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This BBQ Chicken Bowl recipe makes the perfect combination of Mexican and summer BBQ flavors. A protein-packed, healthy, and EASY meal prep recipe for a make ahead lunch or dinner. Even better they're gluten-free + low-calorie!
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These chicken bowls are so good!! They're the perfect solution for an easy lunch or dinner idea. It transforms my Crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe into a taco-like salad bowl. I've added blacked beans, chopped zucchini, bell pepper and shredded lettuce to round it out!
The addition of the sweet and tangy homemade BBQ sauce makes the perfect mash-up of summer BBQ flavors and Mexican food. It's the perfect meal solution for a quick summer meal.
Often I find myself in a big rut with my eating. I'm a creature of habit and since losing 80 pounds I find I often get into the routine of eating the same things over and over. After a while, I notice certain foods are no longer satisfying me which means it's time to switch things up!
That's why I created this BBQ Chicken Taco Bowl. I love having go-to meals I can easily prep each week for lunches and quick dinners so I'm not frazzled figuring out what to eat in between all my activities. I hope like me, you find it makes life much easier and more delicious!
Why You Will Love This Chicken Bowl Recipe
- Simple Ingredients. This BBQ chicken bowl recipe requires just six ingredients to prepare!
- Healthy Meal Prep. You can easily prep these taco bowls up for the week and enjoy them throughout the week. They're perfect to enjoy at home or pack up to carry with you to work or school.
- Hearty and Satisfying. These shredded chicken bowls are packed with fiber and protein to fill you up and keep you satisfied.
If you love this shredded chicken taco bowl you've got to try my slow cooker chicken taco bowls or turkey taco bowls.
Ingredients
- Lettuce or Greens: Shredded or chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce is my favorite when making a BBQ chicken bowl. You can easily use any green you prefer including other types of lettuce, spinach, or kale.
- Veggies: Red bell pepper and Italian zucchini bulk up the taco bowl and add color and crunch. Feel free to use other vegetables you like or to use up ingredients you have on hand.
- Black beans: Use no-salt added canned black beans to keep things low prep and low sodium. You can also use dry beans cooked from scratch if you prefer. Pinto beans and red kidney beans work in these bowls as well.
- Shredded BBQ chicken: My Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken is perfect for these BBQ chicken bowls. It cooks up perfectly flavored chicken with little active time.
- BBQ sauce: Keep things low in sugar by using my Low Sugar BBQ sauce or you can use store-bought instead. I like Annie's for a store-bought version.
Variations
One thing about this chicken taco salad bowl that makes it so great, it's completely customizable. Swap out the protein, add a grain, use different vegetables, and so much more. Here are a few ideas for a bit of inspiration.
- BBQ chicken rice bowl: Add your favorite white or brown rice to the bowl. If you want to keep it low-carb consider adding a scoop of Mexican Cauliflower Rice.
- Make it spicy: Add some diced jalapenos or hot sauce to the bowl.
- BBQ chicken sweet potato bowl: I love throwing in some leftover sweet potatoes when I've got them or you can also add some freshly roasted sweet potatoes to the bowl.
- BBQ chicken quinoa bowl: Pack on more protein with a spoonful of cooked quinoa.
How to Make a BBQ Chicken Bowl
Step 1: Prep the chicken. Make my Instant Pot shredded BBQ chicken or slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken version ahead of time.
Step 2: Assemble the bowl. Place the lettuce in a bowl and add the bell pepper, black beans, Italian zucchini, and BBQ chicken on top. Drizzle with some BBQ sauce on top and devour!
Expert Tips
- Works for a hot or cold meal. Enjoy your BBQ chicken taco bowl, warm or cold! It works both ways. I love the flexibility and it makes it perfect to carry on the go.
- Customize your chicken bowl. Feel free to swap out the veggies, add more, or use a different protein. Check out the variations section above for some ideas!
- Carry on the go. I like to pack up the BBQ chicken separately when taking this along for a meal on the go. This way the veggies all stay nice and crisp, and if I want to warm up the chicken I can pop it in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
Sure, if you're crunched for time you can pick up some cooked shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken at the store. Combine it with some BBQ sauce and add it to your bowl. But I promise you the homemade version is so good and totally worth the time to make it!
Yes! Since the recipe is written for a single bowl you can make more to enjoy right away or to store for later on. If you meal prep it, place the extras of each ingredient in separate bowls and store in the fridge for up to four days. Keeping everything separate keeps them fresher for longer. You can also freeze the chicken for up to three months.
More Healthy Bowl Recipes
If you tried this healthy BBQ chicken bowl recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
BBQ Chicken Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups Iceberg Lettuce shredded, romaine or any green lettuce
- ½ cup Red Bell Pepper diced
- ½ cup Zucchini diced
- ¼ cup Black Beans no salt added (canned) or you can make your own
- 1 cup Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- 2 tablespoons homemade BBQ sauce or store bought
Instructions
- Make the BBQ Chicken in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Assemble the BBQ Chicken Taco Bowls by adding lettuce to a large bowl.
- Top lettuce with bell pepper, black beans, Zucchini and BBQ chicken. Add additional BBQ dressing on top and devour!
Notes
- Works for a hot or cold meal. Enjoy your BBQ chicken taco bowl, warm or cold! It works both ways. I love the flexibility and it makes it perfect to carry on the go.
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- Customize your chicken bowl. Feel free to swap out the veggies, add more, or use a different protein. Check out the variations section above for some ideas!
Nutrition
It's so nice to reclaim all that time that that was spent on homework. The hubs is finally homework free and I love that he can hang out in the evenings again. Glad you took some time to relax.
It is! I turned in one last assignment last night and it felt so good.
I'm totally in a bit of a meal rut right now too. Alex and I only have a few dinners together a week right now, so I am not doing so well planning things out--I'm more so kind of doing things on the fly. I need to make a big batch of slow cooker chicken. OOOO MAYBE I WILL DO THAT TODAY
I kind of am too. Not sure why? I think it's because I've been cooking so much for freelance work that I have zero motivation to do a lot of meal prep, but I really do need to get back on it.