These BBQ chicken rice bowls make the perfect dairy-free summer dinner! Crispy & caramelized oven-baked BBQ chicken thighs are piled on top of rice and paired with zippy pickled red onions, tender sweet corn, creamy avocado, shredded cabbage, and a bright and creamy dairy free cilantro ranch. The combination of fresh and savory flavors is out-of-this-world delicious and will keep you coming back for bite after bite!
Summer-perfect BBQ chicken with all the yummiest things you can put in a bowl!
Rice bowls are one of our absolute favorite weeknight meals.
They are one of the best ways to use up whatever you have hanging around in the refrigerator and bring it all in a bowl where you get a little bit of each yummy morsel with every bite!
And these rice bowls! I have a feeling we’re going to be making them ALL SUMMER LONG!
The contrast between the sweet and sticky BBQ chicken, avocado, and sweet corn, paired with the zippier components, like the Pickled Red Onions and Creamy Cilantro Ranch is absolutely obsession-worthy.
🌿 The Oven Baked BBQ Chicken (a long-standing NK fave!) takes about 30 minutes to bake outside of the marinating time. Which is just enough time to make the other bowl components.
And if you already have leftover rice and cooked corn on the cob ready to use in the refrigerator, your prep time will likely be cut in half!
💡 For more dairy-free bowl ideas be sure to check out our recipes for GF Salmon Poke Bowls, Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bowls, and Roasted Veggie and Chicken Patty Rice Bowls with Turmeric Tahini!
Key ingredients
BBQ Chicken Thighs
The recipe for Caramelized BBQ Chicken Thighs in the Oven is one that we make all the time. It’s the best BBQ chicken I’ve had that doesn’t require firing up the grill.
We love serving them with classic BBQ side dishes, but they’re also SUCH a good option for throwing together a rice bowl! They’re crispy, savory and sweet, and so packed full of flavor.
Sweet corn
When I make this recipe, I usually steam corn on the cob in the microwave or briefly boil it on the stovetop and then cut it away from the cob once it’s cool enough to handle.
If you have leftover grilled corn on the cob, that would be absolutely delicious!
And if fresh corn isn’t in season, you could also use frozen, cooked corn.
Quick pickled red onions
Our recipe for pickled red onions (made without sugar!) only takes 5 minutes to make. They bring the best bright bit of acidity to anything they’re added to!
They cut through the richer flavors of the chicken and avocado, and they’re also just so pretty!
Dairy Free Cilantro Ranch
As far as I’m concerned, every yummy bowl needs a delicious sauce!
And this bright green and zippy cilantro ranch dressing is the perfect pairing for this recipe.
Using a blender or food processor, you can whip it up in under 10 minutes. And any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for use in other meals throughout the week!
👉🏼 Bowl variation ideas! We’re partial to the combination of ingredients I’ve shared in the recipe card below, but bowl recipes are inherently versatile, so feel free to switch things up with what you have on hand! Roasted sweet potatoes or zucchini, thinly sliced cucumber, green onions instead of pickled red onions, shredded romaine or coleslaw mix, and some type of cheese would all be lovely swaps / additions!
Other sauce options! If you’re not a fan of cilantro, but still want to include a delicious homemade sauce in these bowls you could pair them with our Herby Green Goddess Dressing, Roasted Red Pepper Dressing, or Classic Dairy Free Ranch!
You could also serve them with a little extra BBQ sauce on the side!
How to make the best BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls
🌿 These bowls are made up of a few separate components, but besides the BBQ chicken thighs none of them take very long to make. You should be able to prep everything for them while the chicken is marinating or in the oven!
👉🏼 Have some leftovers? They’ll keep the best if the stuff that’s served warm (chicken, rice, corn), is stored separately from the fresh / cold items (pickled red onions, avocado, cabbage, cilantro ranch). That way you can heat up the warm ingredients all together, and top with the other fresh components right before digging in (again)!
If you enjoyed these rice bowls we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a good place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls with Creamy Cilantro Ranch
- Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These BBQ chicken rice bowls make the perfect dairy-free summer dinner! Crispy & caramelized oven-baked BBQ chicken thighs are piled on top of rice and paired with zippy pickled red onions, tender sweet corn, creamy avocado, shredded cabbage, and a bright and creamy dairy free cilantro ranch. The combination of fresh and savory flavors is out-of-this-world delicious and will keep you coming back for bite after bite!
Ingredients
For the BBQ Chicken thighs
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
For the bowls
- 2-3 cups cooked rice
- 1 1/2 cups sweet corn, either cooked and cut off the cob (2 ears), or cooked from frozen
- Shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 1 avocado, diced or sliced
- Pickled red onions, or thinly sliced raw onions
- Dairy Free Cilantro Ranch, or another sauce of choice
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Make the BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Marinate the chicken. Add chicken to a large sealable container with 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teapsoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard. Toss to thoroughly coat and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour, or up to overnight (on occasion when I’ve been in a hurry I’ve jumped straight into the rest of the recipe without marinating the chicken at all, and while it totally works, the flavor is better with a little marinating time).
- Bake the chicken thighs. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silicone mat. Toss chicken thighs with 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce, reserving the rest to brush on the chicken. Transfer thighs to the lined baking sheet leaving any excess sauce behind and toss. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip. Brush each thigh with the reserved BBQ sauce and return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase heat to broil (if using parchment paper you’ll want to keep a close eye on it during broiling to make sure it doesn’t burn, as broiling temp can vary considerably from oven to oven). Flip chicken once more, and brush with BBQ sauce again to thoroughly coat for a nice glaze. Broil for 5-6 minutes, until edges are crispy, and chicken is cooked through.
Assemble the bowls
- Prep the bowl components. While chicken is cooking and/or marinating make the cilantro ranch, pickled red onions, and prep the other bowl components.
- Cut the chicken. Remove chicken from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to cool slightly, just enough to handle. Slice the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Assemble bowls. Layer rice, chicken, sweet corn, avocado, and cabbage into bowls. Drizzle with cilantro ranch and top with pickled red onions, extra cilantro, and lime wedges.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Leftovers can be stored separately and assembled right before serving!
Cilantro ranch should keep in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Nutrition information includes everything in the bowls except for the Pickled Red Onions and Cilantro Ranch.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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