixing it with the mayo so they combine smoothly instead of fighting each other.
  • If the salad sits long enough that the greens get soggy but you still want that vegetable element, serve it in lettuce cups or on top of fresh greens instead of mixed together.
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