Buffalo Chicken Bowls

5 from 6 votes
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Buffalo Chicken Bowls are saucy, with sassy flavor and easy to make. The family will love this veggie loaded meal.

Two grey bowls with and buffalo sauce. Cucumber to the side with a ranch drizzle.
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Why Make Buffalo Chicken Bowls

These bowls are bangin with flavor! They have tangy spiced buffalo sauce and cooling, homemade ranch in every bite.

Easy to make. This meal comes together quickly and takes a few short steps to make.

Customizable. Buffalo chicken bowls can be paired with several different veggies and sides. You can really customize it in any way you prefer, add more or less veggies and enjoy it how you’d like! My Southwest Chicken Bowls are also tasty and made with a Jalapeño sauce.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients needed on a counter. Cucumber, chicken and more on pates and small bowls.

Chicken Breasts. High quality chicken breasts, boneless & skinless will work best

Buffalo Sauce. Choose a high quality buffalo sauce you enjoy. All grocery stores will have serval to choose from. Grab one that suits your needs and budget. Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce will also work great.

Sour Cream. This is used to make the easy ranch dressing. You can also use plain greek yogurt.

Apple Cider Vinegar. This is used for the ranch dressing. It adds a perfect little tang to the mix.

All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post. 

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

Chicken Breasts. You can also use chicken thighs in this recipe if you prefer.

Buffalo Sauce. This recipe is all about the buffalo! But, if you have a picky eater or can’t have this sauce, barbecue will also work.

Make It Dairy Free. You can make this recipe dairy free by using a DF buffalo sauce, DF sour cream and substituting butter for ghee or plant based butter.

Long Grain Rice. use any grain of choice, you can also serve this over romaine lettuce or cauliflower rice.

Make It Healthier. To cut the calories in this recipe, skip the cheese, use plain greek yogurt in stead of sour cream for more protein and replace long grain rice with cauliflower rice.

Steps To Make This Recipe

Steps to make the recipe in a large skillet.

Step One. Start to cook the rice according to the package (this typically takes about 20 minutes). Gather and prep veggies, set aside. Prepare the chicken. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs, if using) into bite-sized cubed pieces for even and quick cooking.

Step Two. Season the chicken (salt, pepper, dried basil). Oil a large skillet, on medium/high heat, add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides for about 12 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165º internally.

Step Three. While the chicken is cooking, make the ranch dressing. Add all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor (apple cider, sour cream, seasonings, fresh chives, cilantro, water, garlic).

Step Four. Once the chicken is cooked through, lower the heat to the lowest setting. Add the buffalo sauce and the butter, let the butter and sauce combine and come to heat.

Step Five. Assemble the bowls! Add rice, top with saucy chicken, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, green onions, cucumber, peppers and banana peppers. Add any leftover buffalo sauce and enjoy!

Two grey bowls with and buffalo sauce. Cucumber to the side with a ranch drizzle.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different sauce?

Yes, barbecue sauce will also work great if you do not want to use buffalo sauce.

What other proteins would work well?

Shrimp! Shrimp would be a great substitute from chicken. You will only need to cook the shrimp for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Can I use Franks Hot Sauce?

Yes, franks hot sauce will work great if you don’t want to you a prepared buffalo sauce.

Recipe Tips

Don’t Burn The Buffalo Sauce! Make sure you keep an eye on the sauce once you pour it into the chicken. It can burn easily. Turn the heat off the skillet if needed.

Don’t Overcook The Chicken. I highly recommend a digital thermometer to ensure better cooking with chicken! It’s a life saver in the kitchen and they are affordable. Here’s mine.

Customize The Bowl To Your Liking. If you want to make it a lighter meal, skip the rice and serve it over lettuce. Add different veggies you might prefer more! Steamed corn or zucchini is also good on this bowl.

Other Easy Chicken Meals To Try

If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.

Two grey bowls with and buffalo sauce. Cucumber to the side with a ranch drizzle.
5 from 6 votes

Buffalo Chicken Bowls

Buffalo Chicken Bowls are saucy, sassy with flavor and easy to make. The family will love this veggie loaded meal. Ready in 30 minutes. 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • large skillet
  • sharp knife

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless & skinless, *see notes
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • cup buffalo sauce , *see notes

Herby Ranch

  • ½ cup sour cream , *see notes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3-4 Tbsp fresh chives
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp salt , more to taste

Buffalo Chicken Bowl

  • ½ cup long grain rice, uncooked , *use more if needed
  • 4 Tbsp green onions, chopped
  • ¼ cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup banana peppers, chopped
  • ¼ cucumber, thinly sliced
  • cup montery jack, shredded , optional
  • fresh cilantro, chopped , for garnish, optional
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Instructions 

  • Start to cook the rice according to the package (this typically takes about 20 minutes). Gather and prep veggies, set aside. Prepare the chicken. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs, if using) into bite-sized cubed pieces for even and quick cooking.
  • Season the chicken (salt, pepper, dried basil). Oil a large skillet, on medium/high heat, add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides for about 12 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165º internally. 
  • While the chicken is cooking, make the ranch dressing. Add all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor (apple cider, sour cream, seasonings, fresh chives, cilantro, water, garlic).
  • Once the chicken is cooked through, lower the heat to the lowest setting. Add the buffalo sauce and the butter, let the butter and sauce combine and come to heat. 
  • Assemble the bowls! Add rice, top with saucy chicken, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, green onions, cucumber, peppers and banana peppers and herby ranch. Add any leftover buffalo sauce and enjoy!

Notes

*chicken thighs will also work. 
*use Franks RedHot or any buffalo sauce of choice! 
*plain greek yogurt will also work well. 
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.   

Nutrition

Serving: 1.25cup | Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1192mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1219IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Bailey
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 422
Keyword: 30 minute, Chicken
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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love the flavor and how quick this was to put together!

  2. 5 stars
    Made these over the weekend and they were incredibly good. I highly recommend this recipe for an easy, healthy weeknight meal.

    1. I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for the feedback.

  3. Are the nutrition facts based on including the rice?

    1. Hi Trish! Yes, the nutrition calculator includes the rice on this recipe. I use a universal calculator so it can vary slightly but it should be quite close. Enjoy!

  4. 5 stars
    This is SOOOO good! So good that I came on here part way through the meal because I couldn’t wait to comment on how good it actually is. All of the flavors together are perfect! The ranch is a must! Yet again another one of Bailey’s recipes that I will start rotating weekly! Make this ASAP; you won’t be disappointed!

    1. I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks for the support and for the positive feedback.

  5. 5 stars
    Iโ€™ve been making these bowls for lunch meal prep throughout the week and they are absolutely delicious, healthy and filling! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

    1. I am really happy to hear this! They do make a great lunch, thanks for the feedback and happy cooking. xoxo!