These Greek Chicken Bowls with Zucchini Noodles make a perfect no fail meal! A zippy cucumber and tomato Greek salad with zucchini noodles is served up topped with marinated Greek chicken. It's light, fresh and filling and suitable for Paleo + Low Carb + Gluten Free + Low Calorie diets.
Let me tell you! This Greek Chicken Bowl with Zucchini Noodles is a meal to get excited about! It's perfect for the grill in summer but also 100% adaptable to cooking inside in a grill pan. I love this indoor grill pan because it gives that tasty grill flavor on your stove.
I usually marinate my greek chicken overnight so the flavors really marry. You can also freeze the chicken and marinade in a plastic bag then thaw when you're ready to make it. It works like a charm and a great way to plan ahead!
Pair the grilled chicken with zucchini noodles and Greek salad. The meal is fresh and light, yet super filling. Let me know if you give it a whirl!
If you love chicken and zucchini recipes you've got to try this chicken piccata with zucchini noodles, my healthy chicken alfredo, and chicken cacciatore!
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Why You Will Love This Mediterranean Chicken Bowl
- Adaptable for Indoors or Outdoors. There's nothing quite like grilling in the summertime but I love that it works just as well inside when it's either too hot or too cold for the grill.
- Low Carb Greek Chicken Bowls. Zucchini noodles make the perfect low carb base for these bowls yet still manage to be a satisfying and delicious meal.
- Whole Food Ingredients: This dish combines easy to find ingredients and focuses on fresh vegetables, healthy fats, protein, and some seasonings.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: Use boneless and skinless breasts for less prep plus they're the healthiest option. If you prefer chicken thighs, they will work as well but make sure they are skinless and boneless too. They may require a slightly longer cooking time.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You will need just a bit for cooking the chicken and a quick vinaigrette for the salad. It also gives a unique flavor that I think works really well with the seasonings.
- Lemon juice: I highly recommend freshly squeezed for both the marinade and the salad. You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch but fresh tastes much better.
- Herbs: To keep things simple dried parsley and oregano make an easy way to spice the chicken and the oregano also seasons the vegetables.
- Garlic: The flavor of freshly minced garlic is best!
- Salad veggies: Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion make up the simple Greek salad for these bowls. Feel free to use heirloom or roma tomatoes instead.
- Red wine vinegar: Boosts the acidity of the dressing for the vegetables.
- Zucchini: Choose fresh medium sized zucchini for the best flavor. Their smaller size also makes them a bit easier to cut into spirals than large zucchini. I serve the zucchini raw in this meal as it adds a nice crunch to the meal! The warm chicken also softens it a bit.
Variations
- Rotisserie Chicken: If time is short and you need a simple solution, use shredded rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken to make this healthy chicken bowl instead.
- Swap the Chicken: This bowl will also work with shrimp or your favorite fish. Marinate it the same way and cook on the indoor or outdoor grill. These will likely cook in less time than the chicken so cook appropriately.
- Vegetarian: Instead of a chicken Mediterranean bowl, you can use marinate some chickpeas and skip the grill, or marinate some tofu instead that works great on the grill.
- Different Veggies: Feel free to swap the zucchini for another type of vegetable noodle or swap it for broccoli slaw.
How to Make Greek Chicken Bowls
Step 1: Make the marinade. Combine the the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together.
Step 2: Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl. Turn it around coating it generously with the marinade. Place it in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
Step 3: Prep the salad. Add all the vegetables to medium bowl. Add the quick vinaigrette ingredients.
Step 4: Mix it up. Stir to coat all the veggies with the dressing. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until it's time to eat. At the same time, spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer.
PRO TIP: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before cooking it and let it sit at room temperature.
Step 5: Cook. Place the chicken on a preheated grill pan or outdoor grill.
Step 6: Flip. Cook the chicken 7-8 minutes on the first side and then flip it over and cook another 5 minutes.
PRO TIP: Let the chicken sit for 8-10 minutes before slicing it. This helps it absorb its juices so it's more moist.
Step 7: Assemble the bowls. Prepare the bowls with a layer of zucchini noodles on the bottom topped with the sliced chicken and Greek salad. Garnish with mint leaves as desired.
Storing Tips
- Store components separately. If you have leftovers you will want to keep everything in separate containers so that they will last longer. The zucchini noodles and Greek salad are best enjoyed within 2-3 days while the chicken will last for up to 4 days. If the zucchini noodles are already mixed with the dressing they are best consumed within 24 hours but will likely soften a great deal during storage.
