BBQ Ranch Chicken Quinoa Bowls

If you’re looking for a healthy meal prep lunch or dinner that’s easy, delicious, nourishing, protein-packed and full of flavor… like always, I’ve got you.

I started making these BBQ Ranch Chicken Quinoa Bowls as an easy dinner when Sidney was a newborn. They remind me of Panera’s BBQ chicken salad with southwest flavors, bbq sauce and a simple ranch dressing. Just throw the chicken in the slow cooker (or pop in on the grill), cook your quinoa in 15 minutes, chop your veggies while the quinoa cooks, and that’s it! Dinner is served.

Ingredients in BBQ chicken quinoa bowls

These easy & delicious BBQ chicken quinoa bowls are filled with a rainbow of veggies for tons of different flavors and textures. To make them you’ll need:

• Chicken breast: options to grill or cook your chicken in the slow cooker below for ease! To keep them vegetarian, simply swap for tofu or chickpeas.
• BBQ sauce: I like to use a low sugar BBQ sauce and love Stubb’s Spicy or Primal Kitchen’s Mango Habanero. These are other great ones from Primal Kitchen!
• Quinoa: add a boost of protein from one of my favorite grains. You can also use regular, brown or cauliflower rice if you’d like.
• Black beans: the beans add plenty of fiber and protein to these bowls and give them that burrito bowl flavor.
• Red cabbage: I love added shredded red cabbage to these chicken quinoa bowls for a delicious crunch.
• Corn: is there anything better than sweet corn in the summer months? Feel free to cut it right off the cob or thaw some from frozen.
• Red onion: add a little zing from red onion in every bite.
• Roma tomatoes: juicy, ripe tomatoes are delicious with the BBQ chicken.
• Jalapeño: a kick of heat from jalapeño makes these bowls extra delicious, but feel free to omit if you’re sensitive to spice.
• Avocado: top your chicken quinoa bowls with creamy avocado to balance all of the flavors.
• Ranch: feel free to drizzle with your favorite ranch, or try my greek yogurt ranch or chipotle ranch!
• Cilantro & scallions: for an additional freshness on top of your bowls.

How to cook your BBQ chicken: 2 different ways

Slow cooker chicken: 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 chicken from the slow cooker, shred with two forks and then place back in the slow cooker, stir and turn the heat to warm until you are ready to serve.

Grill your chicken: marinate chicken in a bowl with BBQ sauce for 1 hour, then grill chicken over medium high heat for 6-9 minutes per side, or until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Remove from grill and allow chicken to sit for 5 minutes to retain juices, then cut into strips or dice into bite sized pieces.

How to cook the best fluffy quinoa

1. Use a 1:2 ratio for quinoa to liquid. In this recipe you’ll cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water, which will make about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
2. Bring the water to a boil then stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and let stand covered for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Quinoa will pop upon cooking and expand. To help separate the grains, use a fork and fluff the quinoa.

Customize your BBQ chicken quinoa bowls

More ways to use this BBQ chicken

Add it to this Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese

Or this Fiesta Mango Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Cheesy BBQ Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Greek Yogurt Dressing

Better Than Chipotle DIY Chicken Burrito Bowls

See how to make the BBQ ranch chicken quinoa bowls

If you make these healthy chicken quinoa bowls, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you! xo.