Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls Recipe
These Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls are a flavorful, protein-packed meal featuring tender shredded buffalo chicken with a spicy kick, served over fluffy rice and fresh veggies. Topped with a creamy homemade ranch dressing and optional blue cheese crumbles, this recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or meal prep.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes (slow cooker) or 25 minutes including pressure build up & release (Instant Pot)
- Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes (slow cooker) or 40 minutes (Instant Pot plus prep)
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker or Instant Pot, Stove-top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Scale
Buffalo Chicken
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot preferred)
- ¼ cup melted ghee or butter
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (sub mayo for dairy free)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white rice, uncooked
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Add the hot sauce, melted ghee, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Toss gently to coat the chicken evenly. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Once cooked, shred the chicken with two forks and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken: Add the chicken breasts to the Instant Pot. Pour in the hot sauce and melted ghee, then season with paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Use tongs to turn the chicken, ensuring it is coated with the sauce. Make sure sauce covers the bottom to avoid a burn notice. Cook on manual high pressure for 13 minutes, then quick release. Shred the chicken with two forks, add it back to the pot and stir to combine with the sauce. Keep warm.
- Cook the Rice: Prepare the rice according to package directions until fluffy and tender.
- Prepare the Ranch Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, almond milk, fresh dill, dried chives, garlic powder, dried parsley, onion powder, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and well blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Assemble the Bowls: In each serving bowl, layer cooked rice, shredded buffalo chicken, diced cucumber, matchstick carrots, diced red onion, and optionally blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle with ranch dressing and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts are per serving, equal to 1/4 of the total recipe and exclude blue cheese crumbles.
- For a dairy-free version, use vegan butter instead of ghee, substitute mayo for Greek yogurt in the ranch, and omit blue cheese crumbles.
- Store leftover buffalo chicken and rice together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep toppings and ranch dressing separate.
- If using store-bought buffalo sauce, omit the hot sauce and ghee and use ¾ cup buffalo sauce instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (1/4 of recipe without blue cheese crumbles)
- Calories: 536
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 1499mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g (5g monounsaturated + 2g polyunsaturated)
- Trans Fat: 0.02g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 46g
- Cholesterol: 140mg
Keywords: Buffalo Chicken, Rice Bowls, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken, Healthy Chicken Recipes, Spicy Chicken Bowls, Meal Prep Bowls
Find it online: https://kitchenwithkai.com/buffalo-chicken-rice-bowls-recipe/
