Buffalo Chicken Bowl (Printable)

Spicy buffalo chicken over crisp veggies with cool ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles.

# What you need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
04 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
05 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
06 - 1/4 tsp salt
07 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Buffalo Sauce

08 - 1/3 cup hot sauce
09 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 tsp honey

→ Vegetables

11 - 2 cups cooked white or brown rice, warm
12 - 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
13 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
14 - 1 cup shredded carrots
15 - 1/2 cup sliced cucumber
16 - 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

→ Toppings

17 - 1/3 cup ranch dressing
18 - 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
19 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, toss chicken pieces with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through.
03 - While the chicken cooks, whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and honey in a small bowl.
04 - Remove the chicken from heat and toss with the buffalo sauce to coat thoroughly.
05 - Divide the warm rice among four bowls. Top each with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and red onion.
06 - Spoon the buffalo chicken over the vegetables. Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.
07 - Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in under 40 minutes, which means you can make it on a Tuesday without losing your mind.
  • The contrast between crispy vegetables and tender spicy chicken hits differently each time you take a bite.
  • You can customize it endlessly depending on what's in your fridge or what heat level you're feeling that day.
02 -
  • Don't crowd the pan when cooking chicken, or it steams instead of browning, and you lose that textural magic that makes the first bite so good.
  • The secret to not having a watery bowl is assembling it right before eating, not hours ahead, because the warm chicken and dressing will soften everything if given time.
03 -
  • Cook the chicken in batches if your skillet is small, because crowding the pan is the enemy of good browning and saucy coatings.
  • Make extra buffalo sauce and keep it in the fridge, because suddenly you'll want it on roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or leftover vegetables in ways you didn't expect.
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