Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl – An Easy & Healthy Recipe

When you need a quick and easy, healthy lunch or dinner recipe make this delicious Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl. Shredded chicken tossed in your favorite barbecue sauce and served over a bed of healthy grains along with greens, vegetables and beans and then drizzled with Ranch dressing.

Although it is one of the most flavorful dishes that I have ever made, it is also one of the easiest. With the help of a few pre-made ingredients, this meal can be prepared in under 15 minutes!

It is a great recipe to make when you have leftover chicken. Simply shred the meat and toss it with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Once the meat is warm place it on top of a bed of brown rice and quinoa. Then add chopped spinach, black beans, corn, tomatoes and diced avocado.

Add a drizzle of Ranch dressing on top to add a cool and refreshing taste to the dish. With just one bite it will become a favorite, go-to meal that you will want to make over and over again.

How to Cook The Chicken

However, don’t worry if you don’t have any leftover chicken. It is easy to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs using a variety of methods.

SLOW COOKER

Place chicken and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker and stir so the BBQ sauce coats the chicken. Cook on high for 2.5-3 hours. Then remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred with two forks and then place the meat back in the slow cooker. Stir and turn the heat to warm until you are ready to serve. *If you don’t want to add barbecue sauce place 1 cup of chicken stock in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then cook as instructed.

GRILLED CHICKEN

Marinate chicken in a bowl with BBQ sauce for 1 hour, then grill chicken over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, or until the meat thermometer reads 165°F. Remove the meat from the grill and allow the chicken to sit for 5 minutes to retain its juices. Then cut the chicken into strips or dice into bite sized pieces.

AIR FRYER CHICKEN

Cooking chicken in an air fryer is quick and easy to do. Follow these instructions: Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe.

INSTANT POT SHREDDED CHICKEN

One of my favorite ways to make shredded chicken is by using my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken. You can cook a lot of chicken at once and then use the meat for various meals throughout the week or freeze it for later use. See: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe.

Whether you want to add the barbecue sauce as you cook the meat is totally up to you. However, I suggest that you add it after you shred the cooked meat so you can use any leftovers in a variety of recipes that don’t call for the addition of barbecue sauce.

No matter what method you use to cook the chicken for this Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl be sure that the meat is warm before adding it to the bowl.

Best Barbecue Sauce To Use For Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl

When it comes to what is the best barbecue sauce to use to toss or cook with the chicken, the answer is simple. Use your favorite brand or variety.

There are many options at the grocery store, and you can sometimes even purchase bottles at your favorite BBQ restaurant. However, if you are looking for a low-sugar option, I highly recommend Ray’s No Sugar Added Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce.

How To Cook Quinoa

When it comes to cooking quinoa the process is very similar to cooking rice. I have included stove top cooking instructions below, however you can also Cook Quinoa in an Instant Pot as well.

1. Measure Quinoa:

For this Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl, you will need 3/4 cup of cooked quinoa. Since the volume triples in size when cooked, this means that you will need 1/4 cup of uncooked quinoa.

And because the cooking ratio is 1:2 quinoa to liquid, you will need 1/2 cup of water or broth for the quinoa to cook properly. However, I usually double or even quadruple the recipe so that I can use the quinoa in other recipes later in the week.

2. Rinse the Quinoa:

Before cooking, it is important to rinse quinoa under cold running water to remove any bitter taste from the exterior coating. However, be sure to use a fine mesh strainer as the little grains can easily pass through the larger holes in a standard size colander.

3. Boil the Liquid:

In a saucepan, bring the water or broth to a boil. If you want to add flavor, you can use vegetable or chicken broth instead of water. You can also add a pinch of salt if desired.

4. Add Quinoa and Simmer:

Once the liquid is boiling, add the rinsed quinoa to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent boiling over. Turn off the heat, and let the quinoa sit covered for 5-10 few minutes.

5. Fluff and Serve:

Fluff the quinoa with a fork to separate the grains. Now the quinoa is ready to be served in your Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl.

*For a quick and easy option purchase a box of Brown Rice/Quinoa mixture. You can find the small boxes next to the Instant Rice at the grocery store. It is a huge time saver and one box makes the perfect amount for two.

How to Make Healthy Ranch Dressing

Although you could grab a bottle out of the refrigerator of your favorite Ranch dressing and drizzle it over top of the ingredients, it isn’t the healthiest choice.

However, if you want to make your own Healthy Ranch Dressing you can easily do so using two ingredients.

• 1 single serve container of fat-free Greek Yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon of dry Ranch dressing mix

Simply whisk the two ingredients together and you have a healthier Ranch dressing option.

Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken breast
• 1⁄2 cup barbecue sauce
• 3⁄4 cup cooked brown rice
• 3⁄4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup packed spinach leaves, chopped
• 1⁄3 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1⁄4 cup sweet corn kernels
• 1 Tbsp. diced red onion
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1⁄4 jalapeno, diced (optional)
• 1⁄2 avocado, diced
• 2 Tablespoons prepared Ranch dressing

INSTRUCTIONS (Barbecue Ranch Chicken Bowl)

Combine the shredded cooked chicken and barbecue sauce and toss until the chicken is well coated. Set aside.

In a medium bowl add the cooked brown rice and quinoa and mix until well combined. Then divide the brown rice and quinoa mixture and place into two shallow bowls.

Chop the baby spinach leaves, divide, and place in the bowls with the brown rice and quinoa.

Divide the barbecue chicken into two and place each portion on top of the rice/quinoa mixture.

Warm the black beans and corn per package instructions. Then divide the beans and corn and place into the bowls.

Add the diced red onions, cherry tomato halves, jalapeno and avocado to the bowls. Then drizzle the top of each bowl with prepared Ranch dressing.

Enjoy! Mary

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