Greek Chicken Bowls

Greek Chicken Bowl Recipe | Freckled Italian

This is one of my current favorite recipes—I’ve been making it at least once a week lately and I love it because it’s great for meal prep, which is a thing I really never got into until recently. Rice, marinated chicken, a little tomato salad, and some homemade tzatziki can all be made ahead of time and put together when you’re ready to serve and eat. You could use regular white rice but I like to add lemon when it’s cooking to give it a little something extra.

Greek Chicken Bowls | Freckled Italian

Ingredients:

  • About 1 pound of chicken breast

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a few more tablespoons set aside

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • The juice of 1 lemon, divided

  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or diced

  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced

  • Half of a large cucumber, peeled and diced

  • About 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

  • 1-2 cups of uncooked rice

  • 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

  • 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint and/or dill

  • The other half of the cucumber, grated

  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed and minced, divided

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. Mix together olive oil, dried oregano, half of the garlic clove, and half of the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and add chicken. Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or longer in the refrigerator.

  2. While chicken marinates, make the tzatziki by combining yogurt, mint and/or dill, grated cucumber, a bit of lemon juice, and half of the garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

  3. Put together the tomato salad by combining tomato, diced cucumber, and red onion. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine as you add a drizzle of olive oil and the red wine vinegar. Set aside.

  4. Make rice according to package instructions—I like to make mine in the pressure cooker (1 cup rice to 1 cup water or broth for 2 minutes on high pressure, then natural release of pressure which takes 10-20 minutes depending on how much I’ve made). If you want to make your rice extra tasty, add some salt, pepper, and the rest of the lemon juice before cooking. I also like to sauté the rice with some butter before adding the liquid, but that’s totally optional.

  5. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and allow to preheat. Drizzle some olive oil and allow to heat up. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until browned and completely cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing or dicing meat into smaller pieces.

  6. To assemble and serve, spoon rice into bowls and top with chicken, tomato salad, and a generous dollop of tzatziki. You can add pita bread as well if you want!

Greek Chicken Bowls | Freckled Italian