Greek Chicken Bowl with Tzatziki
Today we’re exploring Greek Chicken Bowl recipes. I like making bowls. I like that they CAN be a salad bowl, but they don’t have to be. You get to pick! I also like that the ingredients are flexible.
Tzatziki is Delicious
I love tzatziki, a classic sauce for your Mediterranean bowl made from yogurt, garlic and cucumbers. Fresh tzatziki is even better, but if making your own is daunting, you can just buy some at your local grocery store. Most deli sections will have tzatziki in the same area as the hummus. Check the ingredients to make sure it’s made with Greek yogurt and not mayonnaise or some other nonsense.
My favorite shortcut is using a tzatziki dip mix.
I buy these Super Dips mixes at the Grand Marche in Quebec City but you can also order them online. I love it because it’s just herbs. No extra preservatives or oils hiding in them.
Or if shipping within the US, you can order similar mixes off Amazon, also from a small business.
You’ll notice that this is actually the lemon dill dip rather than tzatziki. This is my other favourite Super Dip and makes a good substitute if you are out of Tzatziki mix or just want to use up one dip before you open another like me!
I find the full package is a lot for two of us so I mix half of a packet into one cup of plain greek yogurt. When I am feeling extra fancy I will grate a half cup of cucumber in as well to make it the real deal.
All tzatziki leftovers can be used as dip for veggies or baguette, so nothing is wasted.
Choose the Base for your Greek Chicken Bowl
In warm weather I lean heavily towards salad bowls of refreshing water-filled greens and crunchy, raw seasonal vegetables. By the way, if you have never tried raw green beans, raw asparagus, or snap peas in your salads, I highly recommend them. They are serious salad glow up material.
Efficient prep tips:
If I am washing lettuce, I will wash and tear several days worth. Tearing by hand or using a plastic lettuce knife keeps the lettuce from turning brown. I slice any remaining peppers, carrots, cucumbers etc so they are handy as snacks and only require 2-3 chops to bring them down to salad size. This makes assembly at meal time quick and easy for the next couple of days.
Always keep veggies that spoil quickly (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc) separate from the lettuce so they don’t cause premature spoilage.
In the colder months, I lean more towards grains and cooked vegetables as my bowl base. Brown rice or pot barley with lightly sauteed peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and kale. This way I can serve the bowls warm when I want cosy comfort food!
Cooked grains, veg, and the chicken can all be mixed together right away meaning you can prepare and pack it for lunches right away. Only raw veg will need to be added at meal time.
Today was a salad bowl day.
The salad for today's Greek Chicken Bowl consisted of red leaf lettuce, carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, and grape tomatoes. We had asparagus earlier in the week, but it was amazing and we ate it all. I have no regrets. If you need a shortcut, grab pre-washed mixed greens or a bagged salad.
I had also picked up some portobello mushrooms so I chopped one and cooked it with the chicken.
Sauce - seasoning makes all the difference!
This sauce is pretty straightforward. The one ‘fancy’ element is lemon zest. You can absolutely make this recipe with just lemon juice. However, if you have a lemon on hand, I strongly recommend the zest. The flavor is so much richer and brighter!
(For my fellow zest enthusiasts, this rasp and zest holder is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I have no affiliation with Lee Valley, I just really love this zester. I’ve seen other microplane zesters here and there but the holder is a game-changer. And a finger saver.)
Why did the chicken cross the bowl?
We’re not sure. If you hear anything, lettuce know. (Ba dum tss!)
I opted to use ground chicken in this recipe because it cooks quickly. You can easily swap in sliced chicken thighs or breasts if you prefer them.
If you’d like to make this recipe meatless, I would recommend a tofu crumble or white beans such as chickpeas. I have not tried a meatless version, so if you make it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Mealtime conversation starters
By having more meaningful conversations, you can develop deeper, more satisfying relationships. Start your next conversation with this question:
What is something you heard recently that stopped you in your tracks and made you want to do a little party dance?
Greek Chicken Bowl with Tzatziki
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Equipment
- whisk or fork
Ingredients
Salad Base
- 4 cups romaine lettuce torn, optional: any greens you like
- 16 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red pepper chopped
- ½ cup cucumber chopped (or any other fresh vegetables you like)
- ¼ cup red onion chopped
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup tzatziki
Chicken
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil for frying
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 medium yellow onion minced or crushed
Sauce
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1½ tsp corn starch
Instructions
Prepped Base
- If you are making your own tzatziki, start with that. The flavor is always better when the herbs have time to sit in the yogurt.
- Chop lettuce and vegetables in advance.
Seasoned Chicken
- Whisk together your sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a saute pan on medium, then brown the chicken with the garlic and onion.
- If you want to add cooked veggies, add them when the chicken is about ⅔ cooked. That way the veggies will keep their crunch.
- Turn down the heat to low. Pour in the sauce (whisk with a fork as you pour to keep the cornstarch mixed in. Stir until thickened and remove from the heat.
Bowl Assembly (per bowl)
- ~1 cup salad
- ½ cup of chicken
- 1 tbsp feta, crumbled
- 2 tbsp tzatziki, for garnish/dressing
- Squirt of lemon juice (optional)
Video
Notes
Hand Size Portions
Hand Portions
Some handy advice: You can use your hands to practice calorie control without weighing and measuring.
Using hand position size is an alternative way to decide how much to eat visually. It gives you a way to quickly estimate what's on your plate, using the size of your hand as an alternative to counting macros (which generally has you weighing and reading nutrition labels to count protein, carbohydrates, and fat).
To learn more, read How to Get Started with Hand Portion Sizes.
Health Ninja Jeanette Marcotte is a health coach and professional geologist, who is obsessed with helping fellow professional women and couples reclaim their time and energy by building healthy choices into their daily lives.
When she is not coaching or looking at rocks, you can find her hanging out in her garden, collecting new hobbies, and/or reading far too many books at once.
Find other articles written by Jeanette on her coach profile. Hang around for mindset strategies and micro-habits that will transform your health & confidence so that you feel like a Health Ninja, too!
Always enjoy your recipes and your commentary! Protein bowls for an easy win!
Hurray! Hope the fam-jam likes these as much as the burgers 😉