Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

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Are you searching for an easy and healthy football game recipe? Need yet another idea for all those beautiful Farmers Market carrots or the broccoli in your CSA box? Look no further than these Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls! This is next level healthy game day food! Even if it isn’t football season, you can enjoy this dish anytime. Ready in under an hour, you won’t believe how good this is. These are sure to be a hit!

Rice bowl with a fork and napkin.

Healthy Football Food

Football Season. Game Day. What do you think of when you hear these phrases? I think most of us probably think about deep fried foods, sub sandwiches, dips, and chips. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. You can have a healthy game day meal too! Who says you can’t have a football rice bowl?

As is to be expected from me, you’ll find lots of fresh veggies as part of this recipe. I decided to take inspiration for this dish from a favorite around our house: Hot Wings. They are a staple in my house year round but especially during football season, and most definitely when the Buffalo Bills are playing! My husband and his family are from Buffalo, and these Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls have become a regular on our menu rotation, and I hope you enjoy them as well.

I love this recipe because you can meal prep it too (more on that further down in the post)! The only equipment you will need for this recipe is a saucepan with lid for cooking the rice, a large non stick skillet, wok, or braiser for cooking the vegetables and chicken, a knife for cutting the veggies and chicken, and a bamboo spatula or wooden spoon for sauteing. 

This dish has everything you know and love in a basket of wings: chicken, plenty of heat, carrots, celery, and blue cheese. I decided to add some broccoli because, why not? I also chose to use Gorgonzola cheese rather than blue cheese. I just like the flavor of Gorgonzola better.

Buffalo Chicken Bowls Ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast- You can buy your chicken breasts whole or already cut into chunks to save time if your grocery store sells them that way.

Carrots- How could it be Buffalo Chicken without carrots?

Celery- Yet another classic accompaniment to Hot Wings.

Broccoli- I decided to add this for extra color and crunch.

Brown Rice- I like the nuttiness of brown rice here. It really helps offset the heat. You can use white rice, but brown in this case is really better for more flavor!

Hot Sauce- This is the ingredient that ties it all together. I prefer Franks, but you can use Crystal as well. I don’t use bottled condiments on the blog very often, but this recipe is one of the exceptions.

Unsalted Butter- Don’t skip the butter. It mixes with the hot sauce to make a thick coating over the chicken. When making hot wings, they are tossed in butter and hot sauce so of course I had to do that here!

Mayonnaise- When mixed with some hot sauce, this makes a nice drizzle over the top of the finished dish after plating. 

Salt and Pepper- You only need a little for the chicken and the veggies!

Gorgonzola Cheese- I will admit that I am not personally a big fan of blue cheese, but I don’t happen to mind Gorgonzola so much. Its tangy creaminess will help manage the heat.

Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls.
Gather your ingredients and chop the vegetables and chicken.

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

You will need two dinner plates to store the chicken and the vegetables on (one for the chicken, one for the veggies), as they do not cook all at the same time.

  1. Slice the carrots and celery and cut the broccoli into smaller pieces if needed.
  2. Cut the chicken breast into chunks.
  3. Add the water and brown rice to a saucepan and let it cook while you saute the chicken and vegetables.
  4. Saute the chicken breast until cooked and move the chicken to a plate.
  5. Cook the vegetables in the same pan.
  6. While the vegetables saute, stir together the hot sauce and mayonnaise.
  7. Move the vegetables to a plate.
  8. Melt the butter and add the hot sauce and simmer.
  9. Add the chicken and stir to coat with the sauce. 
  10. Place your rice, veggies, chicken, and gorgonzola in a bowl and drizzle with the mayonnaise hot sauce mixture and enjoy!
Cooking the chicken and vegetables.
After shopping the veggies and chicken, start cooking the brown rice. Then, season and saute the chicken pieces and remove them from the pan once they are done. Next, add the veggies and season them and saute, then remove the veggies from the pan. Make the mayonnaise and hot sauce drizzle while the veggies saute.
Melting the butter and adding the hot sauce.
Add the butter and melt, then add the hot sauce and let it reduce for a couple of minutes.
Coating the chicken in the hot sauce and butter.
Add the chicken pieces back to the pan, and coat them with the sauce.
Photos showing assembly of the rice bowls.
Assemble the bowls by adding the chicken, veggies, brown rice, and gorgonzola, Add the hot sauce mayonnaise drizzle and serve!

Be sure to head down to the recipe card for full instructions and details. You will notice a lot of steps in the recipe card, but don’t let that intimidate you. I broke the instructions down so that it’s easier to know where you are in the cooking process. This is a really easy recipe, don’t let the number of steps in the recipe card fool you! If you have made a stir fry in the past, this recipe is very similar to making stir fry.

How To Meal Prep Buffalo Chicken Bowls

I like to meal prep when I can, and this recipe is perfect for that! Once you have cooked the chicken, vegetables, and rice you can store each item in separate containers and reheat later when you are ready.

If you have meal prep containers, they are great to use here! If you don’t have meal prep containers, any square microwaveable dish with a lid will work. You can layer your rice, veggies, and chicken in the container for storage.

