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This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful.  Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten-free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Hey, hey, it’s Friday!  And a three-day weekend for some people.  Mr. Briar and I were talking about going on a trip this weekend, and then being the complete slackers that we are, completely failed to plan anything.  Therefore, no plans this weekend.  What about you?

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

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So, as I have mentioned one or two or 47 times, one of the ways I trick myself into eating more veggies is by replacing a carby thing with a vegetable.  Like replacing pasta with zoodles or spaghetti squash, or eggplant.  Recently I discovered cauliflower rice, and it is pretty cool.  I mean, as cool as cauliflower can be.  I know cauliflower has a reputation for being kind of boring, but just look at this gorgeous thing right here.  I mean, how can you call that boring?

How to make cauliflower rice! This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Yeah, I get excited about food, even cauliflower.  I was so enamored with this cauliflower that I had to put it on instagram and yell at everybody about how beautiful it was.  I say was, because after this guy got his photo shoot, it turned into cauliflower rice.  What is cauliflower rice, you may ask?  Well, it isn’t actually rice at all.  It’s cauliflower.  That looks like rice.  Aren’t you glad I explained that to you?

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love rice and I don’t plan on ever giving it up.  But I like that I can use this trick to get more veggies in my life. Plus if you are counting calories you get way more bang for your buck, so to speak.  If you want to skip the cauliflower rice and serve this Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl with regular rice, just scroll down below for the rest of the recipe.  I have served it with both regular rice and cauliflower rice and it is great both ways

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

.A few tricks I learned that make the cauliflower rice turn out a little better.  When cutting the cauliflower into florets, be sure to cut them into uniform pieces and remove any large chunks of the stem, as it does not break down as well.  I use my food processor to break down the florets into “rice”.  It works better if you do it in two batches, because if the food processor bowl is too full it will not break them down as evenly and you will get some really big chunks and some parts that are pulverized into mush.  If it is overprocessed you will have something more like cauliflower mash, which is not terrible, but it doesn’t have the consistency of rice.  I found that working in two batches and pulsing my food processor about 20 times gave me the texture I was looking for.  Basically, you want the pieces to be about the same size as rice.

How to make cauliflower rice! This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Also, be sure not to overcook it, or it will be a little mushy.  To cook, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat.  Add the cauliflower rice, season with salt and pepper and saute 5-8 minutes, until it reaches your desired tenderness.  And good news!  You can freeze cauliflower rice and reheat it in a skillet.  That is, if you have any leftover, which I almost never do.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is a great weeknight meal because it is quick, easy and healthy.

Now this Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl – this is a great weeknight meal because it is really quick and easy, plus you can check all the boxes for a healthy meal: Low Carb!  High Protein!  Full of Veggies!  Gluten Free!  Paleo!  Whole 30!  (I’m not paleo or whole 30, but it does fit these diets if you sub coconut oil or ghee for the butter). I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because that is what I always keep on hand.  Chicken thighs are the best because they taste better and are harder to overcook.  Thighs >breasts, just saying.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and cook in a saute pan over medium high heat, 4-5 minutes per side, until nicely browned and cooked though.  When the chicken is no longer pink, add the broccoli, give it a quick stir and cover.  This will allow the broccoli to steam.  Allow to steam until florets are tender and still bright green. Depending on how large the broccoli florets are, it should take 5-10 minutes.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

I prefer my broccoli to be a little underdone, still slightly crisp and bright green.  Overcooked broccoli is the worst, amirite?  When the broccoli is done, just pour on the buffalo sauce, which is a simple mixture of hot sauce and butter.  Was anyone else super surprised when they found out how easy buffalo sauce is to make?  Like, you melt butter with hot sauce and then you are done.  Also, I really like Frank’s Red Hot for the hot sauce.  I use the original.  It is the perfect flavor, not too spicy but just spicy enough.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Toss everything together to get it fully coated in the sauce, then serve right away over the rice, cauliflower or regular.  So fast, so easy, so good.  The cauliflower rice can be a little on the bland side, so I like to let it soak up the some of the buffalo sauce to give it a punchy flavor.  I use about a quarter cup of hot sauce and two tablespoons of butter, but if you like things saucier you can use more hot sauce.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Oh yeah, I really wanted to make this a one pot meal, because less dishes is always a good thing.  That was why I steamed the broccoli in the same pan with the chicken.  Of course, the rice will take up another pan, so I’m not calling this one pot.  But I saved you one pan to wash at least.  I got your back.

