Table of Contents
- The BEST Hot Honey Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Protein Bowl ingredients
- How to make Chicken Bowls
- Tips for Success
- Putting the Bowls Together
- Hot Honey Chicken Bowl variations
- Meal Prep These Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
- How to store Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Bowls
- More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Healthy Protein Bowls
The BEST Hot Honey Chicken Recipe
With 37 grams of protein and so much spicy hot honey flavor, these chicken bowls have become my favorite over the years! I’ve tested this recipe so many times and I’ve come to the conclusion that you pretty much can’t mess it up. The ingredients are simple, the process is easy, and it’s even perfect for meal prep!
The flavor of the hot honey sauce is the BEST balance of sweet and spicy. And the good news is that the amount of spicy can be adjusted to your own personal taste! If you’ve been on the search for a new, inspired weeknight dinner recipe that’s also healthy, quick, and easy, then these Hot Honey Chicken Bowls are for you. You’re going to love this recipe!
RELATED: 100+ Quick Healthy Dinners (30 Minutes Or Less)
This recipe is included in my 4-Week Healthy Dinner Meal Plan! Need help planning out healthy meals for the week ahead? This guide includes 4 weeks of planned-for-you recipes, grocery lists, and more!
Chicken Protein Bowl ingredients
Hot Honey Chicken
- Chicken – Boneless chicken breasts are best for this recipe.
- Honey – Honey is the base of the hot honey sauce, but agave works great, too!
- Sriracha – Add a kick and tons of flavor with sriracha!
- Cayenne + Crushed Red Pepper – The cayenne and crushed red pepper in this recipe are where you can really adjust the level of spicy to your own taste. A little bit goes a long ways!
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is definitely the way to go. It adds so much flavor! But if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, garlic powder is another great option as well.
TIP: You can also just swap out the ingredients for the hot honey sauce with a store-bought hot honey!
For the Bowls
- Zucchini – The zucchini is sliced, cubed, or spiraled and then roasted for these Hot Honey Chicken Bowls.
- Summer Squash – Roasted summer squash adds so much flavor, texture, and nutrition!
- Carrots – Fresh, shredded carrots add a coolness to balance the spice and warmth of the meal.
- Avocado – Creamy and delicious! I love topping these bowls with a little bit of avocado.
- Rice (or Quinoa) – Any type of rice or quinoa works great as a base in these bowls. You can also make these with cauliflower rice for a lower-carb version!
- Lime – A squeeze of lime brings the flavors together in this recipe.
- Ranch – Last but not least, a drizzle of healthy ranch dressing or creamy avocado lime sauce! This is optional but SO good.
How to make Chicken Bowls
This is hands-down my favorite homemade Hot Honey Chicken recipe! And it’s actually incredibly easy to make. Here’s how to make the best hot honey chicken:
- Mix up the hot honey sauce.
- Cook the chicken in a skillet for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Set the chicken aside and add the squash to the pan, cooking for a few minutes to soften.
- Remove from heat, add the shredded carrots, and set the chicken on top.
- Coat everything with hot honey sauce and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- Broil for about 3-5 minutes, then remove from the oven and let rest.
- Cube the chicken, coat in the remaining hot honey sauce, and assemble the bowls!
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Tips for Success
- It’s best if the chicken is placed on TOP of the veggies in the skillet before it goes into the oven.
- Be sure to let the chicken rest after broiling in the oven.
- Coat the cubed chicken in the sauce for the best flavor!
- If you have extra hot honey, drizzle it over the bowls. It’s so good!
- Feel free to switch up the hot honey sauce ingredients for a store-bought hot honey to save time.
Putting the Bowls Together
Once the hot honey chicken is cooked and ready to go, simply combine the ingredients for the bowls and enjoy! Start with the cooked rice, then add in the roasted squash, fresh carrots, creamy avocado, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of ranch. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and enjoy!
Hot Honey Chicken Bowl variations
There are so many ways to make these bowls you own. Mix it up with these other Hot Honey Chicken Bowl ideas, additions, or variations!
- Sweet Potato
- Pickles
- Broccoli
- Cucumbers
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans
Meal Prep These Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
Meal prepping these bowls is just as easy as making them fresh. Simply make the meal according to directions, plate the bowls into meal prep containers (leaving off the avocado and ranch drizzle), and store in the fridge for healthy lunches and dinners all week long.
When ready to enjoy, warm them up in the microwave and add fresh toppings!
RELATED: 30+ BEST Easy Meal Prep Recipes
How to store Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Bowls
One of my favorite things about these Hot Honey Chicken Bowls is how well you can store them as leftovers or for meal prep. It’s best to leave the avocado and ranch dressing off until you’re ready to enjoy, but everything else can be kept together! Here’s how to store this recipe:
Refrigerator – Divide the bowls into airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 5-7 days!
Freezer – Keep for up to 3 months! When ready to enjoy, heat the bowls up in the microwave, mixing often until warm. Add fresh toppings and enjoy!
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Healthy Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
- Paleo Chicken Mushroom Casserole
- Cuban Mojo Chicken and Rice
- Creamy Healthy Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Easy Apricot Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Recipe
Healthy Protein Bowls
- Honey Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
- Miso Glazed Salmon Bowls
- Greek Chicken Bowl Recipe
- BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls
- Sweet Chili Chicken Meatball Bowls
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Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Bowls
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Hot Honey Chicken
- 1 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise (about 2 medium)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2-3 Tablespoons sriracha (or any type of hot sauce)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Bowls
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 medium summer squash, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 medium avocado, sliced
- 2 cups cooked rice (or quinoa)
- 1/2 medium lime (optional, for topping)
Healthy Ranch Drizzle (Optional)
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk (adjust to thickness)
- 1/4 teaspoon onion
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, whisk the honey, sriracha, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne (optional), and crushed red pepper (optional) to create the sauce.
