Our Tzatziki chicken bowls feature juicy chicken thighs served with tzatziki sauce, toasted pita, tomatoes, and olives. The chicken is tender and aromatic, marinated in extra virgin olive oil, mustard, lemon, and fresh herbs. This meal is simple to prepare and can be a quick dinner, lunch, or the star of your Sunday barbecue.
If you love our Tzatziki Chicken Bowls you will also love this Lamb Burger Bowl, Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice ,or Chicken Chops!
Why you will love tzatziki chicken bowls
Here is what you need
- Chicken— Thighs, skinless, and boneless are my favorites. I find them juicy and less prone to drying out. If you prefer using chicken breasts, cut them into bite-size pieces before marinating.
- Extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper
for the marinade
- Mustard— I love Dijon because it is spicy and has great flavor, but any mustard will do great.
- Lemon— Juiced and zested, adds a bright, fresh note.
- Honey— Apart from the slight sweetness, honey caramelizes and gives a nice char to the chicken.
- Fresh herbs— Use the leaves from 2-3 sprigs of fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary. If fresh herbs are unavailable, use dried oregano or thyme.
for serving
- Tzatziki sauce— This tasty yogurt sauce adds aroma and zingy flavor to this chicken bowl.
- Greek pita bread— I love homemade Greek pita bread, it never disappoints. Naan bread is also great to use.
- Olives— Classic Greek Kalamata olives or the ones of your preference.
- Onion— Thinly sliced onion is a fresh, zingy note to the chicken.
- Tomatoes— Whether you choose cherry or regular size, you’ll get juicy, ripe, flavorful tomatoes. When they are out of season, I love using Campari tomatoes.
How to make our Greek chicken bowls
STEP 1 Make the tzatziki sauce the day before or two hours ahead and refrigerate until serving.
Use our fantastic tzatziki recipe to make it. Mix Greek yogurt, olive oil, cucumber, dill and of course garlic to create this fabulous sauce/dip.
STEP 2 Add all the marinade ingredients and plenty of freshly ground pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
STEP 3 Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Mix well and marinate chicken from 15 minutes to an hour.
STEP 4 Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add three to four chicken pieces when the oil is hot but not burning. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until juices run clean. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter and cover with aluminum foil, while you finish cooking the rest.
Season the chicken to taste with sea salt as it comes out of the pan and on the platter.
STEP 5 While the chicken is cooking cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the onion.
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F
Brush a bit of olive oil on each side of the pitas, place them on a baking sheet, and warm them in the oven while the chicken cooks.
When chicken is ready, serve 2-3 pieces in bowls with toasted cut-up pitas, tomatoes, olives, and a generous amount of tzatziki sauce. Drizzle some olive oil and scatter some dried oregano or fresh herb leaves on top, then serve.
What to serve with tzatziki chicken bowls
- Fried crispy zucchini and eggplant.
- Country fries.
- Spicy whipped feta-tirokafteri.
- Marinated olives with feta. Swap the olives in this recipe for these.
More traditional Greek recipe ideas
Tzatziki chicken bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs skinless and boneless
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Marinade ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for cooking
- ¼ Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary only the leaves and soft parts
For serving
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce
- 4 Greek pita breads toasted
- ½ red onion
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup olives
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- dried oregano or any fresh herb available, such as basil, thyme, oregano, etc.
Instructions
- Make the tzatziki a couple of hours ahead or the previous day.
Marinate
- Add all the marinade ingredients and plenty of freshly ground pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Mix well and marinate chicken from 15 minutes to an hour.
Cook chicken in batches
- Place a skillet over medium hight heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot but not burning, add three to four chicken pieces.Cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until juices run clean.Transfer chicken pieces to a platter and cover with aluminum foil, while you finish cooking the rest.Season the chicken to taste with sea salt as it comes out of the pan and on the platter.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F
- While the chicken is cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the onion. Season with sea salt.
- Brush a bit of olive oil on each side of the pitas, place them on a baking sheet, and warm them in the oven while the chicken cooks.
Serve
- When the chicken is ready, place 2-3 pieces in bowls with cut-up pitas, tomatoes, olives, and a generous dollop of tzatziki sauce. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and scatter some dried oregano or fresh herb leaves on top, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I love the added mustard in this Greek marinade. And thank you for calling for thighs in this recipe. I can’t stand eating chicken breast! LOL!
I love this Greek chicken bowl! I made it earlier for dinner. It is so easy to prepare and turned out delicious. It is my go-to choice for a tasty meal.
One of the most delicious chicken recipes I’ve ever made. My husband loved this dish. The marinated chicken was juicy and perfectly paired with the creamy tzatziki and fresh veggies. Pure deliciousness. Thanks for this recipe, I’ll be making it over and over! 🙂
Who needs to find a greek restaurant when you can make this at home. We really loved it and will make it for dinner again soon!
Ha! Thank you so much Mikayla!