Chick-fil-A’s chicken bowls are a popular menu item that allow you to skip the bread and enjoy delicious chicken, veggies, and cheese in a bowl. While you can’t exactly replicate the proprietary seasonings and ingredients at home, you can come pretty close by following this easy recipe.
Ingredients
To make a Chick-fil-A-style chicken bowl at home, you will need:
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1⁄4 cup buttermilk
- 1⁄2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1⁄2 cup shredded carrots
- 1⁄4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing
Instructions
Follow these steps to make your homemade Chick-fil-A-style chicken bowl:
- Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the chicken to an even 1⁄2-inch thickness.
- Place the pounded chicken breast in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- In a shallow bowl, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and let any excess drip off. Dredge the chicken through the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the breaded chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing or chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- While the chicken rests, divide the quinoa, broccoli, and carrots between two bowls. Top with the chopped chicken pieces.
- Sprinkle each bowl evenly with the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Drizzle each bowl with approximately 1⁄2 tablespoon of ranch dressing.
- Enjoy your homemade Chick-fil-A-style chicken bowl!
Tips
Here are some tips for making perfect chicken bowls at home:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. The better the ingredients, the better the finished bowl.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Cook just until done to keep it tender and juicy.
- Use cold quinoa straight from the fridge. This prevents it from getting mushy when mixed with the other ingredients.
- Get creative with mix-ins! Swap out the veggies or add things like edamame, corn, dried cranberries, nuts, etc.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavors blend together even more over time.
- Customize with different dressings like ranch, blue cheese, Caesar, etc.
- Skip the quinoa for a low-carb bowl served over lettuce or cauliflower rice.
- Cook the chicken on a grill or George Foreman grill for extra flavor.
- Use Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk if you don’t have any on hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Chick-fil-A bowl?
A Chick-fil-A bowl is a menu item at the popular fast food chain consisting of grilled chicken breast pieces served over quinoa with shredded veggies and cheese. It’s a lighter, grain bowl-style alternative to their classic fried chicken sandwiches.
What type of chicken is used?
Chick-fil-A uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts for their bowls and other grilled chicken menu items. You can replicate this at home by pounding a chicken breast to an even thickness before breading and cooking.
What makes the chicken so crunchy?
Chick-fil-A’s signature crunch comes from dredging the pounded chicken breast in an egg wash followed by seasoned flour before frying. For a lighter home version, opt for panko breadcrumbs baked or pan-fried in a small amount of oil.
Can I make this low-carb?
Yes, you can easily make a low-carb Chick-fil-A bowl by swapping the quinoa for riced cauliflower or serving the chicken and veggies over a bed of lettuce rather than grains.
What dressing is used?
The original Chick-fil-A bowl comes with a small drizzle of a tangy ranch dressing. But you can customize yours with any paleo-friendly dressing you like such as blue cheese, Caesar, Greek yogurt ranch, etc.
Nutrition Information
Here is the approximate nutrition information per serving for a homemade Chick-fil-A chicken bowl:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 410 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg |
| Sodium | 590 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
Conclusion
Whipping up a homemade Chick-fil-A-inspired chicken bowl is easy and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. With simple pantry staples and fresh ingredients, you can create a nutritious copycat meal with that signature Chick-fil-A crunch. Feel free to get creative and customize each bowl to your liking. Enjoy!