All of the components for this dish can be made ahead. When you are ready to reheat, add your Gorgonzola crumbles and the hot sauce and mayonnaise drizzle and enjoy!

If you are meal prepping this recipe, (or you have leftovers) they will keep for five days refrigerated.

What To Serve With Buffalo Chicken

These have all you need for one meal, but they are great with a salad and crusty bread too! If you’re eating these while watching the game, try serving Air Fryer Pita Chips, Artichoke Spinach Dip, or Spicy Candied Pecans.

Thank you so much for stopping by The Copper Table! I hope you love these Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls! If you tried this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Just leave a rating or comment below. Want more easy dinner ideas? Check out the Easy Weeknight Dinners section of the website, with all sorts of recipes to get you through the week!

If you’d like to share this recipe with friends, make it and take a picture and tag me @thecoppertable in a post on Instagram, pin to a board on Pinterest or share on another social media platform you like to use! 

If you have not signed up for my newsletter, you can do that below. I have exclusive content just for newsletter subscribers and a free ebook. I’d love for you to join. Happy Cooking!

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Buffalo chicken, vegetables, and rice in a blue bowl.

Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

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5 from 51 reviews

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Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls have all those flavors from a basket of hot wings, but without a deep fryer! This dish is loaded with fresh veggies and brown rice to help beat the heat, and a touch of tangy Gorgonzola! This can be enjoyed during football season, or any other time of year. This recipe is also great for meal prep!

  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For The Chicken

  • 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
  • 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 to 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tsp of Salt
  • 1/2 tsp of Black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 cup of Hot Sauce (I used Frank’s)
  • 4 Tbsp of Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles

For The Vegetables

  • 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
  • 2 medium to large size Carrots
  • 2 to 3 stalks of Celery
  • 1 1/2 cups of Broccoli Florets
  • 1/2 tsp of Salt
  • 1/4 tsp of Black Pepper

For The Brown Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups of Brown Rice
  • 3 cups of Water
  • 1/4 tsp of Salt

For The Buffalo Mayonnaise Drizzle

  • 1/4 cup of Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp of Hot Sauce

Instructions

  1. Start by cooking the brown rice, so that it cooks while you prepare the rest of the dish.
  2. In a 2 quart saucepan, add the 3 cups of water and the 1 1/2 cups of brown rice and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or whatever your package directions dictate..
  3. Cut up the vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots into coins or on the bias, about 1/4 inch thick. Slice the celery stalks about one half inch thick. If the broccoli florets are large, cut them down to a smaller size.
  4. Start heating a large non stick skillet, wok, or non stick braiser on medium high heat.
  5. While the skillet heats, cut the chicken breast into one inch chunks. Have the 4 Tbsp of gorgonzola cheese in a small bowl set aside, ready for adding to the bowls when ready to serve.
  6. Season the chicken with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
  7. Add the 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the skillet, then add the chicken and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned, using a bamboo or plastic spatula to stir. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
  8. Remove the chicken to a plate to start cooking the vegetables.
  9. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan, and add the cut carrots, celery, and broccoli. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper and stir to combine. Saute the vegetables, stirring every couple of minutes, until lightly browned and softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. About halfway through cooking the veggies, turn the heat down to medium.
  10. While the vegetables cook, make the hot sauce and mayonnaise drizzle when you aren't stirring the veggies. In a bowl or squirt bottle, mix together the 1/4 cup of mayo and 2 Tbsp of hot sauce and combine by stirring or shaking, depending on whether you are using a bowl or bottle. Set the mayonnaise mixture aside for the end.
  11. Check the rice for doneness, and remove from the heat if ready. If not ready, give it a couple of minutes and check it again.
  12. Finish cooking the vegetables and remove them to a plate.
  13. Next, add the 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter to the pan and melt.
  14. Add the 1/2 cup of hot sauce to the butter and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, until warmed through and the sauce has started to reduce.
  15. Add the chicken back to the pan, and stir the chicken to evenly coat it in the sauce. Allow it to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to let the sauce reduce down a little more, and to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner.
  16. Spoon the cooked brown rice, sauteed vegetables, and cooked chicken pieces into four bowls, evenly diciding between each one. Add one tablespoon of Gorgonzola to each bowl, add a drizzle of the mayonnaise and hot sauce mixture, and serve!

Notes

You can use Blue Cheese crumbles if you prefer.

You can use white rice instead, but it will cook a bit faster and be ready sooner than the vegetables and chicken. For this dish, I think brown rice has more flavor.

You can change up the veggies in this recipe if you like! Try adding cauliflower, or you can omit the broccoli and use extra carrots and celery. Asparagus is nice here also.

  • Author: Amy at The Copper Table
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Easy Weeknight Dinners
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 479
  • Sugar: 3
  • Sodium: 1319
  • Fat: 31
  • Saturated Fat: 10
  • Unsaturated Fat: 20
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 25
  • Fiber: 4
  • Protein: 24
  • Cholesterol: 86

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24 Comments

  4. Love it, love bowls, super delicious.
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