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An easy dinner recipe all in one pan, these Mediterranean chicken quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, and perfect for meal prep – all ready in about 30 minutes. Seasoned chicken breast and quinoa pairs with cucumbers, tomatoes, and a lemon vinaigrette dressing that ties it all together.
A Quick Look: Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Prep time: 15 minutes of prep, with about 20 minutes of cooking. Overall roughly a 30 minute meal. If you want it even faster, I give a 10 minute shortcut idea!
- Servings: Makes 4 large servings.
- Main ingredients: Chicken breast, quinoa, broth, olive oil, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and Mediterranean seasoning.
- When to serve: Serve this for when you want an easy one pan dinner with minimal clean up. A great meal prep recipe!
- Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean diet, gluten free diet, and dairy free diet with edits. It’s not HYH diet compliant as written, but edits are given within the variations section.
- Why you’ll love it: Light, bright, and filling without being heavy, these Mediterranean chicken bowls are incredibly tasty with the lemon dressing. Because all the ingredients store really well, or can be separated, you can easily meal prep this recipe for dinner or lunch for the week ahead.
I always find chicken protein bowl recipes to be one of the easiest things I can throw together for a quick weeknight meal, so this one checks all my boxes for a well-rounded meal with an easy combination of protein, fiber, and vegetables.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Below are a few of the main ingredients to help you with grocery shopping and why they’re used. For the full recipe with amounts, click the jump to recipe button above.
- Chicken breast – Boneless, skinless chicken breast was used in recipe testing, but this would also be great with boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a little more flavor. You can purchase as thin-sliced chicken breasts, or simply slice the chicken breasts in half to cut down the cooking time. If given the option, air-chilled chicken tends to give a more golden brown sear and better flavor, due to being processed through air chambers instead of a solution that soaks up more moisture.
- Seasoning – A good all purpose seasoning blend, Mediterranean seasoning blend like Harmony, or Italian blend will work. If you don’t have this on hand, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and garlic powder each, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Quinoa – I used the Tri-color quinoa from Trader Joe’s because I love the variety and more earthy flavor, but use any type of quinoa you like for this recipe. It is ideal to rinse quinoa before using to remove saponin, a natural, but bitter, coating on the seeds that protects them from pests. Boxed quinoa can sometimes be pre-rinsed, but if you find quinoa to be bitter, you can use a fine mesh strainer to give it an extra rinse.
- Broth – Use chicken broth or vegetable broth, which will add a great depth of flavor to the quinoa without having to add much seasoning. I like to use Bonafide or my rotisserie chicken broth.
- Toppings – I stuck with basic Mediterranean toppings like cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese, but these are easy to substitute with whatever fits your taste. See more suggestions below.
- Dressing – The vinaigrette packs a lot of the flavor and you should have some leftover that you can use for future salads. It’s a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, dijon mustard, oregano, parsley and basil. I use dried herbs for these to make it fast and easy, but fresh would be wonderful here – just double the amounts. Also, fresh lemon juice makes a huge difference in flavor over bottled juice.
Variations
- Toppings – Roasted red peppers, zucchini, olives, red onion, arugula or any kind of green would pair well with this recipe. Feel free to edit the toppings to what works for you. Fresh mint or dill would also be a wonderful addition!
- Gluten free – This recipe is naturally gluten free, but you can also use brown rice or white rice as the base instead of quinoa, if desired. Cooking times will vary.
- Dairy free – Omit the feta cheese.
- HYH diet – Substitute the feta cheese with goat cheese, or omit it from the recipe. Also sub distilled white vinegar for the lemon juice. You can also substitute this Mediterranean salad dressing.
Want this meal in 10 minutes?
If you’re low on time, swap the chicken with rotisserie chicken, and use pre-cooked quinoa so all you have to do is make the dressing and cut the toppings for this chicken and quinoa recipe. This will cut down the meal prep time to just 10 minutes. While you could also use a store-bought Greek dressing, I always think homemade dressing makes the biggest difference in flavor!
How to Make Chicken and Quinoa Bowls
Step 1: Pat the thin-sliced chicken breasts dry on both sides, then season them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and all purpose or Mediterranean seasoning. Rub the seasoning into the chicken breasts.
Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large skillet with a lid (I like to use an enameled 3.5 quart cast iron skillet with a lid similar to this Lodge or a stainless steel pan) over medium high heat. Add chicken and sear 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and set them aside.
Step 3: To the same pan, add the quinoa, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, stir, and turn down the heat to a low simmer. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked through. It should be light and fluffy when you stir it!
