This Buffalo chicken bowl recipe is everything we love about Buffalo wings, just a little lighter (and a lot easier). The perfect weeknight meal.
These bowls are made with fluffy rice, tender chicken, plenty of fresh vegetables, all tossed in our homemade buffalo sauce.
Ever since we shared our buffalo sauce recipe, we’ve kept a jar in the fridge. That’s how this easy, healthy buffalo chicken bowl came to be. It’s quick, satisfying, and perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: In the recipe below, we share a method for quickly cooking chicken breast for these bowls, but you can substitute it with leftover cooked chicken, shredded chicken, or grilled chicken.
- Broccoli: Since we cook the chicken, we take the opportunity to quickly steam some broccoli in the same pan. Substitute broccoli with your favorite veggies.
- Buffalo Sauce: I use my homemade buffalo sauce, which is incredibly simple to make with butter, hot sauce, honey, and a little garlic powder.
- Rice: For these bowls, you’ll start with a bed of cooked rice or grains. I love brown rice, cilantro lime rice, saffron rice, or cooked quinoa. A low-carb option is cauliflower rice.
- Salad Greens: A handful of tender salad greens adds freshness to these bowls. Use what you love.
- Blue cheese: I love Buffalo hot wings with blue cheese, so I crumble blue cheese on top of this bowl. Shredded cheddar or feta are good substitutes. You can even add a spoonful of cottage cheese for extra protein.
- Creamy Dressing: Use store-bought or try one of our homemade dressings. I especially love ranch dressing, cilantro lime dressing, or blue cheese dressing.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
Tip 1: Cook the chicken and broccoli together. Grab a skillet, add a little oil then sear the chicken breasts in a skillet until browned on one side, flip them, reduce the heat, and cover with a lid. This is my favorite way to cook chicken breasts since they stay incredibly juicy. An added bonus: you can steam the veggies in the same pan. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, lift the lid and add the broccoli (or any other quick-cooking vegetable), then cover again and let them steam alongside the chicken.
Tip 2: Building the bowls. I’m such a big fan of rice bowls for dinners during the week. You can meal prep the rice (or grains), and then quickly put them together before you get too hungry, give up, and order in. Start with a base of rice, add the chicken, greens, and broccoli, then drizzle generously with buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. So simple, so good.
More Rice Bowl Recipes
Easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love these Buffalo chicken rice bowls loaded with juicy chicken breasts, fluffy rice, fresh veggies, and a drizzle of ranch. They’re quick, satisfying, and easy to meal prep. See our tips below for how to make them ahead.
You Will Need
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 6 ounces each
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
1 cup warm cooked rice, brown rice, or cilantro lime rice
3 cups salad greens
2 lemon wedges
2 tablespoons ranch dressing or cilantro lime dressing
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Directions
1Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the chicken breasts. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden on the bottom. Flip, reduce the heat to low, and cover with the lid. Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F.
2Steam the broccoli: About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, lift the lid and add the broccoli florets. Cover again and cook until the broccoli is bright green and tender. (If the broccoli finishes before the chicken, transfer it to a plate and continue cooking the chicken until done.)
3Warm the buffalo sauce: If your buffalo sauce is cold, warm it briefly in the microwave (about 5 seconds) until smooth and pourable.
4Assemble the bowls: Divide the rice between two wide bowls. Add the salad greens to one half of each bowl, then squeeze a lemon wedge over the greens and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Scatter the broccoli over the greens.
5Finish and serve: Slice the chicken and place it next to the greens and broccoli. Spoon the warmed buffalo sauce over the chicken, drizzle ranch dressing over the salad and broccoli, and finish with a sprinkle of blue cheese.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Meal prepping tips: The rice, chicken, and buffalo wing sauce can all be made ahead of time. When stored in airtight containers in the fridge, the rice and chicken last up to 4 days. The buffalo sauce lasts in the fridge for 1 month.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Hi! I love your site/recipes! Have been following for a few years now. Fun to witness your evolution! A Q: hubby hates blue cheese….I’m trying to imagine what other cheese I could use….Grated smoked havarti? Crumbled herb Boursin? Brie? Or Feta? Or better to just skip the cheese? Any suggestions?
Hi Soko, I actually love all of your suggestions, especially the boursin!
Your recipes look super yummy and healthy! I love Alton Browns baked brown rice recipe. Butter makes everything better.
Great recipe. I used asparagus rather than brocolli since that is what i had on hand. Great combination of flavors, I would make again!