Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

These easy Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls are the perfect weeknight meal! They’re nutritious, simple to make, and come together in just 25 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I make buffalo chicken at least once a week. It’s a staple in my house, and I’m always looking for different ways to make it into a meal. 

One of my favorite ways to make it is to toss store-bought buffalo sauce with shredded chicken. It’s so versatile and great on salads, sandwiches, pizza, and, of course, grain bowls!

Enter these buffalo chicken and rice bowls. They’re hearty, nutritious, and loaded with all your favorite toppings.

These bowls are ready in less than 30 minutes — making them perfect for a busy weeknight! They’re easy to prepare in advance, quick to assemble, and hold up well, so they’re great for meal prepping.

Plus, they’re super customizable. You can add more veggies, turn the rice bowl into a wrap or a salad, and adjust the spice level to your preference.

Love buffalo sauce? Try my Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken Dip and Easy Buffalo Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients

• Chicken Tenders: I like boneless, skinless chicken tenders in this recipe. You can substitute for boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Adjust cook time as needed. To save time, you can use shredded rotisserie chicken.
• Buffalo Sauce: Use your favorite store-bought or homemade buffalo wing sauce. Adjust the amount to your liking.
• Brown Rice: Brown rice is an excellent base for these bowls. I love it for a whole grain option. For a time saver, I always use frozen brown rice, which you can typically find in your grocery store’s freezer aisle. White rice, quinoa, and cauliflower rice all work if you want to swap out the grain.
• Fresh Veggies: Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, matchstick carrots, red onions, and sliced green onions help make this dish fresh and colorful. You can even add more veggies, like avocado, celery, or diced bell peppers.
• Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing: I love blue cheese, especially Toby’s Blue Cheese Dressing, but if you aren’t a fan, ranch is equally as delicious. You can also use a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or add blue cheese crumbles.

*The full ingredient list with amounts is in the recipe card below.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. .

2. Place the chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheet and lightly season with sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through
3. Using two forks, shred the chicken into shreds. Place in a medium bowl and toss with the buffalo sauce. Taste and add more as needed.

4. Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice between 4 bowls. Top each with shredded buffalo chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, red onion, and green onion. Drizzle blue cheese or ranch dressing over the top.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Expert Tip: This recipe is great for leftover rotisserie chicken. Shred it up, then toss it with buffalo sauce. Skip directly to step 4.

Variations

I love these buffalo chicken bowls as they are, but they’re also easy to customize to your personal preference. 

• Add black beans: Mix in a can of rinsed and drained black beans to amp up the protein.
• Add more veggies: These bowls are great with lots of vegetables. I recommend trying them with sliced avocado, roasted corn, diced raw bell peppers, or oven roasted peppers. A bag of cabbage slaw mix also makes a great topping.
• Make it a salad: Swap the brown rice for crispy lettuce to make a delicious buffalo chicken salad.
• Make it a wrap: Scoop the rice, veggies, and buffalo chicken into a large tortilla and enjoy it as a wrap.
• Make it extra spicy: Add more hot sauce or diced jalapeno if you like it spicy.
• Swap the brown rice: If you prefer white rice over brown rice, use that instead. I also like to use quinoa or riced cauliflower.

Serving Suggestions

These buffalo chicken rice bowls are super versatile. They’re great for weeknight dinners and can easily be made ahead of time for weekday lunches.

Serve either hot or cold. I love that you don’t need to make any sides with grain bowls, your whole meal is in one bowl.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make Ahead: You can either assemble the bowls ahead of time or prepare and store the ingredients in separate containers and build your rice bowl when you’re ready to serve.

To Store: Allow leftovers to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Leftover buffalo chicken bowls can be reheated or served cold. If you plan to reheat, store the toppings separately. Reheat the rice and chicken, then add the toppings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More Chicken Bowl Recipes

• Mediterranean Power Bowls with Chicken
• Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls
• Quinoa Chicken Fajita Bowls

To get even more recipes straight to your inbox, sign-up for the Fresh Apron Weekly Newsletter.

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave a 5-star rating and a comment below.