This is the bowl I make on Sunday so I have lunches for the week. Marinated chicken, yellow rice, cucumber-tomato salad, a big spoon of hummus, tzatziki, olives, feta. Nothing fancy. Everything comes together in about 35 minutes if you have the chicken marinating already.
What you need
For the chicken — two pounds of boneless chicken breast cut into cubes, a quarter cup of olive oil, three tablespoons of lemon juice, the zest of one lemon, four cloves of garlic minced, a tablespoon of dried oregano, two teaspoons of paprika, a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of black pepper.
For the rice — two cups of basmati, four cups of chicken broth, half a teaspoon of turmeric, a pinch of saffron threads if you have them (skip if not, just add a bit more turmeric for color), two tablespoons of butter, a teaspoon of salt.
For the cucumber-tomato salad — two cups of diced cucumber, two cups of halved cherry tomatoes, half a red onion diced, a quarter cup of parsley, two tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
For the tzatziki — a cup of Greek yogurt, half a cup of grated cucumber (squeezed dry, this is important), two cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoons of dill, salt.
To finish — a cup of good hummus, half a cup of kalamata olives, three-quarters of a cup of crumbled feta, lemon wedges, warm pita.
How I make it
Mix the chicken marinade in a bowl, add the cubes, toss them to coat. Let them sit at least 15 minutes (overnight is even better if you can plan ahead).
Rinse the rice. Toast it in the butter for a minute in a pot. Add the broth, turmeric, saffron, salt. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer for 18 minutes, then let it rest covered for another five. Fluff it.
While the rice cooks, get a skillet hot. Cook the chicken cubes about four minutes per side until they’re golden and cooked through. Let them rest a few minutes.
Toss the cucumber-tomato salad together.
For the tzatziki, just stir everything in a bowl.
Build the bowls: rice on the bottom, chicken on top, the salad on one side, a scoop of hummus, a drizzle of tzatziki, olives, crumbled feta. Lemon wedge on the side. Warm pita to scoop everything up with.
A few notes
If you’re meal-prepping (which is the whole point for me), keep everything in separate containers and assemble the morning of. The salad and tzatziki should stay cold; the rice and chicken can be reheated.
Chicken thighs work too and stay juicier — cook them about a minute longer per side.
For a vegetarian version, skip the chicken and use chickpeas instead. Roast them with the same spice mix at 425 for 20 minutes.
