These Greek Chicken Bowls are basically Chipotle with Greek flavors… It’s so incredibly delicious, easy to prepare and a perfect addition to your weeknight dinner menu. It has a base of grains and greens with tender chicken, tangy pickled onions, salty feta, crunchy veggies & a lemon dill yogurt sauce that ties it all together.
Choosing Chicken to Use in the greek chicken bowl Recipe
When I make these Greek Chicken Bowls, I prefer to use chicken breast, but you can absolutely replace the breast with chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are a great option as they are more affordable than chicken breast, and may be easier to find in the current Covid-19 climate than chicken breast. They are also more flavorful, although it just depends on if you prefer white or dark meat!
Either way, you will want to use boneless, skinless chicken. After trimming away excess fat and skin, cut the chicken into cubes and prepare the marinade.
How to Make the Marinade
The marinade for this Greek Chicken is really magical and where a lot of the flavor comes from. It’s a similar marinade to what I use when I make Greek potatoes, like in this Greek Salad recipe or when I make a Greek-style dressing.
I think it’s easiest to mix the marinade in a large, empty bowl and then add the chicken. First, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. If you only have a very small or a not-very-juicy lemon, I would suggest adding the juice of 2. Then, add in 3 finely minced garlic cloves to the bowl.
For spices, I used 2 tbsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried dill. You could definitely use fresh, but dried works just as well in a marinade like this. I of course added salt and pepper too!
Red wine vinegar adds another hit of acidity that is so yummy for this chicken. Then, you’ll want to add about ¼ cup of avocado oil and mix all of it together. Add your chicken to the bowl, stir to coat and set the chicken in the fridge for about 20 minutes-2 hours.
Steps for the Pickled Onions
Pickled red onions are one of my favorite things to add to just about any savory dish. They are also so easy to make and you can keep them on the counter for a few days to use throughout the week.
To make them, the first step is to cut a red onion VERY thinly. You can either do this carefully with a knife, but I think using a mandolin tool is the easiest way to get very thin, uniform red onion slices.
Once you have the red onions sliced, add them to a small bowl with ½ tsp salt (adjust according to how much onion you are using- this is for ½ a large red onion), 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and then enough olive or avocado oil to submerge the onions. Mix it around and let sit for at least 15-20 minutes (the longer the better, though!)
How to Make the Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce
Another delicious component of this dish is the Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce, which is a lot like an easy, homemade tzatziki. For the sauce, you’ll need 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. It does need to be Greek, just regular plain yogurt won’t taste the same.
To the yogurt, I add the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tbsp dried (or fresh) dill, and salt & pepper to taste. If you want, you can also add in the crumbled feta to the yogurt sauce.
How to Choose Your Grain Base
I almost always make this with cooked white rice as my grain of choice, but you have total freedom of choice here! It would be fantastic with brown rice, quinoa, farro or even lentils. You can also omit for a low-carb option if you want this Greek Chicken Bowl to be a salad.
deciding which Greens to Use in the greek chicken bowl
My favorite greens for bowls like this are the Power Greens from Trader Joe’s, which is baby kale and spinach. I like that the kale is a bit sturdier and heartier, but you can absolutely use any greens that you have at home, including romaine, spinach, arugula, kale or butter lettuce.
Greek Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade:
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast, trimmed & cubed
- 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup avocado or olive oil
For the Pickled Onions:
- 1/2 red onion sliced thinly
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Enough oil to submerge the onions
For the Lemon Dill Yogurt:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Other Bowl Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- Greens (spinach, arugula, romaine, kale)
- 1 pint baby tomatoes, cut into fourths
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 1 container Feta cheese
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the chicken marinade in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir to coat. Set aside in fridge for 20 minutes-2 hours.
- Combine all ingredients for the pickled red onions in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside for at least 20 minutes (but longer is better!). You can store the pickled onions on the counter for 3 days to use throughout the week.
- Cook the rice (or grain of choice) according to package instructions.
- Prep the other ingredients by chopping the tomatoes and cucumber. Set aside.
- Stir together all ingredients for the Lemon Dill Yogurt, set aside in fridge for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to combine.
- Heat a large cast-iron pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of avocado oil and continue to heat for another minute.
- Using tongs, add the marinated chicken to the pan, cooking & rotating with tongs until cooked through and has a crust, about 8-10 minutes.
- Assemble the bowl by layering the greens, the grain, the cooked chicken, the veggies and pickled onions and top with the Lemon Dill Sauce and crumbled feta.
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These Greek Chicken Bowls are AMAZING! The flavor of the chicken is wonderful, and the pickled onions really add flare to the dish and make it feel like something you ordered from a restaurant. I’ve already made this 3+ times and will continue to make it one of my weekly staples.
Author
Thanks so much, Kayla! 🙂
Made this as a quick weeknight dinner! It was a hit! I followed the recipe as is but grilled my chicken instead!
Author
Love it!! Thanks, Sara 🙂
Tried this recipe from Pinterest! Absolutely amazing and so flavorful! Making aging tonight ❤
Author
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks so much, Laura!
We made this last night and just ate the leftovers for lunch. The chicken is probably the best marinade recipe I’ve ever made! It’s going on the short list for easy weeknight meals! I love that it’s versatile enough to mix and match toppings with whatever I have in the fridge!
Excellent and flavorful! Great family dinner that has become a staple in our house!