Okay, I don’t know how to say it without being extremely braggy, but this recipe will be the best thing you’ve eaten in a while. It’s healthy meal prep friendly Mediterranean chicken bowls with tzatziki, salad, and olives and it’s gluten-free, low-carb and high-protein. Yes, low-carb. But if you’re not on a low carb diet – you can eat this with bread, quinoa, potatoes or rice – anything you want.
This healthy dinner takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and you can meal prep most of it on Sunday, so you have food for the rest of the week.
This has been a go-to meal for me for many, many years. For as long as I can remember.
In the past, I’ve always eaten these Mediterranean Bowls with a side of, well, a lot of BREAD, but lately, I started skipping the bread. And surprisingly – it’s still good and it keeps me full.
Exactly Where Are You From?
Honestly, the Mediterranean is quite big, with quite a few countries and they all have different flavors.
If you want to get really dorky and educated about Mediterranean flavors, I really liked this table. If you don’t just trust me and make this thing for dinner.
Now, if I had to point to a country where this particular bowl comes from – it’d be Greece / Turkey.
But maybe I’ll send its saliva sample to 23andme just in case to do a DNA test and be really sure.
What To Use In Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
- Cooked chicken. You can use grilled, baked or sauteed chicken.
- Fresh vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic and onions, no need to overcomplicate.
- Greek yogurt. I used full-fat and have absolutely no regrets.
- Olives. I used Kalamata olives, pits in, but any kind will work in this dish.
- Roasted vegetables. Originally, I used a roasted spicy pepper, don’t think it was jalapeno – not a big pepper expert here – but it was really good. You can also grill other vegetables and use on the side. Zucchini, eggplant, carrot – they will all work well in this bowl.
How To Make Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
1. Saute / cook the chicken. I know I will make quite a few people spit on me right now, but I don’t actually marinate chicken. I know, I’m a failure. But what can you do when it’s time to eat and you’ve forgotten to put your chicken in marinade 3 years ago? You give yourself a beat-up, you whine for a little bit, but you’re still hungry, so you just rub that chicken with spices and herbs and see that it also works and you’re still alive after eating non-marinated chicken.
2. Make this salad, but use onions instead of garlic.
3. Invest some skills in making Tzatziki. The first thing you have to do is buy a cow. Then milk that cow. Then add some bacteria to that milk, preferably not Salmonella or E.coli. Let it sit for a few days until the milk gets sour. Then let a fairy add some Greek spit to that sour milk and you’ve got yourself Greek yogurt. Good, now that you made Greek yogurt, time to mince a garlic clove, or two, depending on how much you’d want people to admire you that day. Then you chop a cucumber and if you like dill – dill. If you don’t like dill – well, don’t add it. Mix the garlic, the salmonella yogurt and the cucumber, add salt to taste and pat yourself on the back if you’re that flexible. You successfully made Tzatziki.
4. Add olives. Go to an olive tree, pick up some olives, add a ton of salt to them, let them sit and then add them to this bowl.
As you can see, these Mediterranean chicken bowls take only a few years to make and it’s totally worth it.
Meal Prep Option
To meal prep this Mediterranean Chicken Bowls recipe, simply prepare the chicken and tzatziki and keep them in separate containers (or compartments).
You can also use whole cherry tomatoes and a roughly chopped cucumber on the side if you decide you’d also like to make the salad ahead.
I like to eat the chicken warm and everything else cold – so I keep each part separate. But if you don’t mind eating cold chicken, keeping everything in one container might work for you.
Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
30-minute Mediterranean Chicken Bowls with tzatziki, salad and olives - high-protein, meal prep friendly and delicious! This is a healthy dinner that is full of flavor, easy to make and even easier to eat! This recipe is low carb and gluten-free, but if you're not on a special diet you can also serve this with bread, rice or quinoa!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1lb / 500g chicken, skinless, boneless thighs or breast
- 1tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and black pepper
Tzatziki
- 1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt to taste
- 1 small cucumber, thinly chopped
Additionally
- 4 roasted jalapenos or another hot pepper
- 1 lemon
- tomato cucumber salad
- 1/2 cup olives
Instructions
- Slice the chicken in bite-sized pieces, roll it in the herbs and spices (oregano, black pepper, cumin, coriander / sometimes I use 1 tsp curry powder and crushed red pepper;) add 1 tsp minced garlic, and roll it some more. Saute in a pan with some olive oil at medium/medium-high until done. You can also grill or bake the chicken and then slice it in pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the tomato cucumber salad, I used onion and no garlic.
- Tzatziki making: In a small bowl, stir the Greek yogurt + 1-2 cloves of minced garlic and thinly chopped cucumber. Add salt to taste.
- Arrange the bowl: Salad, chicken, olives, roasted vegetables and tzatziki on top.
- Serve with a slice of lemon and squeeze it over the bowl if you like food that tastes like lemon. I forgot to use lemon here, but I survived; it was still unbelievably good.
Notes
To meal prep this, follow the instructions under the Meal Prep Option section.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 470Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 157mgSodium 495mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 54g
You Might Also Like:
- Mediterranean Beef & Rice
- Mediterranean Chicken Skillet
- Greek Chicken Wraps
- Greek Meatball Bowls
- Mediterranean Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Originally published in August 2019, last updated with new photos and tips in July 2026.