Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Published Mar 15, 2020•Updated May 14, 2026
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Chicken Quinoa Bowls are fresh and flavorful Mediterranean-inspired bowls with quinoa, marinated chicken and a fresh cucumber-tomato salad. Packed with protein, and great for meal prep, I love to set everything out and let everyone assemble their own bowls.
Bowl meals are the best meals. Especially when you have kids or different dietary preferences around your table. This one is a tried-and-true, perfect for summer, and works for nearly anyone who might come by for dinner. At its heart is grain and delicious chicken, making it a grain bowl variation of my Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma.
Here’s what goes into these bowls:
- quinoa
- marinated chicken
- hummus
- cucumber tomato salad
- tzatziki yogurt sauce
Ingredients for Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Lemon-Oregano Chicken – Use chicken tenderloins which come in small thin strips that don’t require any prep or slice chicken breast into strips. Marinate them in olive oil, lemon juice, and dried oregano for amazing, fresh Mediterranean flavor.
- Quinoa – Although I like quinoa in these bowls, any cooked grain will work here. These are great with brown rice, Farro, barley, pasta, or couscous.
- Tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes are prevalent and pretty darn good year round, so use those unless you can get your hands on some really good, in season larger tomatoes.
- Cucumbers – Chop them to combine with tomatoes for an easy, fresh salad, but save a small amount to grate and put in the tzatziki. I love to use the mini cucumbers that aren’t as watery as the larger versions and usually don’t contain any seeds.
- Tzatziki – This is a yogurt-based dip with cucumbers, garlic, and lemon juice. See below for my go-to recipe.
- Pita Bread and Hummus – These are great to serve with the bowls if you want, but not necessary.
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How to Make Tzatziki
Tzatziki is a tangy, fresh yogurt-based sauce with lemon that is great with pita bread, as a salad dressing, topping for grilled chicken, or for dipping vegetables. To make it, grate ¼ cup of cucumbers onto a paper towel or clean kitchen towel and then squeeze gently to remove as much moisture as possible from the cucumbers. Whisk together grated cucumber, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and add some more lemon juice if you’d like. You can use store-bought of course too!
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Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Equipment
- Skillet
- Box Grater
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Lemon Oregano Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds Chicken Breast Tenders (sub boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips)
- Juice from 2 Lemons
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper
Tzatziki
- 1/4 cup Grated Cucumber (use the small holes of a box grater for this)
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 clove Garlic, diced
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
To Finish the Bowls
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups Stock
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 8 ounces Cucumbers, chopped
- 8 ounces Tomatoes, chopped (I like to use halved cherry or grape tomatoes)
- 2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
- Fresh Dill, chopped (optional)
- Hummus, for serving (optional)
- Pita Bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- Combine chicken with lemon juice, ¼ cup oil, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
Make Tzatziki
- Grate the cucumber onto a paper towel and then squeeze gently to remove as much moisture as possible from the cucumbers.
- Whisk together cucumber, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice.
- Season with a pinch of salt.
Make cucumber, tomato salad
- Combine chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and red wine vinegar.
- Season with a pinch of salt.
- Add some fresh dill, if you’d like.
Make Quinoa
- Combine quinoa, stock, and salt in a saucepan.
- Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- When liquid is boiling, lower heat to low-medium and cover.
- Cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
- When quinoa is done, fluff it with a fork.
Assemble Bowls
- Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade).
- Heat a skillet with 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add chicken and sear on both sides until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
- Set out all of the ingredients for the bowls – chicken, tzatziki, cucumber-tomato salad, quinoa, hummus, and tzatziki.
- Assemble the bowls however you’d like at the table!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nice
Hello Jess
What a lovely message to read midst recipe all the way from USA – I’m in Scotland.
You made me smile in spite of uncertainties all around at present as I had just finished making some homemade moisturiser and a couple of aromatherapy calming candles!
These are indeed momentous times and we can only hope that changes for good will happen as people truly support each other around the globe.
Best wishes to you and your family, stay safe and well.
Karen
Karen – Thank you so much for your kind note. This made me smile as well – and we certainly all need more of that. What a wonderful idea to make moisturizer and aromatherapy candles. That sounds so soothing and useful!