- Set aside 3-4 Tablespoons of the hot honey sauce.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and set aside.
- Slightly lower the heat, then toss the squash in the skillet for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Add the carrots over the squash, then place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables, and coat both sides of the chicken with the hot honey sauce.
- Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes (or until the chicken is fully cooked), stirring the vegetables halfway through.
- While it bakes, mix up the ranch dressing drizzle.
- Turn the oven to high broil and broil for 3-5 minutes to brown and caramelize the sauce on the chicken.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes.
- Cut the chicken into cubes and coat evenly in the remaining hot honey sauce.
- Assemble the bowls with rice, veggies, chicken, and drizzle with any extra hot honey and ranch dressing.
- Add sliced avocado and a squeeze of lime if you’d like. Enjoy!
Notes
- These Hot Honey Chicken Bowls can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months!
- These bowls are pretty spicy, so feel free to tone down the heat by using a mild hot sauce instead of sriracha. You can also use tomato sauce if you really want mild version of this Hot Honey Chicken!
- Feel free to switch up the hot honey sauce ingredients for a store-bought hot honey to save time.
TARA says:
made the sauce according to the recipe – minus the cayenne pepper and only 2T chalula. Really liked it – the avocado and lime juice are a must. We served with jasmine rice cooked in the instant pot with chicken broth. love the addition of all the veggies. cut them a little thick since others said they were a little mushy. thank you!
Jar Of Lemons replied:
You’re welcome, Tara. Thanks for the review!
Laura says:
On their own, I love all these ingredients, but together in a bowl, it just didn’t taste as good as I was expecting. I realized it’s because between the rice, avocado, and zucchini, it’s lots of “mushy” ingredients. Next time, I’ll probably switch the zucchini for green beans. I loved the sauce though! I didn’t add the cayenne and I used buffalo wing sauce, I didn’t think it was spicy at all (I do like spice), so I’ll definitely add cayenne next time. I’m not sure what else the sauce would go with, but it’s so good I want to add it to everything!
So because of different food preferences, I just made everything on the stove top and drizzled my portion with extra sauce. Overall, very good and I will make again.
DK says:
Going to try this but grilling everything instead of frying and baking.
Hannah says:
Made this tonight for dinner, and omg! I read the comments and was worried about spice level, so I cut the cayenne and pepper flakes in half (leaving all other measurements and ingredients the same) , and spice level is very tolerable! I also didn’t want to chance over cooking the zucchini or squash so i made larger chunks and ended up having to go longer on the time of the vegetables. I love the combination of flavors, and am happy to have found this recipe to hold onto!
Angelina Cabrera says:
Made this tonight for dinner. I’ve been craving a bowl as flavorful as this. With the different colorful components. We loved it including my 3 year old. He didn’t have sauce on his chicken though. All the adults s enjoyed it. Thanks
Kelly Trice says:
Has anyone used BLSL chicken thighs instead? What was the cooking time?
Becky says:
SO GOOD! Creamy, flavorful, and healthy with the perfect amount of kick! Love the combinations of textures and temperatures! Took longer to prepare than I thought but worth it. Used brown and my store didn’t have summer squash so used butternut squash which was actually delicious!
Becky replied:
I forgot to rate it 5 STARS!
Heidi Parker replied:
Oh my goodness! This is amazing! I will crave it again soon for sure! My avocado went bad before I had a chance to make the meal, so I can’t wait to try it again with the avocado. I was a little worried about the spice level so I didn’t use the cayenne or pepper flakes.
Jar Of Lemons replied:
I’m glad you enjoyed this, Heidi!
Tom K. says:
This recipe is a winner! The only modifications I made were with a different hot sauce and I seasoned the chicken in advance. The squash and zucchini came out a little soft so I’ll probably cook the chicken separately for a little longer and reduce the cooking time in step 7 some, but it was still very good. Even my picky wife loved it. Thanks!
Kaitlin O'Neill says:
This recipe is to die for! I do want to see if anyone has put the carrots in the oven as well? It tastes a bit “off” to have cold carrots on top. But maybe that is just me!
Sonya says:
Amazing! I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
Alexis M says:
WIN!! My husband said this is the best meal I’ve ever made him in 10 years of marriage! I am always trying healthier recipes and it’s rare that my husband likes what I made. He occasionally tolerates but rarely likes my clean meals. It was slightly too spicy for us and we didn’t use the crushed red pepper so next time I’ll back off on the cayenne. Matt wanted it to be a little less spicy but he loved it so much he wasn’t sure we should mess with the recipe. We both weren’t sure about the avocado with it but it was perfect, would never leave that out. Thanks for the win, I needed it:).
Hali says:
I’ve made this probably 5 times now, and my husband and I love it! It’s definitely bordering on painfully spicy with everything g added, but we like it that way. I make a separate, mild chicken for the kids.
Bailey says:
Love! It was easy and delish. Such a healthy/clean meal. Thanks!
Stephanie says:
My husband would love this! I never make him spicier meals. He would be so surprised.
Stephanie says:
I think my family would love these! Love how healthy they are!