These easy buffalo chicken rice bowls are loaded with flavor, simple to make and perfect for prepping ahead of time. If you’re sick of boring, bland lunches that leave you wanting takeout, you’re gonna love this one.
Whether you’re serving them fresh or prepping for a busy work-week, these buffalo bowls take less than 15 minutes to throw together from start to finish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
They’re super flavorful and have the perfect balance of spicy and fresh. If you’re a buffalo flavor fan, this delicious buffalo chicken rice bowl is going to be your new favorite.
You can enjoy them for lunch and dinner on the spot or make a few ahead of time for the week. They’re great for meal prep and they take barely any time to throw together thanks to some quick and convenient ingredient swaps.
Bowl-style meals like this one are my favorite because they’re hard to mess up! Even if you don’t have the ingredients measured perfectly, they’re still delicious.
As a Registered Dietitian, I always have nutrition in mind, especially when we’re thinking about meal prep. These healthy buffalo chicken bowls are packed with fiber and high protein so that you’re ultra satisfied after you eat them.
Ingredients
Already-cooked rotisserie chicken, frozen rice and canned chickpeas eliminates all of the tedious prep so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Your only job is to chop a few veggies and throw it all together!
- Shredded rotisserie chicken: I have one rule about meal prep- it has to be simple. That’s why I opt for rotisserie chicken here. If you have chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs on hand to prep some cooked chicken, you can do that too of course
- Buffalo hot sauce: One of the biggest meal prep hacks is rotisserie chicken tossed in buffalo sauce. It’s so simple and so flavorful if you’re a buffalo chicken fan. Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce or Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce are my two favorites.
- Ranch dressing: Is there anything better than a ranch and buffalo sauce combination? Use any ranch dressing that you like! My favorite is classic Hidden Valley Ranch, regular or light version. r, make your own with Greek Yogurt.
- Greens & veggies: You can use just about any combo of greens and veggies for these bowls, but I like to use shredded romaine, sliced bell pepper, chopped red onions, green onion (scallions), and halved cherry tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: Rinsed and drained canned chickpeas add a big boost of fiber to this nutrition-packed dish.
- Rice: I always go for microwave rice for convenience, but you can prepare from scratch ahead of time too if you prefer. My favorite microwave rice is Trader Joe’s or Grain Trust. Use white rice (or opt for brown rice to add in a whole grain).
- Avocado: Avocados are the perfect healthy fat to round out this dish and balance out the buffalo heat. Use fresh avocados or keep these on hand if your avocado isn’t quite ripe enough.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
- In a medium bowl, toss shredded chicken in buffalo hot sauce. Add a little at a time until you reach your preferred level of heat!
- In 4 bowls or 4 small containers, add 1/2 cup prepared rice and 4 oz chicken to each container. Top with 1/4 cup chickpeas.
- Top your bed of rice, chicken and chickpeas with greens, veggies, and avocado. Drizzle with extra buffalo sauce and ranch dressing to taste.
Variations and Substitutions
Make it vegan: Toss air-fried tofu cubes in buffalo sauce for a vegan option.
Adjust the spiciness: Everyone likes their spicy buffalo chicken a little bit different in terms of heat. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, but that may be too much or too little for you. Make sure to taste as you go and adjust the spiciness by using more or less sauce.
Swap in cauliflower rice: Replace the rice with cauliflower rice if you’re looking for a low carb option (you’ll still get some carbs from the chickpeas!).
Use different veggies: This meal is super versatile and works with lots of veggies. Some other options include roasted or air-fried broccoli, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, or different types of greens like kale or spinach.
Use blue cheese instead of ranch: One thing to know about me is I am not a blue cheese girl. If you are, it would work perfectly here!
Change up the legumes: Not a huge chickpea fan? Use black beans, lentils or navy beans instead!
Make it cheesy and add shredded or crumbled cheese: Shredded white cheddar or blue cheese crumbles would make for a great addition.
How to Store for Meal Prep
If you’re prepping ahead for the week, make sure to prep and store your fresh veggies in a separate container because you’ll be reheating the chicken, rice and beans. You can also store your hot sauce and ranch dressing in a small dressing container to drizzle fresh before eating.
Store each portion in an airtight container and use within 3-4 days for best quality.
More ‘Meal Prep-able’ Delicious Recipes You’ll Love:
Easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1/2 cup Buffalo hot sauce my fave is Primal Kitchen or Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce
- 4 cup Romaine lettuce shredded
- 1 cup Bell pepper sliced
- 1/4 cup Red onion chopped
- 1/4 cup Green onion sliced thin
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup Chickpeas
- 2 cup Rice
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup Ranch dressing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss shredded chicken in buffalo hot sauce. Add a little at a time until you reach your preferred level of heat!
- In 4 bowls or 4 small containers, add 1/2 cup prepared rice and 4 oz chicken to each container. Top with 1/4 cup chickpeas.
- Top each container with greens, veggies, and avocado. Drizzle with extra buffalo sauce and ranch dressing to taste.
