Bowl meals are my favorite. A bunch of different flavors and textures all piled into one big dish – what’s not to like?! And today we are sharing one of my favorite cuisines in bowl form – greek chicken bowls!
The chicken is quickly marinated to help infuse tons of flavor. Similarly, the quick greek salad is tossed with oil, vinegar, and lemon juice to give it a fresh and zippy flavor. And white rice is mixed with fresh herbs for some freshness. Then, topped with creamy tzatziki for the perfect dressing.
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Light and refreshing, full of flavor, and so satisfying. And full of veggies and protein, making it a healthy lunch or easy dinner recipe.
While this greek bowl does have a long ingredient list and a few steps, they are super simple to make. You can also prep things in advance to make assembly easier (see below for details).
Why we love these greek chicken bowls
- it’s loaded with different textures and flavors – savory, creamy, crunchy, and tangy all in one!
- macro-balanced – it has a good balance of protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber for a balanced meal.
- perfect for meal prep
Ingredients
- chicken thighs
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- dried greek oregano
- garlic powder
- marjoram
- white rice
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- kalamata olives
- red onion
- romaine
- tzatziki sauce
- feta cheese
- salt and pepper
How to make greek chicken bowls
- Marinate your chicken. Add chicken to a large baking dish or plastic bag and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, dried oregano, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Let it marinate for 1-2 hours. Be careful not to over-marinate it as you don’t want the chicken to break down from the lemon juice.
- While the chicken marinates, make the sides. Make your tzatziki sauce and the tomato and cucumber salad. Let chill in the fridge until ready to assemble.
- When your chicken is almost done marinating, make your rice according to the package. Once done, let cool for a few minutes. Mix in lemon juice and fresh herbs.
- Cook the chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let it get hot. Add chicken (make sure not to overcrowd) and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 5-10 minutes until cooked through and no pink remains. Remove from pan and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. Slice into bite-size pieces.
- Assemble the bowls. Evenly divide the greens, rice, tomato and cucumber salad, chicken, tzatziki sauce, and feta. I like to top them with a little lemon juice and fresh dill.
- Enjoy!
Make them low carb
To make these lower in carbs, you can substitute the rice for cauliflower rice! Try my herby cauliflower rice for an easy sub!
Meal prep greek chicken bowls
Mediterranean chicken bowls are great for meal prep. The components can be made ahead and sit in the fridge for up to a couple of days. You can go about prepping them a few different ways, depending on the time you have and how much you want to make in advance.
- partial prep– there are a few things you can do beforehand to make assembly easy. Either do one or a couple of these things below. The time will range from 5-15 minutes of active time working in the kitchen.
- cook the rice – cook rice according to the directions and store in the fridge for 5 days until ready to use.
- marinade the chicken – marinade and then roast for 35-45 minutes before you want to assemble your bowls. It will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- make the cucumber tomato salad – store it in a glass container in the fridge.
- make the tzatziki – mix and store in a small jar in the pantry. The longer it sits, the better it gets too!
- full prep – prep and cook all your ingredients according to the recipe directions. If making them for a grab-n-go lunch, you can fully assemble the bowls. If making them for a meal where you have time to assemble, store the chicken, rice, salad, and sauce separately. When ready to eat, chop your lettuce and assemble the bowls.
- heating them up – we personally enjoy this cold, but I know that not everyone likes cold food. Simply store leftovers separately and heat them up when ready to eat.
These compartment meal prep containers work great for separating the food.
Storage and reheating
- fridge – store each component separately and assemble the bowls when ready to eat. Each item will last 4-5 days in a tightly sealed glass dish in the fridge. The tomato cucumber salad will lose a little bit of its crunch the longer it sits.
- freezer – I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
- reheating – this recipe is meant to be eaten cold, but you can reheat the chicken and rice if desired. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through. You can also reheat them in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil.
Substitutions and additions
- chicken thighs – boneless skinless chicken breasts will work instead of thighs.
- greek marinade – feel free to use greek dressing instead of making your own marinade.
- white rice – cauliflower rice will work to make these lower in carbs. You can also do crispy potatoes to change it up.
- tomato and cucumber salad – adjust according to taste and what you have on hand for the salad.
- tzatziki sauce – homemade or store-bought will work. To make this recipe dairy-free, try my avocado tzatziki.
- fresh herbs – any mix of herbs will work for your rice. You can leave some out or add more.
- romaine – any kind of greens will work.
- feta cheese – leave off to keep them dairy-free.
Here are some additions if you want to change it up:
- beans, chickpeas, or lentils
- veggies – add more veggies if you like! Sauteed zucchini, eggplant, or peppers would be nice additions.
- hummus – you can’t go wrong with another dip!
More healthy bowl recipes
- sweetgreen harvest bowl
- greek lamb meatball bowls
- savory breakfast bowl
- fish taco bowl
- chicken burrito bowl
- salmon poke bowl
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Greek Chicken Bowls
ingredients
Greek Chicken
- 1 pound chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon marjoram
- salt and pepper, to taste
Greek Salad
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (210 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups diced cucumbers (215 grams)
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved (70 grams)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion (45 grams)
- 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
Herby Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 packed tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 packed tablespoons dill, roughly chopped
- 1 packed tablespoon chives, roughly chopped
- 1 packed tablespoon basil, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- 1/2 cup tzatziki sauce
- 8 packed cups chopped romaine (430 grams)
- for topping – fresh herbs, lemon…
instructions
- Marinate your chicken. Add chicken to a large baking dish or plastic bag and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, dried oregano, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Let it marinate for 1-2 hours. Be careful not to over-marinate it as you don’t want the chicken to break down from the lemon juice.
- While the chicken marinates, make the sides. Make your tzatziki sauce and let chill in the fridge until ready to assemble.
- Make the tomato cucumber salad. Add the ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Adjust according to taste. Let chill in the fridge until ready to assemble.
- When your chicken is almost done marinating, make your rice according to the package. Once done, let cool for a few minutes. Mix in lemon juice and fresh herbs.
- Cook the chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let it get hot. Add chicken (make sure not to overcrowd) and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 5-10 minutes until cooked through and no pink remains. Remove from pan and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. Slice into bite-size pieces.
- Assemble the bowls. Evenly divide the greens, rice, tomato and cucumber salad, chicken, tzatziki sauce, and feta. I like to top them with a little lemon juice and fresh dill.
- Enjoy!
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Fantastic flavors ! This will be a repeat in the dinner rotation. Love your recipes.!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying it, Laurelle!