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This Whole30 buffalo chicken ranch meal prep is Whole30 meal prep perfection! Totally loaded with flavor, protein, healthy fats, and fiber, this is a great meal prep idea for lunch. With cauliflower rice and homemade ranch dressing, this will definitely become one of your favorite meal prep recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is the first thing I ever fed my assistant.
We’d decided to work together as a sort of last-minute thing. I knew I needed to hire someone to help out with the day-to-day tasks here but was a bit terrified. But then one of my oldest friends came to me, it made sense, and working with one of your besties sounded like a damn good idea. So I hired her.
The first day she came to the office, I begged her to take one of those Whole30 buffalo chicken ranch meal preps off my hands. I’d been eating them for 5 days straight at that point and couldn’t stomach the thought of another bite! She agreed readily and devoured the meal prep recipe at the kitchen counter.
“You seriously… have… to give me… this recipe,” she stated simply between bites.
“I would seriously… make this… all the… time.”
And I get why this is her favorite meal prep recipe! Tender shredded buffalo chicken over cauliflower rice, topped with sweet cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, and drizzled with a homemade ranch dressing? I’m exceptionally partial to my Greek healthy meal prep, but this buffalo chicken ranch Whole30 meal prep recipe is a very close second.
Bonus points: preparation is the #1 piece of advice for any Whole30, forever and ever. Prep! Prepare. Make preparations. Do all the things that will help you go into each and every meal, that will help you meet every little hunger pang with an answer. And for lunch, your answer is a fervent
Whole30 buffalo chicken ranch meal prep recipe.
This Whole30 meal prep idea comes together pretty easily on a Sunday, requiring just a bit of chopping and prepping, mostly relying on the punch of flavor that comes from the tender, shredded buffalo chicken and the richness of a homemade ranch dressing.
What Makes It So Good
- It requires very little hands-on cooking time, making it quick and easy to throw together on Meal Prep Sunday!
- This buffalo chicken Whole30 meal prep recipe happens to be naturally keto, too! Loads of protein and veggies, light on the carbs (Only 5 net!).
- The shredded buffalo chicken is super easy to make, thanks to the Instant Pot.
Variations
- Substitute in whatever veggies you like! Ideas include mini peppers, whole snacking cucumbers (Less chopping!), raw zucchini sticks, or baby carrots. For this meal prep idea, it’s all about what you like, and have on hand!
- If you’re not on a Whole30, try blue cheese dressing in place of the ranch.
- Replace the mayonnaise in the creamy shredded buffalo chicken with ranch dressing for an extra hit of buffalo-ranch flavor.
Chef’s Tips
- Use frozen pre-riced cauliflower to make this meal prep idea even easier.
- Dice the avocado right before you eat it, otherwise, you’ll end up with a browned mess.
- Make my Whole30 dump ranch recipe for the best-ever buffalo chicken ranch meal prep idea experience!
How To Make It
In your Instant Pot, combine the chicken breasts, hot sauce, salt, and ghee. Seal the lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 20 minutes. Quick Release and remove lid.
Remove the chicken breasts from the Instant Pot and shred. Return to the pot and add mayonnaise. Stir to coat in sauce and let absorb, a couple of minutes.
Heat cauliflower rice in a large skillet, covered, over low heat until they are steamed. Season with salt and a pinch of turmeric for color; stir well.
Assemble your Whole30 and keto meal prep idea for the week! Spoon cauliflower rice into half the meal prep container; place sliced romaine in the other half. Place shredded buffalo chicken down the middle, then top with cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, and ranch dressing. Wait until just before serving to dice and eat the avocado.
What are the best meal prep recipe containers?
I personally prefer to use glass containers, since there’s no threat of chemicals from the plastic migrating into my food. We currently use these glass meal prep recipe containers (<<< affiliate link!).
They’re not too big and stack on top of each other nicely in the fridge. Big fan!
Which Instant Pot should I get?
Ohh, sister, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, I can’t wait for you to get one. It’ll be a total game-changer with your meal prep ideas for the week, and it makes dinner so dang easy, too! I personally like the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Quart, since it’s big enough but not too big. The functionality is all I need, too. Grab one for yourself! Click here to check out the one I love (<<< affiliate link!).
