Mediterranean Bowls with Chicken
Build your own bowls perfect for a family dinner or party. Perfect for a crowd as everyone can pick and choose what to put in their own bowl. This meal is well balanced a big pleaser. Also, makes a great leftover. Keep all the parts in the refrigerator for lunches all week long.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs. chicken - boneless, skinless breast and thigh meat
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, preferably fresh
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Grain
- 2 cups basmati rice or quinoa, or 1 cup each
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic cloves
- 2-3 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 cups chicken broth 4 tsp soup base or bouillon with 4 cups water
Toppings
- cucumber, thick slices then halved or quartered
- grape tomatoes, halved
- sweet bell pepper
- pickled red onions, or raw
- Kalamata olives, or black
- roasted chickpeas
- crumbled Feta cheese
- Hummus
- Tzatziki sauce
- flat bread
Pickled Red Onion
- 1 red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and grated or finely chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic clove
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped or 1 tsp dry drill (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Pickled Red Onion
- **These are optional, but a really good topping on these bowls. Raw red onions are also good.Need to make them at least 2 hours before needed.
- Slice 2 halves of a red onion as thinly as you can. Put them into a pint jar or bowl.
- In a small bowl, measure in the sugar and salt. Pour the hot water, just hot from the tap, over the sugar and salt. Stir with a fork or small whisk till it is dissolved. Add the apple cider vinegar.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the onions. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour, then set it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one more hour before using.
- May store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tzatziki Sauce
- **Store bought works for convenience. Sometimes I have a hard time finding it, and it can be expensive. If you have the time, it is worth making your own. Grate or finely chop the cucumber. Set in the center of a couple layers of paper towels. Gently squeeze over the sink to remove most of the moisture.
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all of the other ingredients. Then fold in the cucumbers. Chill in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Chicken
- **Preheat oven to 400°. Cut up the chicken into ½-1 inch pieces. I like to do a mix of thigh and breast meat. Either one is great for this meal.
- Mix together all of the other ingredients. Pour the mixture over the chicken pieces. Fold it all together.
- Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil. Spread the chicken in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°.Use a large slotted spoon or spatula to move the chicken from the baking sheet to a serving bowl when it is done baking.
Grains
- **You may do rice and quinoa separately or together like I have here. Or do just one or the other. Heat a large saucepan. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add in a couple of cloves of minced garlic. Saute for a minute or two.
- Add in 1 cup of Basmati rice and 1 cup of quinoa. Stir and saute in the garlic butter for another minute or two.
- Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth. Or 4 cups of water with bouillon or chicken soup base. Bring to a boil. Put a lid on it, and turn the burner down to low for 15 minutes. Stir and fluff with a fork when finished.
Finishing up and Assembly
- Cut flat bread or pita into quarters and warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 350° for 4-5 minutes. Wrap or cover in a dish with foil to keep warm.
- Prep all the other toppings and vegetables in bowls. Set up a buffet with the grains and chicken to start. Next in line all the veggies. End with the Tzatziki, hummus and flat bread.