Step 4: Meanwhile place all the ingredients for the dressing into a tall glass or container and use an immersion blender to blend it all together (you can also whisk it, but the immersion blender is quick and produces a creamy texture). Taste and adjust any seasonings. Note – it should be on the tart side, but will blend well with everything else.
Step 5: Divide the quinoa into 4 shallow bowls, add the chopped chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, and crumbled feta. Drizzle as much dressing as you like on top of each bowl. Top with fresh parsley.
Recipe Tip – Air Fryer Method
Air fry the chicken breasts at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes if you don’t want to use the same pan, or don’t have a pan with a cover to use for the quinoa.
Storage Information
This Mediterranean chicken quinoa bowl is perfect for meal prep as it stores incredibly well, especially if you keep the components separate.
- Refrigerator – The vinaigrette dressing will keep for up to one week, while the quinoa and chicken can be good for 3-5 days in an airtight container, stored in the refrigerator.
- Freezer – Freeze the chicken and quinoa for up to 4-5 months, and defrost overnight in the fridge. This can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. You will need to use fresh tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and dressing!
Serving Suggestions
This recipe really is a full meal in one with a protein, vegetables, and carbs making a well-rounded dinner or lunch. If you wanted to serve this for a larger family meal, you can pair it with artichoke hummus and pita or Mediterranean cucumber salad. Homemade sprite makes a wonderful drink too!
If you’re using the chicken and quinoa for lunches, consider wrapping it all in a lavash wrap or tortilla to mix it up.
Recipe FAQ
This is completely a personal decision, but rinsing the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer before cooking is the most common technique to remove the bitterness. Another method you could use is to lightly toast the quinoa in the olive oil before adding in the broth, especially since you’re using a larger pan already. You may find you like one version more than another!
In an effort to make this a quick 30 minute meal, thin-sliced chicken cooks much faster than a larger chicken breast. This can cut down on the cooking time by nearly 10 minutes. You can buy store-bought thin sliced chicken, or simply slice the chicken breast in half horizontally. Place your hand on top of the chicken breast to keep it steady.
Absolutely! This quinoa bowl would be so great with roasted chickpeas or halloumi as a vegetarian substitute for chicken.
More Protein Bowl Recipes
For more recipes like this chicken and quinoa bowl, you’ll love these easy chicken fajita bowls, salmon rice bowls, or my ground beef protein bowls. For all vegetarian, try this sweet potato bowl. And don’t miss many more Mediterranean diet recipes, like this baked halibut recipe!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts, sliced in half crosswise, or 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning or Mediterranean seasoning, see notes below
For the quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa, I used tri-color quinoa, rinsed recommended
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice, about 1 ½ lemons
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
For the bowls:
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 large, seedless cucumber, thinly sliced into half moons
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Dry the chicken breasts with a paper towel and place them on a large plate. Drizzle on the olive oil and season with the all purpose seasoning. Use your hands to rub the seasoning all over the chicken breasts.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Set the chicken aside on a cutting board. Once cooled, slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- In the same pan, add the quinoa, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir well with a wood spoon, and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid has absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, place all the dressing ingredients in a tall glass and use an immersion blender to blend until well blended. The dressing should be a little on the tart side, but will mix well with all the other ingredients. If needed, blend in a touch more honey.
- In four shallow bowls, divide the cooked quinoa, chopped chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, and feta chunks. Drizzle as much dressing as you’d like on top of each bowl. Toss with a fork, then top with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- 10 minute meal – Use rotisserie chicken and pre-cooked quinoa as a substitute for an even faster meal.
- All purpose seasoning – I used Harmony all purpose seasoning (or any all purpose seasoning you like) or Mediterranean seasoning, or you can use 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- An enameled cast iron pan with a lid in 3.5 quarts is what I used for cooking.
- Alternative cooking method – air fry the chicken breasts at 400F for 10-12 minutes.
- There should be leftover dressing – it can be stored in a glass jar and used for leftovers any time! Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What cheese can I substitute for the Feta? Thanks Alicia 💗
Hey! I’d recommend goat cheese! If you ever have sub questions I usually answer them under the substitutions or variations section of the blog post. 🙂
Quick, easy, and so full of flavor. Great for meal prep or an on the go dinner night. The whole family loved this meal.
I appreciate you! Thank you!
One of my favorite meals! Healthy and light I really liked the dressing and can’t wait for leftovers. Also thanks for the tips on making it faster with the rotisserie chicken.
Thank you!!