When I was growing up, my family used to go to this neighborhood icehouse (an indoor-outdoor dive bar and restaurant popular in Texas) and my go-to order was a salad they called “chicken on the green.” It had a lot going on, but the key components were fried popcorn chicken and some crunchy vegetables over lettuce with cheddar cheese. It was so good that I was ordering it by choice — as a child.

Perhaps that’s why when I saw TikTok after TikTok about Winger’s copycat sticky (chicken) finger salad, it really struck a chord with me. The salad is very similar to my childhood favorite, but topped with saucy chopped chicken tenders. I just had to create my own version.

In this recipe, I toss store-bought frozen chicken tenders in Buffalo wing sauce and make my own semi-homemade ranch dressing. Then I top the whole thing with a shower of crushed barbecue potato chips. You could easily scale this up to feed a crowd, or halve it if it’s just for you. Whoever you make this salad for will leave the kitchen table happy.

Why you’ll love it

Crispy crushed barbecue potato chips and chopped cheddar cheese take the flavor — and texture — to the next level.

Using store-bought frozen chicken tenders makes it easy to pull this salad together. Plus, everything else comes together quickly while the chicken’s in the oven.

Key ingredients in Sticky Chicken Salad

The 3 C’s of delicious salads

One way to ensure you make satisfying salads like this one is through textural variety. As a starting point to any great salad, keep the three C’s in mind: crispy, crunchy, and chewy. You’ll want to add one from each category. Here are some examples.

Helpful swaps

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