Chicken Ranch Kale & Quinoa Bowls

These Chicken Ranch Kale & Quinoa Bowls are delicious and gluten-free – the low calorie homemade ranch dressing is super easy too!

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How to make this recipe

1. Preheat BBQ to med-high heat. Slice chicken in half lengthwise and drizzle with olive oil, then rub with paprika, garlic powder and salt.
2. Grill or bake chicken for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions or in a rice cooker.
4. Prepare veggies and blend ingredients for ranch dressing together in a blender.
5. Assemble bowls by mixing kale and quinoa together.
6. Top with sliced, cooked chicken, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, corn and avocado, dividing all veggies evenly among four bowls.
7. Drizzle bowls with ranch dressing and serve!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Olive oil – use any neutral oil such as avocado oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil for this recipe.
• Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts.
• Paprika – cayenne pepper or chili pepper can be used in place of paprika.
• Garlic powder – granulated garlic or garlic salt are good options. If you choose to use garlic salt you may want to skip the salt.
• Salt (to taste)
• Avocado – use sliced avocado or fresh guacamole in place of avocado. If you’re not a fan, leave out the avocado altogether.
• Corn – use fresh grilled corn, canned corn or store-bought corn salsa for this recipe.
• Snap peas – sugar snap peas, snow peas or green beans are all great options. Feel free to leave it out altogether or replace with a veggie of your choice.
• Cherry tomatoes – use multicolour cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes diced. If you’re not a fan of tomatoes, leave it out altogether.
• Quinoa – couscous, barley, or riced cauliflower are great substitution options.
• Kale – any other leafy salad green will make a great substitution for kale.

Homemade Ranch dressing

• Sour cream – plain Greek yogurt is a lower fat alternative to sour cream.
• Milk – use any milk of your choice or a nondairy milk of your choice for this recipe.
• Lemon juice – fresh or bottled lemon juice will both work.
• Parsley – chives, cilantro or chervil are great substitutes for parsley.
• Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic will both work. If you’re in a pinch use garlic powder.
• Onion – use finely chopped onion of your choice or onion powder if you’re in a pinch.
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

Storing and reheating

These delicious quinoa bowls will last in the fridge in air-tight containers for up to 5 days. Just make sure to store the ranch dressing separately to avoid the dish becoming soggy in the fridge. I recommend serving the dressing on the side of the bowl or adding the dressing directly to the serving you're eating.

Freezing the leftovers (NOTE: can only freeze the chicken and kale)

Though this dish isn't necessarily freezer-friendly, you can still freeze certain parts of this bowl. For this dish, you will be able to freeze the kale and the chicken. The chicken will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months while the kale will last in the freezer for six weeks.

To defrost, you'll want to let the ingredients defrost in the fridge the night before, then assemble with the remaining ingredients fresh.

More healthy quinoa bowl recipes

• Warm tahini kale + quinoa bowls 
• Sweet potato kale quinoa bowls
• Chickpea quinoa power salad bowls

Meal prep tools 

• Here's some of the quinoa I like to use
• I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing these bowls up for lunch!

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Chicken Ranch Kale & Quinoa Bowls

These Chicken Ranch Kale & Quinoa Bowls are delicious and gluten-free - the low calorie homemade ranch dressing is super easy too!

4.34 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: kale quinoa bowl

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 bowls

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup Corn
• 1 cup snap peas
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups finely chopped kale

Ranch dressing

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tbsp dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Preheat BBQ to med-high heat. Alternatively, preheat oven to 400 F. Slice chicken in half lengthwise and drizzle with olive oil, then rub with paprika, garlic powder and salt. Grill/bake for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway though.
• Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions or in a rice cooker. Prepare veggies and blend ingredients for ranch dressing together in a blender, food processor or Magic Bullet.
• Assemble bowls by mixing kale and quinoa together. Top with sliced, cooked chicken, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, corn and avocado, dividing all veggies evenly among four bowls. Drizzle with ranch dressing and serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 1187mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 19450IU | Vitamin C: 229.4mg | Calcium: 300mg | Iron: 8.6mg