Other recipes you’ll love
- Whole30 Dump Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Greek Healthy Meal Prep
- Healthy Mexican Chicken Meal Prep
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- Whole30 Breakfast Meal Prep
- Healthy Mexican Chicken Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- 35 Whole30 Meal Prep Recipes
Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below! ? And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Whole30 Meal Prep (Whole30 Meal Prep)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Meal prep containers
Ingredients
- 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Whole30 mayonnaise
- 2 12-ounce bags frozen cauliflower rice
- salt
- pinch turmeric if desired
- 1 head romaine lettuce shredded
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 bunch green onions sliced thin
- 2 avocados peeled, seeded, and diced before serving
- Whole30 ranch dressing for drizzling
- celery sticks for garnish
Instructions
- If you do not have an Instant Pot, see Note for alternate directions for chicken using a slow cooker.
- Make your shredded chicken: combine chicken breasts, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, ghee, and salt in the pot of an Instant Pot. Do not add water. Secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove chicken breasts from the pot. Shred with two forks then return to pot. Add in 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and cook on Sauté mode a few minutes until sauce is absorbed.
- Put frozen cauliflower rice in a saucepan with a lid and place over low heat. Cook until thawed and cooked through, seasoning with salt. Add a pinch of turmeric for color, if desired, and stir very well to combine. Remove from heat.
- Assemble your meal prep: evenly divide all ingredients among 4-6 meal prep containers. Spoon cauliflower rice into 1/3 of each container, place romaine into 1/3 of each container, then place chicken in other 1/3. Top with tomatoes and cucumbers, then sprinkle with green onions. Serve with freshly diced avocado, cucumber sticks, and plenty of Whole30 Ranch dressing.
Video
- If you do not have an Instant Pot, make chicken in a slow cooker instead: In the pot of a slow-cooker, combine chicken, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, ghee, and salt. Do not add water. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. After about 3/4 of the time, shred the chicken breasts with two forks then add 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise. Stir to coat and let the chicken cook for a few minutes longer, or until sauce is absorbed.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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This didn’t work well for me. Made in the insta pot and chicken dry. Also the Buffalo sauce got liquid like.. it was bad had to throw it out.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it!
Mine had a but of liquid too but i juat sauteed it u til it went away. Maybe try sautèing longer?
Can you print the recipe? I do not see a print button.
Thanks!
It’s in the recipe card, under the photo! 🙂
How long do you cook chicken breast in instapot if they are frozen?
How many does this serve (sorry if Im missing that somewhere)?
It makes 5! 🙂
Do you have the nutritional facts for this meal? Calories, protein, carbs, etc.
anyone else have an issue with the pot giving “burn” message when doing this recipe? I do as it says – no water added – and I always get the burn message!! help! i love this recipe!
I have not experienced that! Hopefully someone else can help!
This is fantastic! I love the step-by-step instructions for meal prep. I added just a touch of nutritional yeast to the cauliflower rice. My only regret is that I didn’t find this recipe until Day 25!
I am so glad you like it! And hey- no regrets. This’ll just help you stay healthy post-Whole30!
A couple of sub questions – could you sub coconut oil for the ghee, or should it be ghee? And I have Tessemae’s buffalo sauce on hand, do you think that might work?
I think you could sub coconut oil for the ghee, but I’d recommend ghee if you have it! If you’d prefer to use Tessemae’s buffalo sauce, though, that would totally work! Use it in place of the hot sauce and ghee in the Instant Pot portion ☺️
this was a big hit it my house. I kept it simple and over salad only but it was yummy. I don’t love the ranch dressing by itself because i taste the coconut but over then chicken it works! Bravo!!
I am SO glad you all liked it! Did you use the standard “dump ranch” recipe? I don’t like either, because you can taste the coconut. I’m publishing my favorite dump ranch recipe soon that uses almond milk to thin – keep an eye out for that! My recipe here includes no coconut, too:
https://40aprons.com/best-whole30-ranch-dressing-whole30-garlic-mayonnaise/
This looks great! Do you eat them cold?
Yep! We do!