This Vegan Buffalo Chicken Rice Skillet is perfect for a football night dinner. Vegan chick’n, brown rice and veggies are smothered in hot sauce and topped with ranch sauce for a tasty meal!
A Buffalo Sauce Obsession
I’m so obsessed with Buffalo anything – as you may have read in my Quinoa Buffalo Balls and Buffalo Chickpea Tacos posts. I just can’t get enough of that hot sauce taste!
I’m a huge Miami Dolphins fan and every year I have such high hopes but they never seem to pan out. So for all of football season (and the Super Bowl if the Dolphins are not in it), I drown my sorrows in vegan food.
This dinner is easy to prepare and perfect for game time. I used chick’n strips and added in lots of veggies and some brown rice to keep the dish nutritious – but don’t worry, you family won’t even realize!
All of these ingredients are simmered in hot sauce and topped with ranch sauce to make my Vegan Buffalo Chicken Rice Skillet!
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Rice Skillet
When deciding on the veggies to add to my Buffalo Chicken Rice, my first choice was celery because it’s usually eaten with those flavors but let’s be honest, a little celery wasn’t cutting it. I also added carrots because they’re tasty and I felt like I needed one more veggie but couldn’t decide what it should be.
I called my sister (because she’s my idea gal) and she recommended cauliflower. It was a great idea because it’s not an overwhelming flavor and can be cut into bite-sized pieces which would fit in with the recipe.
For the ranch, I used the sauce from my Ranch Pasta Salad but the sauce from my Buffalo Quinoa Balls would work too (you might just need to add a little extra liquid).
Meal Prep Tip: Make a big batch of brown rice the weekend (or day) before so you have the rice all ready to go for this tasty meal!
If you make this vegan buffalo chicken rice recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
Share your pictures of any of my recipes on Instagram and use #vnutrition or tag @maryellenvalverde so I won’t miss it!
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 TB olive oil (or veg broth if you're not using oil)
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 small carrots , chopped
- 2 large stalks of celery , chopped
- 2 C cauliflower , chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 C veggie broth (more if needed)
- 10 oz Gardein Chick'n Scallopini chopped and defrosted if frozen*
- 2 C cooked brown rice
- 3 TB tomato sauce
- 1/4 c hot sauce like Frank's Red Hot
- 2 TB nutritional yeast
- Vegan Ranch Sauce from my Ranch Pasta Salad
Instructions
- Add oil, onion, and garlic to a large skillet/saute pan and cook about 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent. If using veggie broth instead of oil, add enough broth to just cover the bottom of the pan and add more if needed.
- Add carrots, celery, cauliflower and veggie broth and cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are cooked through. You may need to add more veggie broth or water while cooking, however there shouldn't be too much liquid left after the veggies are done otherwise the dish will be too wet. You want a little coating on the bottom of the pan but if there's too much liquid once the veggies are finished cooking, pour a little out.
- Add rice, chick'n, tomato sauce, hot sauce, nutritional yeast and cook for about 3 minutes or until all ingredients are heated through.
- Top with some ranch sauce and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Get your FREE Vegan Made Easy Guide!
Like my vegan buffalo chicken rice recipe? You might also enjoy…
Buffalo Quinoa Balls
Chipotle Queso
Sriracha Veggie Burgers
Like my Vegan Buffalo Chicken Rice recipe? It would be so wonderful if you could give it some love by sharing!
Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist helping people thrive on a plant-powered diet. Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life.
When she’s not working with clients or creating new meals for her blog, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.
Cadry's Kitchen says
I’m all about the buffalo sauce too! I love that you’ve managed to move it outside of appetizers and straight into entrees. I would be all over this!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Cadry! Buffalo sauce is my weakness!
shaheen says
Wow, this is great idea and one i would not had even considered. A fab way to use red hot sauce too. I would love this for my working lunch.
Mary Ellen says
Thank you Shaheen! I was trying to think of a full meal to use the hot sauce and I think this works well. 🙂
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
Yum cauliflower was def the right choice! I’m such a fan of buffalo flavor, so this is right up my alley! YUM!
Mary Ellen says
Yes, so glad I listened to my sister! The cauliflower has the same texture as the rice so it works well. Thanks so much Julie!
Jenn says
I love anything buffalo flavored! That tangy heat – yum! Perfect for game day!!
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Jenn! Vegan buffalo anything is my favorite!
Kimmythevegan says
Damn girl! This looks so good! I may just have to make it (or get Terry to make it haha) this Sunday. I have to admit I didn’t even realize what this Sunday was until you mentioned it – I’m so sports clueless 😉
Mary Ellen says
Haha, we’re so a like in so many things except sports! Yes, you relax and have Terry make it for you! Not too hot, I know you don’t like things too spicy!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Looks fabulous, Mary Ellen! I love Frank’s Red Hot with Ranch.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Amy! <3
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
Buffalo flavouring is one that I find quite spicy and am still not so sure of the flavours as it is quite foreign to us! But I think that looks like a delicious main meal and good comfort food if your team didn’t make the finals
Mary Ellen says
Yes, the buffalo sauce is an acquired taste – especially for those outside the US. Every year I hope for my team to do better and every year they disappoint me!
therawproject says
This looks wonderful and agreed, love that it’s in a main dish. Must try soon, thanks!
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Christine!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
I love buffalo sauce and this is such a great way to use it. It would be perfect with a nice cold beer!
Mary Ellen says
Ooh yes, next time I make this I’m busting open a nice cold beer!
kateringforveggies says
For this, I only need 3 letters: OMG. Seriously… Promise me to cook this when you come over this summer! 😉
Mary Ellen says
I’d love to! Can I sneak hot sauces into Canada?
frieddandelions says
Ooh, my kiddos love ranch sauce! I bet they’d like this 🙂
Mary Ellen says
Ranch anything is my favorite!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
I also love all things buffalo sauce and spicy! Great vegan option love it thanks for linking up today
awhiskandtwowands says
I love this and cannot wait to try! Happy Meatless Monday!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Sarah! Happy belated Meatless Monday!
Vicki says
This looks awesome!!! Adding this to the things I must cook 🙂
Melissa Huggins says
This is such a fabulous recipe for game day! Looks so satisfying and spicy 🙂 I’m obsessed with buffalo sauce too! It’s so darn addicting.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Melissa! Buffalo sauce is my favorite!
onesonicbite says
I love all in one dinners, and I love buffalo sauce so this meal is a dream for me. XD I’ve been craving veggies lately (because they are lacking in my diet sadly) so this hopefully will get made soon in my house.
Mary Ellen says
I’ve tried to make a conscious effort lately to get more veggies in because slacking so bad in the veggie department. The best part about this recipe (besides the buffalo sauce) is that there are a lot of veggies in there but they’re subtle because they’re so small. 🙂
Let me know what you think if you try it!
annemarie kirk says
This recipe is so delicious. It is really hard to find vegetarian meal options that are easy to put together and come together so fast. The bonus is that my kids loved it as much as my husband and I. It is flavorful, fun and most importantly combines tons of healthy ingredients to leave you feeling satisfied!
Tania says
This is on regular rotation at my house! Delicious, nutritious, quick and easy! Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Mary Ellen says
Tania, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it! Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment & rating. I really appreciate it!