This Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl is one of the easiest meals you can throw together on a busy weeknight! Spicy buffalo chicken (you can use rotisserie chicken to make it super easy) and lots of veggies are piled on top of rice, then topped with blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing. There are also so many ways to customize this recipe to make it work for the whole family!
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Truth be told, I will eat buffalo chicken ANYTHING! Of course chicken wings are a given, and this Buffalo Chicken Pasta is AMAZING…but I also love making a batch of buffalo chicken for salads and it’s perfect for tacos like these. So why not put it in a bowl that everyone can customize and make their own??!
This buffalo chicken bowl is healthy, uses simple ingredients, and is super EASY to make….and there are so many options to make it your own! Whether you want a low-carb buffalo chicken bowl, a dairy-free chicken bowl, or just want to pile on more veggies, you can customize it however your little heart desires.
Love rice bowls as much as I do??! You HAVE to try the viral TikTok Salmon and Rice Bowl! It’s LEGIT and such a great way to use up leftovers! After that, hop on over and try my Easy Shrimp Poke Bowl–one of the most popular recipes on the blog!
Need more?! Here are 25 Delicious Rice Bowl Recipes you MUST try! Enjoy!
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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- This recipe uses a few shortcuts and is on the table in (way) less than 30 minutes.
- There are so many ways to customize this bowl! It can be made low carb and keto-friendly!
- It’s flavorful and HEALTHY! One bowl (without cheese or ranch dressing)is less than 400 calories and has nearly 30 grams of protein.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bowls:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Chicken: Shredded rotisserie chicken breast is quick and easy but you can also cook chicken breasts in a pan with my foolproof method here.
Buffalo Sauce: Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce and Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce are my go to’s. Frank’s also has a mild version now!
Rice: If you are making rice the traditional way (in a pan or rice cooker), get it started before anything else. However, I love taking the instant rice shortcut route for busy weeknights! Brown rice or cauliflower rice work great, too!
Ranch Seasoning: I love McCormick Ranch 3-1 Seasoning because it is MSG-free!
HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO CHICKEN RICE BOWLS: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Whisk together your buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning.
Step 2: Stir in chicken and heat through.
Step 3: Divide rice into 4 bowls and top with chicken and veggies.
Step 4: Drizzle on ranch and add blue cheese crumbles, if using.
RECIPE TIPS AND TRICKS
- This recipe is perfect for meal preps! Shred off the white meat from an entire rotisserie chicken, toss with the buffalo/ranch sauce and keep in in the fridge all week for bowls, salads or sandwiches–the buffalo chicken is AMAZING on Hawaiian rolls, FYI 🙂
- For a low carb or keto version of this buffalo chicken bowl, swap out the rice for cauliflower rice or skip the rice all together and add in more lettuce and make it a salad!
- If you are adverse to celery, check out some alternatives to celery here!
🌟CONFIDENCE TIP 🌟
These buffalo chicken bowls are perfect for meal preps! Spoon rice and chicken into meal prep containers. Store the veggies in separate plastic baggies. When you’re ready to enjoy, toss the veggies with the rice/chicken and just add your dressing!
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
Store the chicken and rice together in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store veggies in a separate container. This way, you can heat up the chicken/rice (about a minute in the microwave), then throw on the fresh veggies at the end.
ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Protein: Any protein works here! Try ground beef, shrimp, tofu, or even black beans. You can even nix the protein altogether and add more veggies.
Rice: I prefer good old white rice, but any type of rice works!
Veggies: Swap out the meat for more veggies! A bag of cabbage slaw mix is an easy way to add veggies and a nice crunch! Bell peppers, chopped red onions, shredded carrots, and corn are also great!
Chicken: No leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken? Use chopped, cooked chicken tenders! Super yummy!
ADDITIONS
Heat: If you need more heat, use spicy buffalo sauce or add a dash or two of hot sauce to the bowl.
Avocado: How can you go wrong with avocado?!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The beauty of this buffalo chicken bowl recipe is that everything comes together in ONE BOWL–your protein, carbs, and crunchy veggies are all together…for easy eating AND clean up 🙂
It really depends on the sauce you use. I have found Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo sauce to be a little less spicy than Frank’s. However, Frank does have a mild version of their buffalo wing sauce too! To mellow out the spice, you can also add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, half and half, or milk to the sauce.
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TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Check out all of my kitchen essentials in my Amazon store!
Large Skillet: My favorite non-stick skillet!
Bowls: I love these clean white bowls for everything!
Rice Cooker/Instant Pot: The Instant Pot makes perfect rice every time!
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OTHER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken is perfect!
- 3/4 cup buffalo sauce See Note 1
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning such as Hidden Valley or McCormick
- 2-3 cups cooked rice See Note 2
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped into small pieces about 2-3 large stalks, find alternatives here
- Optional: blue cheese crumbles, ranch or blue cheese dressing, scallions for topping
Instructions
- Cook Rice: Cook rice according to package directions (or use leftover rice!).
- Prepare Chicken: In a large skillet over medium heat, whisk together buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning. Add chicken to skillet and toss until well coated with the sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes until chicken is heated through.
- Assemble: Divide rice, chicken, romaine, tomatoes and celery between 4 bowls.
- Optional: Top with blue cheese crumbles, ranch or blue cheese dressing, chopped green onion, and extra buffalo sauce!
Chenee says
I sent this to school with my daughter and she loved it and her friends were jealous! Thanks for the Mom win!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Easy, hearty and bold; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Jess says
Loving the flavors in this salad. Yummmm!
Nathan says
I’m blown away by how delicious this rice bowl is and how simple it is to put together! I made it as a nice filling lunch during a work from home day and it kept me full all day. Definitely a new go-to!
Cathleen says
I love a good rice bowl, so this recipe was right up my alley. Thanks so much for sharing, it was such a hit in my house 🙂
Beth says
I love salads and could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! This is perfect for any of those meals, fast, flavorful, and delicious!
dana says
I love bowl meals and I love Buffalo chicken, so this recipe had my name all over it. It was delicious, very filling but without weighing me down!
Elizabeth says
I’ve been on a rice and grain bowl kick lately, so this recipe is right up my alley! The flavors are delicious and I’m definitely going to add blue cheese crumbles as a garnish. Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
Much like you, I cannot get enough buffalo chicken everything! I can’t wait to try this one.
Andrea says
What a great combination of flavors. Buffalo chicken and rice were made for each other.
Kris says
Perfectly seasoned and delicious! We will make again. Thank you! 🙂
Jamie says
Nothing better than buffalo chicken with rice. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Anjali says
Love this healthy easy meal! It was perfect for lunch today!
Mirlene says
Love this tasty bowl for lunch! I’m a buffalo chicken lover and this is one of my favorite an easy meals to make!