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

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Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowls

4.86 from 14 votes
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

Ingredients 

For The Cauliflower Rice:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

For The Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli:

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into bite sized pieces
  • about 1 pound of broccoli cut into small to medium florets* (I used two large crowns)
  • 1 tablespoon oil for the pan, optional**
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce I used Frank's Red Hot***
  • 2 tablespoons butter****
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions 

To Make The Cauliflower Rice:

  • Cut cauliflower into medium to small sized florets, removing the green leaves and any tough stem.
  • Working in batches, place florets into the food processor and don't fill the bowl more than halfway. Pulse until the cauliflower resembles grains of rice, about 20 pulses. Try not to over process or you will have cauliflower mash!
  • Heat a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender 5-8 minutes.

To Make The Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli:

  • Heat a skillet or sauté pan that has a lid over medium high heat. Add oil if using, and when hot add chicken. Season with just a little salt. allow to cook on one side until browned, then turn and brown the other side. Cook until no longer pink, 4-5 minutes per side.
  • When chicken is cooked, add broccoli to the pan and cover. Allow to steam until tender 5 -10 minutes. You can give the pan a stir a few times if you want to keep the chicken from browning too much. Broccoli is done when easily pierced with a knife and still bright green.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the buffalo sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the hot sauce and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli, toss to coat everything in the sauce.
  • Serve over cauliflower rice or regular rice.

Notes

* Make sure the broccoli florets are not too large and are of even size. This will allow them to cook faster and also make sure that they are all done at the same time.
**If using a pan that is not non-stick, I would suggest using a little oil when cooking the chicken. Otherwise it may stick to the pan.
***If you prefer more sauce, just increase the amount of hot sauce you use.This amount makes enough to fully coat everything but doesn't leave much extra sauce.
****If paleo or whole 30, use coconut oil or ghee instead of butter

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinners
Cuisine: American
Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!

This Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Bowl is fast, easy and flavorful. Chicken and broccoli in a buffalo sauce, served over cauliflower rice makes a gluten free, low carb, high protein, paleo and whole 30 friendly meal!

So what are you doing this weekend?  Did you do a better job of planning than I did?

Tools I used for this recipe:

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the items I recommend through the links I provide, I get a small commission. For more info, please see my disclosure policy. Thanks for supporting Fox and Briar!

Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesn’t need to be complicated.

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71 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    You have described the recipe so nicely that really helped me. And I truly appreciate for that. Looking forward for more of such delicious recipes in future too.

  2. 5 stars
    I’m not a fan of buffalo sauce. But my little sister practically drinks it. There’s only about 5 other things she’ll eat. When she had her baby, I made a few dinners for her and her husband (including this recipe) with plenty of thanks each time. About a year later when we were discussing favorite dishes, she included, “that buffalo broccoli and chicken you made us that one time.” Thanks for the winning recipe. Makes me feel like a good sister ❤️

      1. Tripled the sauce, added a little corn starch to thicken, topped with unsalted peanuts, and green onions. Family loved it!

  3. 4 stars
    This is a great healthy midweek meal and I loved the kick of spice! Mine didn’t look as lovely as yours but the flavours were there and that’s the main thing!

