Mediterraean Chicken Bowls

                I was so proud of my lunch this week! I love mediterranean food, but don’t often make it because I’m usually looking for easy/boring options that won’t take long.

                Well, this week I decided to put in the effort, and it was super delicious!

                The key is in the planning.

                I set my chicken to marinate before leaving to run errands, and when I came back all I had to do was grill it and chop all the vegetables for the tabouleh salad. It comes together super easily and it’s so very flavorful!

                I did go overboard with the olive oil, so it was higher in calories than I anticipated. Next time I’ll lean more on the lemon and spices and use the olive oil sparingly. There are already so many other flavors, so I don’t think it’ll change the recipe entirely.

                Sometimes I paired this meal with half a pita, or I’d add in a handful of arugula and make it more of a salad.

Mediterranean Chicken Bowls

Ingredients

For the chicken

1 pound of chicken breast (about two cutlets)

½ cup of Olive oil

Juice of 3 lemons

2 tsp of Salt

2 tsp of Oregano

2 tsp of onion powder

2 tsp of Italian seasoning

1 ½ tsp of chili powder

1 ½ tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of dried basil

For the tabouleh

1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 cup of chopped cucumber

1 ½ cups of chopped tomato

½ cup of chopped green onion

¾ cups of cooked quinoa (1/4 cup uncooked)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 ½ tsp of salt

1 ½ tsp of black pepper

1 ½ tsp of chili powder

½ cup of olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

For the chicken

1.       In a large bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.

2.       Add chicken breasts, making sure to coat all sides.

3.       Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 3 – 4 hours.

4.       Remove chicken from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking.

5.       Heat a stainless-steel pan to medium/high and coat with oil.

6.       Add chicken and cook for 5 - 6 minutes per side.

7.       Once chicken is cooked through, remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil to rest.

8.       Chop into four equal portions. Set aside.

For the tabouleh

1.       Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool.

2.       Wash and finely chop all vegetables. You want small pieces.

3.       In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and spices.

4.       In a large bowl, toss together parsley, mint, cucumber, tomato, green onion, and quinoa.

5.       Once vegetables are thoroughly mixed, add the olive oil/spice mixture and toss until thoroughly coated.

6.       Serve with hummus and pita or add arugula to make a salad instead.

Enjoy!