BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls
BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls are a meal in a bowl! Complete with rice, seasoned chicken, corn, black beans, cilantro, and an easy BBQ Ranch drizzled on top, this meal is great for an easy dinner or to meal prep.
I really love a good meal in a bowl. So many times I throw them together randomly, but I really love a themed bowl. Whether it's my Autumn Nourish Bowl, Indian Rice bowls, Greek Turkey Rice Bowls, or Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowls, they're always a hit at our house!
The key to a good bowl recipe? The sauce! These BBQ Chicken Bowls are drizzled with a crazy easy two-ingredient BBQ Ranch (bet ya can't guess the two ingredients haha) and are truly full of flavor.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great for meal prep. These are so great to prep ahead and then just reheat when it's time for lunch or dinner! Store the BBQ ranch on the side and then drizzle over the warm bowls.
- Tender, delicious chicken. I absolutely love cooking chicken tenders instead of breasts, because not only do they cook faster, but they are crazy tender and not dried out. Trust me, chicken tenders are the way to go!
- BBQ Ranch! BBQ sauce and ranch are combined for a delicious sauce that gets drizzled on top.
- Great family meal. I love bowls because my kids can make them how they want. Lars doesn't love rice, so he makes his bowl with just the protein and veggies. Soren loves rice so he goes heavy on the rice. Emma loves it all - especially with the sauce! Check out my Chili Tater Tot Casserole for another family favorite!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders - I love using chicken tenders because they cook quicker than breasts and stay much more tender and moist than breasts.
Spices - paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder are the spices used to flavor the chicken.
Ranch Dressing - I love using a good quality ranch in this recipe, since it's a main ingredient in the sauce.
BBQ Sauce - combined with the ranch dressing for a delicious BBQ Ranch that is drizzled on top. If you're a big fan of BBQ Sauce, be sure to check out my Slow Cooker BBQ Beef and my BBQ Pork Taquitos!
Black Beans - drained and rinsed black beans add fiber and flavor to these rice bowls.
Corn - I use frozen corn but canned also works.
Variations
Different protein - You can definitely make this recipe using a different meat or protein like steak, ground turkey, shrimp, salmon, or tofu.
Add more veggies - this recipe is super adaptable tow whatever vegetables you might have on hand. I think roasted broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, peppers, kale, or fresh cherry tomatoes would all be delicious.
Different base - instead of white rice, you could use brown sugar, couscous, quinoa, or barley. Really any grain would work well.
Add avocado - I was planning to add avocado to mine, but the ones I bought weren't ripe yet! These bowls would definitely be delicious with sliced avocado on top.
Step by Step Instructions
Photo 1. In a bowl, combine chicken tenders with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Photo 2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the chicken tenders. Cook until no longer pink inside, about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Photo 3. In a medium bowl, combine the ranch dressing and BBQ Sauce.
Photo 4. Stir well to combine.
Photo 5. Chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Photo 6. Assemble your bowl! Serve your desired amount of rice, corn, beans, and chicken in each bowl and top with shredded cheese, cilantro, tortilla strips, and BBQ Ranch. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
I like corn in my BBQ rice bowl, but other great options would be roasted broccoli, shredded cabbage, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, green beans, tomatoes, or sauteed kale. You could also add some lettuce for crunch.
I don't think you need to serve anything with them! These BBQ rice bowls are a meal in itself!
Other Bowl Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white rice not cooked
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 ounce canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn cooked
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped cilantro
- tortilla strips
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the rice and chicken broth.
- Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring as needed, until the broth is absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
- While the rice is cooking, make the chicken.
- In a bowl, combine the chicken tenders, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken tenders and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through.
- In a bowl, combine the ranch and BBQ sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.
- To assemble the bowls, add desired amount of rice to each bowl. Top with chicken, corn, black beans, cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and cilantro. Drizzle with BBQ Ranch.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Portion this out into individual portions for a great meal prep lunch!
