This rice bowl is packed with hearty grains, crisp vegetables and lean protein! The Greek marinade also doubles as a dressing, making it easy to make!
Perfect for meal prep, make ahead lunches, or a wholesome dinner, this is a rice bowl that packs some serious Greek flavors! ย Rice, lean chicken thighs, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, Feta cheese, red onion and hummus… plus a Greek marinade for the chicken that doubles as a dressing!
This delicious post is sponsored by Minute Ready to Serve Family Bowls.
Do you guys struggle with what to make for lunch? ย I do!ย Leftovers are always in our fridge, but most of the time, I’m not feeling like eating the same thing for lunch that we just had for dinner the night before. ย Sound familiar?
If you’re not a meal prepper, no worries, this rice bowl comes together in about 20 minutes (even less if you’ve chopped things ahead of time), so you can easily make it and enjoy it in half an hour.
Usually, rice takes a while to cook (sometimes even longer than the whole cook time for this meal!), which is why on a busy weeknight, I usually forgo rice at all.
That’s all changed now! ย Minuteยฎ Ready to Serve Family Bowls are SO convenient! ย They contain no preservatives, are gluten free, and also come in a 100% brown rice variety. ย I love how easy they are to make… just remove the film, and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. ย Seriously simple, which is exactly what busy families need!
Rice bowls are such a fun idea for a weeknight dinner (or lunch!), because each family member can choose what they want in their bowl.
I mentioned how quickly this meal comes together, but the other part I love is that cleanup is a breeze! ย Since the Minute family bowls cook in their own container, the only dish you really need to wash is the skillet where you cook your chicken. ย Isn’t that the best?!
Plus, you can easily prep some of this meal ahead of time, which means it will take 10 minutes to cook this meal!
Prep Ahead Tips:
- Slice up cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and olives ahead of time, and keep refrigerated in airtight containers (I like to use a separate container for each veggie type, so they don’t get mushy)
- Make the marinade/dressing ahead of time and keep chicken marinating (with reserved dressing in an airtight container)
- If making your own hummus (this one is my favorite!), make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator
The next crazy weeknight, instead of reaching for the takeout menus, whip up this Greek Chicken Rice Bowl instead…. it’s wholesome, hearty, plus, it’s EASY thanks to Minute Ready to Serve Family Bowls!
If you’re into the meal prep thing, check out the recipe notes section below for my tips!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
GREEK MARINADE/DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice of 1-2 lemons)
- 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp minced garlic (or garlic paste)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
RICE BOWL:
- 8-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (can also use chicken breasts)
- 2 cups chopped seedless cucumbers
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese optional but recommended
- hummus (we love roasted garlic flavor)
- 2 cups cooked white rice
Instructions
PREPARE DRESSING:
- To a small mixing bowl, add dressing ingredients and whisk to combine well. Save 1/2 of the dressing (about 1/4 cup) in an airtight container to use later as a dressing.
RICE BOWL:
- Add remainder of dressing to a large resealable plastic bag with chicken thighs. Close bag and massage marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate for several hours if desired.
- Heat a large skillet over MED-HIGH heat and drizzle a bit of olive oil into the skillet. Pat chicken thighs with a paper towel to remove excess marinade and cook chicken, about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.
- Remove chicken to a plate to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Chop cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and olives and set aside.
- Microwave rice bowls according to package directions and divide evenly among 4 bowls.
- To each bowl, add some of the feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and olives. Add a dollop of hummus to the bowls and add 2-3 chicken thighs per bowl.
- Serve with whole grain pita or flatbread if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Prepare recipe as directed.
- Line up containers and assemble bowl with rice on the bottom, then chicken thighs and cucumber, tomato, onion and olives. ย
- Place a portion of feta cheese, hummus and Greek dressing into 3 separate small condiment containers with lids.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Amy says
This was absolutely fantastic! All the textures and flavors were delightful! And, that marinate!!! Thank you for doing all the work to develop such a delicious dish!! Everyone loved it.ย
Grace says
I make mine with cauliflower rice. It is delicious, super healthy, and low cal. I believe it is between 280-320 calories. I don’t put the humus.
Kelly says
This is one of my favorite recipes. Its healthy and easy to make. It’s always a hit when I serve it and I use the marinade for other recipes as well. I wish I could give more stars!
Melis says
The marinade! Got a thumbs up by all. ย I didn’t have chicken thighs so I substituted with chicken tenders. ย We added fresh spinach and chopped kale to create more of a salad along with some chopped bell peppers. ย Delish! ย This recipe is a keeper!
Melissa says
We loved this! ย Any suggestions for converting the meat to a slow cooker recipe? ย Love the idea of having this all ready to go on a hectic evening!
The Chunky Chef says
Without further recipe testing, I can’t say for certain, but I do have recipes like that in the works for this year!
Stella says
This was so good! ๐ I didnโt use rice. Put it all in a flatbread pita and was fantastic! ย Great marinade!
Robin sherman says
Love this recipe. 5 stars for sure.ย
Jessica says
I have a child who is apposed to eating chicken. I think Iโll make this with shrimp.
Sarah says
Do you happen to have the calorie per meal prep container?
The Chunky Chef says
As Iโm not a nutritionist, I donโt provide full nutritional information for my recipes (donโt want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
Cassie says
Ok this was SO good!!!!! All the delicious Greek flavours I have been craving in one dish! I will be dreaming about this meal for weeks! Thanks for the recipe!ย
Mindi says
If I want to substitute brown rice, how much rice, cooked, should I use per bowlย
The Chunky Chef says
It completely depends on how much you want ๐
Crissy says
Mmmm! So good, I love Mediterranean food. Loved the rice, hummus, and cucumber tomato salad. The recipe doesn’t state what to do with the other half of dressing but my guess was to add it to the salad. Great marinade/dressing! Will make again!
Jane says
Made this last night. My husband rolled his eyes when I told him I was making another chicken bowl dinner. We eat a lot of chicken burrito bowls and Asian chicken bowls around here. ๐ Thankfully he loved this one! ย He said the marinade really made this great. Thank you for the recipe!
Tracy says
This looks amazing! Do you have the recipe for the hummus? Following weight watchers and this is a must to make!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Tracy ๐ This is my favorite homemade hummus https://www.thechunkychef.com/easy-roasted-garlic-hummus/ For store-bought I like the boars head brand ๐
Niki says
How do you set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade/dressing for a later use when it only makes about 1/2 cup?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Niki. My apologies, it should read “set aside 1/2 of the marinade for later”, not 1/2 cup. I’m amending the recipe now ๐
Niki says
Thank you!! That’s what I ended up doing anyway. This was absolutely delicious by the way. My family and I loved it!
Lauren Hall says
I have lunch like you do ? But I also really want this on my lunch table today
Cathy Trochelman says
I want to DEVOUR THIS! Seriously it looks amazing!
Dee says
This is my kind of lunch, ad I love how easy it is!
Sandi G says
I love how easy it looks. Rice that is already cooked is a huge time saver
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I am loving your prep ahead tips! These rice bowls are so easy and convenient!
Jen says
This bowl has my name written all over it! I’m obsessed with greek flavors and this looks so easy to make!