Greek Chicken Bowls (Printable Version)
Herbed grilled chicken with rice, fresh vegetables, feta, and tzatziki for a Mediterranean-inspired meal.
# What You Need:
→ Chicken & Marinade
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
06 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
07 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Rice
10 - 1 cup basmati or long grain rice
11 - 1 3/4 cups water
12 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Fresh Vegetables
14 - 1 small cucumber, diced
15 - 7 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
16 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
17 - 1.8 oz Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
18 - 1.8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
→ Tzatziki Sauce
19 - 4.4 oz Greek yogurt
20 - 1/2 small cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
21 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
22 - 1 garlic clove, minced
23 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
24 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
25 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Garnishes
26 - Fresh parsley or dill, chopped
27 - Lemon wedges
# Directions:
01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours for deeper flavor.
02 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute to toast the grains. Pour in water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
03 - Combine Greek yogurt, grated and squeezed cucumber, fresh dill, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve.
04 - Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side until fully cooked through and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
05 - Divide the fluffy rice among four bowls. Arrange sliced grilled chicken, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, and crumbled feta over each portion. Spoon tzatziki generously on top and finish with fresh herbs and lemon wedges.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The marinade does all the heavy lifting, so you get deeply flavored chicken with almost zero effort.
- Everything components on one plate means weeknight cleanup is blissfully minimal.
- Tzatziki made from scratch tastes nothing like the store bought tub and takes about three minutes.
02 -
- Do not skip the rest time after grilling because cutting immediately lets all the juices run out and you end up with dry chicken.
- Grating the cucumber for tzatziki and not squeezing it dry turns your sauce into a watery puddle that ruins the texture.
- Marinating the chicken for the full two hours rather than the minimum twenty minutes transforms the flavor from pleasant to genuinely memorable.
03 -
- Use a cast iron grill pan for the most gorgeous char marks and make sure it is smoking hot before the chicken goes in.
- Make double the tzatziki because it disappears on everything from pita to roasted vegetables to a spoon eaten standing at the fridge.