- Freezing. Store leftover chicken in the freezer for up to three months. The zucchini and salad aren't suitable for freezing.
- Make Ahead. The salad and vegetables are best made no more than 1 day ahead of time. You can marinate the chicken overnight but I don't recommend marinating it for longer than 12 hours. If you want to marinate and freeze the chicken to use later on that method works great and you can store the chicken for up to three months.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is meant to be a meal on it's own! It's perfect for a light lunch and it even travels great if you need to take it with you to work or school. It also makes the perfect light yet satisfying dinner on hot summer days and can work as a side dish as well for cookouts and barbecues.
If you're looking for some carbohydrates to bulk up your meal, serve it with some low-calorie potato salad or macaroni salad on the side.
I've been known to serve this dish for company too! Serve up with some healthy hot shrimp dip for everyone to snack on when they arrive.
A slice of healthy cauliflower bread or gluten free honey oat bread makes a tasty addition!
Expert Tips
- Marinate the Chicken. While you can get away with just 20 minutes for marinating, the longer you can let it sit the more flavor it will absorb. Overnight is best. You can also toss the chicken in a plastic bag with the marinade and freeze.
- Let the Chicken Sit. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes BEFORE cooking so it doesn't get tough during cooking, and then let it rest for about 10 minutes AFTER cooking to keep all the juices inside the chicken.
- Grilling the Chicken. Avoid moving the chicken after adding it to the grill pan or grill until you are ready to flip it. This will ensure you get nice even grill marks on the chicken.
- Zucchini. I served the zucchini raw in this dish. When you top it with the warm chicken, it softenes the zucchini noodles a bit. If you prefer cooked zucchini, simply sauté it in a pan for a few minutes with a little olive oil.
Recipe FAQs
You can slice into the chicken and check that the juices run clear but the most reliable method is to use a thermometer. Chicken should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165° F before eating it.
Avoid marinating it for longer than 24 hours as the ingredients in the marinade may begin to break down the fibers and turn the chicken to mush.
If you don't have a spiralizer, I'd highly recommend getting one but if that's not possible you can use a vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons instead or you can use a mandoline to slice it thinly and then slice those into thin strips.
More Easy Zucchini Recipes
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Greek Bowl with Chicken and Zucchini
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
For the Greek Salad:
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oregano
For the Zucchini Noodles:
- 2 zucchini
- Optional: mint for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper for the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating it generously with the ingredients.
- Place in the refrigerator 20 minutes (minimum)* to marinade.
- While the chicken marinades, prepare the Greek salad by combining all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Place in the refrigerator until it's time to eat.
- Spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes.
- While the chicken is coming to room temperature, preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. When ready, place the chicken on it. If using a regular outdoor grill, reduce the heat to medium-low. If using a grill pan, keep the heat at medium.
- Cook the chicken 7-8 minutes then flip and cook another 5 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through by making a slice in it.
- Remove the chicken from the grill, let it sit 8-10 minutes before slicing. This will help it absorb its juices.
- Prepare the bowls by layering the zucchini noodles on the bottom of a bowl, topping with the sliced chicken and Greek salad. Garnish with mint leaves as desired.
Notes
- Marinate the Chicken. While you can get away with just 20 minutes for marinating, the longer you can let it sit the more flavor it will absorb. Overnight is best. You can also toss the chicken in a plastic bag with the marinade and freeze.
- Let the Chicken Sit. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes BEFORE cooking so it doesn't get tough during cooking, and then let it rest for about 10 minutes AFTER cooking to keep all the juices inside the chicken.
- Grilling the Chicken. Avoid moving the chicken after adding it to the grill pan or grill until you are ready to flip it. This will ensure you get nice even grill marks on the chicken.
- Zucchini. Serve the zucchini raw like I did or you can lightly sauce it in a pan to soften it.
Nutrition
i loved this recipe and my family members really liked it.
Congratulations!! on your graduation for nutrition practitioner. Chicken recipe looking so delicious, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Shalini!
That's such a cute story for how you guys met. Glad this year is being better to you!
I know, it gives me goose bumps every time I tell it.
AWWWWWW You've COME so far in this last year! I'm so proud of you for everything you've done this year! On a side note? Too hot to grill outside???? No such thing! ha ha jk
AWWWWWW thank you!