  4. Made This for dinner tonight and it was amazing. I made it with white rice and doubled the sauce so I could have plenty to spread on top of the rice. It was so easy to make and the Chicken thighs were perfect. I will be adding this to the rotation. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    i liked the chicken thighs and broccoli with buffalo sauce. It made plain old broccoli much more exciting. I didn’t make the cauliflower rice so I can’t speak to that. I ate some with whole wheat pasta and some plain. Will likely make this again.

    1. Hi Tre’Ford! I currently don’t have nutritional information, but many readers use one of the free online calorie calculators, such as my fitness pal. That way you can customize it to exactly the ingredients you use.

  6. I made this exactly as described fo dinner tonight and it was crazy good! I was skeptical about cauliflower rice, and about buffalo wing sauce as a stir fry. This dish was super!! Its an absolute win.

  7. Hello! Looks great! Any thoughts on making it ahead and reheating later? I’m always on the look out for things I can prep over the weekend and warm up throughout the week, but I’m not sure about the cauliflower rice….

    1. Hi Laura,
      I have made it ahead and served it the next day and it was just fine. I think it would be good for a few days in the fridge, and also cauliflower rice freezes really well if you wanted to keep it longer. I hope you enjoy it!

  8. This looks awesome and I would love to add it to my weekly menu but I’m on a specific carb, protein, fat and calorie intake. Do you know what the nutritional value per serving is?

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Becky! Right now I don’t have the ability to offer nutritional info. However, many readers find that there are several online options where you can enter the ingredients and it will tell you the nutirtional information. Some people use My Fitness Pal or Lose it! That is great because then you can tailor the recipe to exactly how you make it. I hope that helps!

  9. Looks fab! However, on my iPad there is a social media strip along the left side of the page. Is that just on my iPad? It blocks your blog and recipes.

    1. Hi Robin! So sorry about that, it only does that on the iPad for some reason. I will try to figure out if I can fix it. Thanks for your feedback!

  10. I’ve been looking for recipes. Can make in one pan that call for lots of veggies and less meat. This one can be tailored perfectly for my needs. I like to look in the fridge and pull out all the veggies I want to use up like asperagus, bell peppers of any color, zucchini, etc. just for week nights I might just add cauliflower pieces along with the other vegetables to save a pan and the processor step. I like the cauliflower rice idea for company. Can’t wait to try this. I also might try pushing ingredients in the pan to one side and mixing the butter and hot sauce together on one side before mixing it in with the chicken and veg.

  11. 5 stars
    I was floundering for a dinner plan so I checked one of my favorite blogs~~foxandbriar!
    I have the ingredients–mostly–I’ll have to go with brown rice tonight, yet I’m totally stoked to try the cauliflower rice VERY soon!!
    I also love the pic of you pouring the buffalo sauce! So tantlizing~?
    Your other pics are very eye-catching & gave me that extra push to go & rattle those pots & pans~???❤️

  12. 5 stars
    This is so great, I had cauliflower rice quite a few times and I can totally recommend it. Cauliflower crust as well, I haven’t made it for pizza, just for wraps which I filled with mushrooms and cheese and baked a little bit longer, amazing, unfortunately not very photogenic. And all this talk about Harry Potter makes me want to start a film marathon as well… 🙂

    1. Those cauliflower wraps sounds really good Adina, I would love to try that! You should post the recipe even if they aren’t beautiful – it’s whats on the inside that counts! 🙂

  13. I love everything about this post Meghan! Living outside of college & home for the first time next week, so have to get used to making lots of budget friendly, easy and healthy recipes – and this looks like exactly what I need haha. Have wanted to make cauliflower rice for ages but never really managed to do it, so thank you for all the tips to get it right the first time too! x

    1. Thank you Claudia, it is great that you are on the lookout for easy and healthy recipes, that is such a great thing for college students and people living on their own for the first time. This would definitely be a step up from what I was eating in college! I think I lived on cereal and mac and cheese for at least a year or two 🙂 It took me awhile to finally try cauliflower rice, but now that I have I realize it is pretty easy and tasty too!