This Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl takes fan-favorite game day flavors and transforms them into a delicious and - dare I say semi-healthy? - meal. Toss cooked chicken in buffalo sauce and assemble on a bed of rice along with quickly sautéed carrots and celery and top with blue cheese crumbles or Ranch dressing.
The rice bowl is one of those meal “templates” that are perfect for those of us who like forkfuls of flavor possibilities when enjoying a meal. This rice bowl recipe takes a game day fan-favorite - buffalo chicken wings - and transforms it into a delicious meal that can be eaten without the need for moist towelettes.
All you need are a few key ingredients to create a delicious Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl. Plus, you can make a few clever customizations to suit your tastes :).
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl Ingredients
To make this super tasty Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl, gather up the following ingredients. This recipe serves 2, so double or triple when feeding a bigger crew.
- 2 cups cooked Basmati rice (click for Instant Pot recipe!)
- 1 large cooked chicken breast (approximately ½ pound of chicken)
- ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup sliced carrots (2 medium-sized carrots)
- ½ cup sliced celery (3-4 stalks of celery)
- Blue cheese crumbles or feta
- Ranch dressing (optional)
- Green onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
Note: I won’t be providing cooking instructions for the rice or chicken here. I cooked the rice in an Instant Pot and simply cubed and sautéed the chicken with salt and pepper. But I’d recommend using the recipes for Instant Pot Basmati Rice and Easy Grilled Ranch Chicken a go for this Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced carrots and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced celery and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Divide 2 cups of cooked rice into 2 large bowls (1 cup of rice per bowl).
Toss cooked chicken in buffalo sauce, then divide it between 2 bowls.
Divide sautéed celery and onions between 2 bowls.
Garnish with blue cheese or feta crumbles, a drizzle of Ranch dressing, and thinly sliced green onions.
Substitutions
There are numerous delicious substitutions you can make here and still wind up with a super delicious Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl.
- The Rice - I like Basmati, but you can also use brown rice or short-grain white rice.
- The Chicken - Chicken thighs also work great, and by all means, prepare them as you wish (oven-roasted, grilled, etc.). Push the easy button and pick up a rotisserie chicken or opt for cooking up frozen chicken strips.
- The Buffalo Sauce - I like Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce because, classic. Make your own homemade buffalo sauce or choose whatever brand strikes your fancy.
- The Carrots and Celery - Add these uncooked if you’d prefer.
- The (Optional) Garnishes - I’ll be honest, I don’t really care for blue cheese so I use feta crumbles instead. Along with a Ranch dressing drizzle. But you could also drizzle on blue cheese dressing. Use what you like, I say!
(More) Garnishes
Here are a few more garnishes to consider for topping this Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl.
- Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
- Black or green olives, sliced
- Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Pickles (dill)
- Tortilla strips
Variations
- Vegetarian - Even though this recipe is called Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl, there’s no reason why you can’t swap out the chicken and make the dish vegetarian. Replace the chicken with tofu, seitan, or tempeh, and toss in buffalo sauce instead!
Meal Prep and Storage
This is a fantastic recipe if you’re a fan of meal prepping! Add the rice, buffalo-sauced chicken, carrots, and celery to a lidded container. Then you can easily reheat it when you’re ready to eat! Keep the garnishes you’d like to add separate, then top after re-heating.
Store leftovers in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Top Tip
Use a mandolin to slice the carrots and celery to achieve uniform slices that will cook up evenly.
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl
Equipment
- 1 Mandolin
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked Basmati rice (click for Instant Pot recipe!)
- 1 large cooked chicken breast (or approximately ½ pound of chicken)
- ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup sliced carrots (2 medium-sized carrots)
- ½ cup sliced celery (3-4 stalks celery)
- blue cheese crumbles or feta (optional)
- ranch dressing (optional)
- green onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced carrots and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced celery and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup sliced carrots, ½ cup sliced celery
- Divide 2 cups of cooked rice into 2 large bowls (1 cup of rice per bowl).2 cups cooked Basmati rice
- Toss cooked chicken in buffalo sauce, then divide between 2 bowls.1 large cooked chicken breast, ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce
- Divide sautéed celery and onions between 2 bowls.
- Garnish with blue cheese or feta crumbles, a drizzled of Ranch dressing, and thinly sliced green onions.blue cheese crumbles or feta , ranch dressing, green onion, thinly sliced
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