Chipotle Burrito Bowls are one of my favorite “out and about treats”, but when I’m home and craving something similar with a Mediterranean spin — healthy and vibrant Mediterranean Chicken and Chickpea Bowls are totally checking the box! Think Greek Salad, meets Greek Chicken, meets yellow rice (because YUM) to create a healthy, beautiful, and totally filling bowl meal that’s easy to make right at home.
Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
Fluffy yellow rice is topped with roasted chicken and chickpeas that have been marinated in a Greek-inspired vinaigrette, plus the freshest components of a classic Greek Salad: cucumber, red onion, and tomato. Lastly, an intensely garlicky sauce that I borrowed from my Chicken Shawarma Fries with Mediterranean Salsa is drizzled on top. Together these ingredients create a dazzling bowl of flavor, color, and deliciousness. What are we waiting for, let’s get cooking!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by mixing up the lemon dressing that’s used as both the chicken and chickpea marinade. In small bowl or mason jar, whisk or shake up fresh lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, dried oregano, a little bit of Dijon mustard, a couple minced garlic cloves, and extra virgin olive oil.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade then add to a bowl with a 15oz can chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) that has been drained and rinsed, then lightly season with more salt and pepper.
Pour the rest of the marinade into a large Ziplock bag with 1lb chicken breasts, more salt and pepper, then place both the chickpeas and chicken into the fridge to marinate while you prep the rest of the dish.
Next blend up the garlic sauce that gets drizzled on top of the bowls – I am so obsessed with this sauce! It’s just mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, garlic cloves, and salt blended until smooth. You can make this sauce up to a couple days ahead of time, FYI.
Next up is the yellow rice which gets it’s lovely hue from turmeric. Turmeric has been used medicinally for thousands of years and not only has anti-inflammatory benefits, but can also help lower bad levels of cholesterol (among many other benefits.) It’s difficult to describe turmeric’s flavor – warm is the first word that comes to mind – though it gives this rice an almost buttery taste. I love it!
To make the yellow rice, add chopped shallots or onion to extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat then season with salt and saute until the shallots are tender, 2 minutes. Add minced garlic then saute for 30 seconds, and then add turmeric and saute for another 30 seconds.
Lastly, add long grain white rice like basmati or jasmine then stir to coat and toast until the rice is fragrant, about a minute. Pour in chicken broth then turn the heat up to bring to a boil, place a lid on top, and turn the heat down to low so the broth is barely at a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing the rice.
Finally, roast the marinated chicken breasts. Remove the chicken from the marinade then place onto a foil-lined, nonstick-sprayed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until cooked through, then chop once the chicken is cool enough to handle. This is another step you could do a day ahead of time. You could absolutely saute or grill the chicken instead, but roasting it produces the most tender and juicy chicken, plus it’s easy and hands-off. Pop it in the oven, set a timer, and forget about it!
Last stop – assemble! Scoop the yellow rice into bowls then top with the marinated chickpeas and chopped chicken, plus sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, and lots of creamy garlic sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if you please, then devour! I hope you love these healthy and vibrant Mediterranean Chicken and Chickpea Bowls with Yellow Rice as much as I do!
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