This is the ultimate pre-meal preparation: spicy buffalo chicken, fluffy rice and cauliflower rice, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and a dollop of creamy dill sauce.

Imagine this:

• Spicy buffalo chicken, roasted to succulent perfection.
• Serve with fluffy rice and garnish with roasted cauliflower and herbs.
• Top with fresh gherkins and tomatoes.
• Coat with a spoonful of creamy dill sauce.
• And hungry, you, at lunchtime, have this exciting flavor of fireworks waiting for you.

I mean, come on! It’s juicy, spicy, cool, crisp, and almost comforting. It’s an all-round feel-good food with a strong flavor and a delicious combination of protein, fiber, and carbs…

This is the energy we bring into September.

If you haven’t shopped yet, you should go shopping at ALDI

Here’s the thing. ALDI is a big part of our weekly home shopping for two reasons:1) The products are good, sound, and often organic! And it saves money.

We get a lot of basic stuff from ALDI every week:

• Organic whole milk
• Organic agricultural products
• Organic grain
• Organic yogurt

If you haven’t shopped there yet, I think that as we head into fall back to school, grocery shopping more regularly, starting meal planning again, etc., you’ll want to make some weekly restocking.

If you’re unsure, check out this article, “21 Things You Should Buy at ALDI.” Or text me on Instagram, and I’ll send ALDI a detailed receipt of my weekly Instacart order so you can see what I cut weekly. (Are you kidding?)

Everything you need can be found at ALDI. – Yay! – Some featured products include all-natural organic chicken breast flakes (you can buy them already sliced!). Their frozen seasonal selection of rice cauliflower, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, Park Street Deli dill sauce, and all-natural organic white rice.

How to make Buffalo Chicken

There are a lot of Buffalo chickens in the world. This Buffalo City chicken is:

• Marinating and roasting, rather than breading and frying
• Super super simple
• Be full of flavor
• Extra juicy
• Golden and beautiful
• Versatile and can go with almost anything.

To make chicken, marinate it with a few basic things and grill it.

If you’re like me, you can use a baking sheet directly on the stove instead of an actual grill because grills aren’t complex, but sometimes they feel rugged. Do you know what I mean?

Marinate and place on the grill. It’s simple. Ever.

I prefer thinly cut chicken breasts because they cook faster and more evenly.

How to make cauliflower garlic paella

This is one of my favorite ways to eat rice.

It’s a cross between regular rice and cauliflower rice.

• You cook rice.
• You bake broccoli rice.
• And then combine the two.

They need each other. Just as regular white rice doesn’t have enough energy on its own, the leaves of cauliflower rice itself can make you feel a little carb-sad. So, roast the cauliflower rice to give it a more robust flavor and a little crunchy brown texture, then toss it in with regular rice to make it tastier and more enjoyable. What a victory. It’s part vegetable and carbohydrate and has excellent texture and taste.

Whenever I make this rice, Bjork raves, and my kids love it.

How to store this Buffalo chicken

The chicken and rice will be kept in the refrigerator for several days.

The vegetables will also be well prepared! But they should be in their container so they don’t get heated when you reheat each part.

I recommend keeping the rice and chicken in separate containers and using a side container for the toppings (fresh vegetables and dips).

Speaking of ingredients

I’m using a dill dip here – because I’m a sucker for ALDI’s dill dip. (All right, all right, all the dips.)

But any store-bought sauce you like that has a creamy flavor is excellent. Even if it’s just… A ranch? This fantastic green sauce or jalapeno ranch is delicious if you want to go the homemade route.

Oddly, it all makes me excited about the September comeback rush. Is that allowed? Can we excitedly pack our little lunches for Buffalo chicken and garlic cauliflower rice? Because that’s where I am right now.

Buffalo Chicken Bowl: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best storage method?

Put the chicken in a container with the rice and separate the tomatoes, cucumbers, and dill. Add the rest to the top once you’ve heated the chicken and rice!

How spicy is this?

This chicken has a little punch of its own! But when combined with something else, it downplays it. If you’re worried it’s too spicy, feel free to reduce the amount of hot sauce.

Instructions

1. Marinade chicken: Combine chicken, buffalo meat sauce, honey, garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, and black pepper in a bowl or bag. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Cook rice: Cook rice according to the instructions on the package.
3. Roasted cauliflower: Place the cauliflower rice on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes until partially browned and slightly cooked through. Add the roasted cauliflower rice to the cooked rice. (Optional: Season with garlic powder, lemon juice, parsley, or Parmesan cheese.)
4. Cook chicken: Heat a roasting pan over high heat. Add a little olive oil if needed, then add the marinated chicken pieces, discarding any excess marinade. Cook for a few minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink on the inside. Remove from the pan and let sit for a few minutes.
5. Serve Sliced chicken with a scoop of cauliflower rice. Top with sliced squash, tomatoes, and a dollop of dill or ranch dressing. Yum!