We all know how much I love Greek Food, as much as I love Bowl food. These Greek Chicken Bowls ticked both of those boxes and then some. Oven roasted vegetables, marinated, tender grilled chicken, a tangy tomato, fetta & mint salad, fresh, homemade Tzatziki, healthy and nutty buckwheat and a sharp, sweet onion pickle. It may sound like a lot of work but believe me, Greek Chicken Bowls will be on my rotation, all year round. It really is a matter of throwing the ingredients together and as I served it more as a warm salad, everything can be made ahead. It would also make a sensational ‘help yourself’ platter in the centre of the table with a big pile of chargrilled flatbreads.
I have set the recipe out to reflect each element of the Greek Chicken Bowls and apart from the Tzatziki, it is all open for interpretation. Use what you have or what you can get, for example, if you can’t get a yellow capsicum, by all means use green. If you are not a fan of onion pickle, leave it out (to your detriment but I forgive you). If you can’t find dill, use parsley. These were the ingredients I had on hand but I also understand that not everything is available, all the time.
Prep time: 40 Minutes
Cooking time: 40 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 4 (could easily serve a crowd, just double the recipe)
Ingredients for the Greek Chicken Bowls:
600gm of boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets
2 tbs of olive oil
1 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 a tsp of chilli flakes
4 sprigs of oregano, leaves removed and stalks discarded
6 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and stalks discarded
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt & Pepper
1 cup of buckwheat, cooked to packet instructions (quinoa, cous cous or brown rice would be equally good)
1/2 a cup of toasted, sliced almonds
12 kalamata olives
Micro herbs or chopped dill or parsley for garnish
For the Roast Vegetables:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 2-3cm chunks
2 zucchini, cut into thick rounds
1 small yellow capsicum, cut into chunks
1 small red capsicum, cut into chunks
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Sea salt & Pepper
For the Tomato Salad:
A punnet each of red & yellow grape tomatoes, halved
100gm of fetta, crumbled
1 tbs of chopped mint
Sea salt & Pepper
For the Tzatziki:
1 large lebanese cucumber, grated (squeeze out the excess water by wrapping the grated zucchini in absorbant paper or a chux)
1 1/2 cups of good greek yoghurt
1 small clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbs of chopped fresh dill
For the Onion Pickle:
1 small red onion, sliced
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs of red wine vinegar
Sea salt & pepper
To prepare the chicken, place the olive oil, dried and fresh herbs, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a shallow tray and use a fork to combine. Place the thigh fillets in the tray and use a pair of tongs or your hands to really coat the chicken in the marinade. place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but the longer the better. Once the chicken is marinated, heat a griddle pan or BBQ to a nice high heat and cook for about 6 minutes either side until golden. Place on a lined tray in the oven for about 10 -15 minutes to ensure an even cook.
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large grill tray with baking paper. Scatter over the eggplant, zucchini & capsicum, drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. bake for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are caramelised and slightly charred.
Place the red onion, olive oil & red wine vinegar in a bowl and season. Toss to combine and allow the onion to marinate while the vegetables and chicken are cooking, tossing periodically so they pickle evenly. The onions should go a nice, bright pink colour.
For the tomato salad, place all ingredients in a small bowl and toss to combine.
To make the tzatziki, place the grated & drained cucumber in a bowl with the garlic, lemon, dill, salt & pepper. Stir well to combine.
To serve the Greek chicken bowls, divide the buckwheat between four bowls. Slice the chicken thighs onto 2cm thick pieces and pile next to the buckwheat. Divide the roasted vegetables & tomato salad and top with a generous dollop of tzatziki, then top with a few olives, the onion pickle, a smattering of herbs and the toasted almonds. Spoon over any chicken juices left over in the tray for added flavour and moisture with a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve.
If you are like me and absolutely love this kind of Bowl Food eating, you will love these Vietnamese Beef Noodle Bowls