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

Scale

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

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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!