BBQ Ranch Hen Quinoa Bowls

Should you’re searching for a wholesome meal prep lunch or dinner that’s straightforward, scrumptious, nourishing, protein-packed and filled with taste… like all the time, I’ve bought you.

I began making these BBQ hen quinoa bowls as a simple dinner when Sidney was a new child. They remind me of Panera’s BBQ hen salad with southwest flavors, bbq sauce and a easy ranch dressing. Simply throw the hen within the gradual cooker (or pop in on the grill), cook dinner your quinoa in quarter-hour, chop your veggies whereas the quinoa cooks, and that’s it! Dinner is served.

Bonus: you should use any ranch dressing you’d like or attempt my go-to greek yogurt ranch that’s crammed with taste and SO straightforward to make!

Components in BBQ hen quinoa bowls

These straightforward & scrumptious BBQ hen quinoa bowls are crammed with a rainbow of veggies for tons of various flavors and textures. To make them you’ll want:

• Hen breast: choices to grill or cook dinner your hen within the gradual cooker under for ease!
• BBQ sauce: I like to make use of a low sugar BBQ sauce and love Stubb’s Spicy or Primal Kitchen’s Mango Habanero. These are different nice ones from Primal Kitchen!
• Quinoa: add a lift of protein from certainly one of my favorite grains. You too can use common, brown or cauliflower rice in the event you’d like.
• Black beans: the beans add loads of fiber and protein to those bowls and provides them that burrito bowl taste.
• Veggies: these bowls are full of a real rainbow of veggies. I like so as to add shredded crimson cabbage for crunch, candy corn reduce off the cob (or thaw some from frozen), crimson onion for some zing, juicy roma tomatoes and a kick of warmth from jalapeño. Don’t neglect to high your bowls with creamy avocado!
• Ranch: be at liberty to drizzle along with your favourite ranch, or attempt my greek yogurt ranch or chipotle ranch!
• To garnish: for extra freshness, I like so as to add chopped cilantro & scallions on high.

Two methods to cook dinner your BBQ hen

See under for easy methods to cook dinner your BBQ hen, and you’ll want to take a look at all of our go-to methods to cook dinner hen right here!

1. Sluggish cooker hen: Place hen and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker and stir so the BBQ sauce coats the hen. Cook dinner on excessive for two.5-3 hours. Then take away hen from the gradual cooker, shred with two forks after which place again within the gradual cooker, stir and switch the warmth to heat till you might be able to serve.
2. Grill your hen: marinate hen in a bowl with BBQ sauce for 1 hour, then grill hen over medium excessive warmth for 6-9 minutes per facet, or till the meat thermometer reads 165 levels F. Take away from grill and permit hen to sit down for five minutes to retain juices, then reduce into strips or cube into chew sized items.

Find out how to cook dinner the very best fluffy quinoa

Bear in mind to get all of our greatest ideas & tips for cooking quinoa right here! For the fundamentals:

1. Use a 1:2 ratio for quinoa to liquid. On this recipe, you’ll cook dinner 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water, which is able to make about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
2. Deliver the water to a boil then stir in quinoa. Cut back warmth to low, cowl, and let simmer for precisely quarter-hour. Take away the saucepan from warmth and let stand lined for an additional 5-10 minutes.
3. Quinoa will pop upon cooking and develop. To assist separate the grains, use a fork and fluff the quinoa.

Customise your BBQ hen quinoa bowls

• Make it vegetarian by utilizing tofu or chickpeas
• Grill some BBQ shrimp or salmon to swap the hen
• Hold it dairy free by utilizing a dairy free greek yogurt or ranch
• Prime with this scrumptious avocado lime sauce, guacamole or fruity salsa
• Get wild with a chipotle ranch as a substitute of normal ranch!
• Make it grain free with home made cauliflower rice, or use your fav grain like rice, farro, or pearl couscous

Storing ideas

I like to recommend storing the hen, quinoa, veggies & ranch dressing individually in airtight containers within the fridge till you’re able to assemble your bowl and luxuriate in it. That method all the pieces stays good and recent!

Extra methods to make use of this BBQ hen

Should you make these wholesome hen quinoa bowls, you’ll want to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. We’d additionally like it in the event you would go away a remark under and charge the recipe. We respect you! xo.

BBQ Ranch Hen Quinoa Bowls

Complete Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Scrumptious BBQ ranch hen quinoa bowls loaded with black beans, crunchy crimson cabbage, candy corn, tomato, onion, jalapeño, avocado and your selection of creamy ranch dressing. The BBQ hen for these wholesome hen quinoa bowls could be made within the gradual cooker or grilled for the proper meal prep dinner or lunch!

Components

• For the gradual cooker:
• 1
  pound
  boneless skinless hen breast
• 1
  cup
  low sugar BBQ sauce (I like Stubb’s spicy or Primal Kitchen Mango Habanero)
• Elective: 1/4 cup water when you have a thicker bbq sauce
• For the quinoa:
• 1
  cup
  raw quinoa
• 2
  cups
  water
• For the bowls:
• 1
  (15 ounce) can black beans
• 2
  cups
  shredded crimson cabbage
• 1
  cup
  candy corn (can use recent or frozen however I like it off the cob)
• ¼
  cup
  finely diced crimson onion
• 2
  roma tomatoes, diced
• 1
  jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1
  avocado, diced or sliced
• For the dressing:
• 1
  batch wholesome greek yogurt ranch (or ranch of selection)
• To garnish:
• Contemporary chopped cilantro
• Scallions

Directions

1. SLOW COOKER CHICKEN: Place hen and BBQ sauce in a gradual cooker and stir so the BBQ sauce coats the hen. Cook dinner on excessive for two.5-3 hours. Then take away hen from the gradual cooker, shred with two forks after which place again within the gradual cooker, stir and switch the warmth to heat till you might be able to serve.

2. TO GRILL CHICKEN: marinate hen in a bowl with BBQ sauce for 1 hour, then grill hen over medium excessive warmth for 6-8 minutes per facet, or till the meat thermometer reads 165 levels F. Take away from grill and permit hen to sit down for five minutes to retain juices, then reduce into strips or cube into chew sized items.

3. As soon as hen is finished cooking or near it, you possibly can cook dinner your quinoa: add water and quinoa to a medium pot and place over excessive warmth. Deliver to a boil, then cut back warmth to low, cowl and cook dinner for quarter-hour. As soon as quinoa is finished cooking, take away from warmth, fluff with a fork and place the lid again on to permit the quinoa to remain heat and steam within the pot for 10 extra minutes when you chop your veggies and make the greek yogurt ranch dressing (or be at liberty to make use of retailer purchased ranch).

4. To arrange bowls: add about 3/4 cup quinoa to every bowl, high with about 1/4 of the shredded hen, 1/3 cup black beans, 1/2 cup shredded cabbage, 1/4 cup corn, 1 tablespoon diced crimson onion, diced roma tomatoes, a number of sliced jalapenos and avocado. Drizzle the bowls with 1-2 tablespoons ranch dressing. Garnish with recent cilantro and scallions. Get pleasure from!

Recipe Notes

See the complete publish for simple methods to customise your BBQ hen quinoa bowls!

Vitamin

Servings: 4 servings

Serving measurement: 1 bowl with all toppings

Energy: 551kcal

Fats: 11.7g

Saturated fats: 1.5g

Carbohydrates: 77.2g

Fiber: 14.2g

Sugar: 16.5g

Protein: 37.5g