Description
These Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls combine tender, spicy buffalo chicken with fresh vegetables and a creamy homemade ranch dressing, served over fluffy rice for a flavorful, satisfying meal. Perfect for a family dinner or meal prep, this recipe offers both slow cooker and Instant Pot options for versatile cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Buffalo Chicken
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup Hot sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot)
- 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 + 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
- Prepare Buffalo Chicken (Slow Cooker): Place the chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the hot sauce, melted ghee, paprika, garlic powder, and salt over the chicken. Gently toss to coat the chicken evenly. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until the chicken is tender and fully cooked. Shred the chicken using two forks and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Prepare Buffalo Chicken (Instant Pot): Place the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. Add the hot sauce, melted ghee, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Use tongs to rotate the chicken pieces, ensuring they are coated and a layer of sauce remains at the bottom to prevent burning. Seal the lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 13 minutes. Quickly release the pressure once done. Shred the chicken with two forks, then return it to the pot with the sauce and toss to combine. Keep warm until serving.
- Cook the Rice: Prepare rice according to package instructions until fluffy and tender.
- Make the Ranch Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt (or mayo), unsweetened almond milk, fresh dill, dried chives, garlic powder, dried parsley, onion powder, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Assemble the Bowls: In serving bowls, layer cooked rice, shredded buffalo chicken, diced cucumber, matchstick carrots, diced red onion, and tomatoes if using. Drizzle generously with the homemade ranch dressing. Top with optional blue cheese crumbles and chopped green onions. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts are calculated for 1 serving, which is ¼ of the total recipe and does not include blue cheese crumbles. It assumes equal division of chicken, rice, veggies, and dressing.
- Dairy-Free Option: Use vegan butter instead of ghee, sub mayo for Greek yogurt in the dressing, and omit the blue cheese crumbles.
- Storage: Store leftover buffalo chicken and rice together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep toppings and ranch dressing separately to preserve freshness.
- To use store-bought buffalo sauce, omit hot sauce and ghee, and instead use ¾ cup of your preferred buffalo sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 900mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
