This Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl is next level, friends! It’s equal parts fresh, savory, and saucy thanks to just a few simple ingredients and our delicious homemade buffalo sauce.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
This sheet pan dinner is simple to throw together on a busy weeknight when you’re in need of something quick and flavorful. Follow our simply step-by-step instructions below to get a healthy and tasty meal on the table in no-time.
Looking for More Buffalo Sauce Inspired Recipes?
Then be sure to check out our Buffalo Chicken Tacos or our Buffalo Chicken Wrap.
What You Will Need
- cauliflower – This mild veggie soaks up all of the bold buffalo flavors.
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs – A juicy, fuss-free cut of chicken.
- olive oil – Just a bit to get perfect cooked sheet pan chicken and veggies.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – Helps to bring out the best flavors in every ingredient.
- buffalo sauce – Use store bought for when you’re in a pinch, or make up our homemade buffalo sauce!
- cooked rice – Make this quick by grabbing a few bags of pre-cooked rice or cook up some instant pot jasmine rice.
- English cucumbers, carrots, green onions, & romaine lettuce – Classic veggies that add freshness to each buffalo sauced bite.
- blue cheese crumbles – Adds sharp and peppery flavors with a creamy texture bonus!
- ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing – Optional toppings per your flavor preference.
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl Meal Prep
Get prepared for the week by chopping the veggies and making your homemade sauces ahead of time. Then when it comes time for dinner, all you’ll have to do is, bake, drizzle, and assemble!
How To Make A Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl
Start by gathering and measuring all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Next, place your chicken thighs on one side of a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven and let bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and spread the cauliflower on the open side of the baking sheet. Drizzle the cauliflower with oil and season with salt and pepper. Then drizzle the chicken and cauliflower with buffalo sauce and return everything into the oven to cook for anther 10 minutes.
Use an internal meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is fully cooked through with an internal temp of 165 degrees F. and then remove the sheet pan from the oven. Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes to ensure they retain some of their juices before cutting them into bite sized pieces for your bowl.
Time to build your bowl! Divide the cooked rice between four bowls and top with cubed chicken, chopped carrots, sliced celery, green onions, blue cheese crumbles, and buffalo sauce and/or blue cheese dressing.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- homemade sauce: If you have the time, we highly recommend making our homemade buffalo sauce! And if you don’t have the time, we love Primal Kitchen’s Buffalo Sauce.
- Can I use any cut of chicken in this bowl? Yes, boneless, skinless chicken breasts would work in place of chicken thighs. Adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Dairy-free: Hold on the blue cheese crumbles and use a dairy-free blue cheese dressing.
- make it your own: The best part about rice bowls are how versatile they are! Simply omit any ingredients that aren’t speaking to you and feel free to sub with your favorite flavors.
Made buffalo chicken and rice bowl and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Rice Bowl Recipes You Might Like
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our easy and flavor-packed Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl recipe is a one bowl meal that is perfect for dinner this week!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (homemade or store-bought + more for serving)
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 2–3 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup English cucumber, cut lengthwise and slice
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (more, if desired)
- serving suggestion (optional): ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake Chicken: Place the raw chicken thighs on one side of a large rimmed baking sheet and rub the outside of them with olive oil. Then season with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake Cauliflower: Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the fresh cauliflower florets to the other side of the pan. Drizzle the chicken and cauliflower with 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Rest + Cut: Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). Let them rest for about 5 minutes. Then place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble Bowls: Divide the cooked rice, celery, cucumber, carrots, green onions, romaine lettuce, and blue cheese evenly between 4 bowls. Add the cubed chicken and buffalo cauliflower on top. Option to drizzle more buffalo sauce, ranch, and/or blue cheese dressing on top!
Notes
- Buffalo Sauce: If you have the time, we highly recommend making our homemade buffalo sauce! And if you don’t have the time, we love Primal Kitchen’s Buffalo Sauce.
- Chicken: We love using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but boneless, skinless chicken breasts would work too. Just make sure you increase the bake time to ensure the internal temp. at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
- Dairy Free: simply skip the blue cheese and if you are adding a dressing on top, make sure it is dairy-free.
- Variations: All of the rice bowl additions are optional. Feel free to adjust the amounts or sub in any of your favorite rice bowl ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 1568.6 mg
- Fat: 19.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
- Protein: 16.2 g
- Cholesterol: 47.7 mg
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