I was eating a Greek-inspired rice bowl with chicken in it for dinner tonight and I recalled that I had a similar recipe here on the blog from way back when. I easily found it, so I decided to write up a few updates.
Since my husband and I both pay attention to our macros/calories these days (macros are more my focus/calories are more his, by the way), we eat a lot of chicken breast at meals. Chicken breast is such an awesome way to get protein with very little fat, and it’s so easy to flavor in so many ways. So yeah, we eat it a lot!
I got my husband a sous vide cooker for Father’s Day this year, and just about every Sunday he cooks enough chicken to last us for most of the week (he finishes it on the grill for a short time after it’s done cooking in the sous vide). If you saw my instagram post from last week, you know I did a big shop for spices and spice mixes at Kalustyans in NYC. So my husband made chicken with three different spice mixes today, and we’ll be eating the chicken in meals for the next few days.
Tonight I used the chicken he coated with Kalustyan’s Shawarma seasoning (similar to this one on Amazon.com). I put the chicken on top of rice with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, a few kalamata olives, chickpeas, and Cedar’s tzaziki sauce for a dressing. Very similar to the recipe you see here but less fat because the chicken isn’t marinated in an olive oil-based marinade and because tzaziki sauce is low fat compared to the tahini-yogurt one in this recipe.
When I originally wrote this post, it was in partnership with a rice company called Della. You are welcome to use any rice in the recipe, of course (I use Jasmine rice for just about everything, tbh), and to lower the carbs in this recipe, you can use cauliflower rice or just eat it over salad greens instead. I left off the feta (didn’t have any in the house…boo) which further lowered the fat content but as far as cheeses go, feta’s not so bad in terms of fat if you don’t use much, and it’s a nice addition, for sure.
Macro/calories for a rice bowl like this will vary greatly based on how much rice, how much chicken, and how much of things like olives and dressing you use. So I am not going to share the macros/calories of what I made for me, since your needs may be different from mine! For what it’s worth though, I used about 3/4 cup cooked rice, 2.5 ounces of cooked chicken, 1/4 cup canned chickpeas, 3 kalamata olives, 1 serving of tzaziki, and plenty of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and red pepper. I always weigh out all of my additions on a food scale when I add to my bowl, then I know exactly what I am eating, and that it fits my food plan for the day.
Original post is below the line!
I’ve been eating a lot of rice-based dishes ever since the folks from Della Rice asked me to be part of their #CreateAStir campaign. Della’s 5 different kinds of rice make it really easy to create delicious meals with balanced macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) so I’ve been going a little nuts with different combinations (recall my Jasmine Rice Bowl with Pan-Fried Tofu). For the rice bowl/stir you see here, I used their Arborio rice and topped it with garlic and lemon-marinated chicken, a simple Greek-inspired salad, and a tasty tahini dressing.
I like the amount of garlic in the recipe I’m giving you below, but if you are a garlic fiend, you may use more. If you marinate the chicken a bit in advance for the best flavor, then cook it and make the salad and the dressing while the rice is cooking, this Greek Chicken stir can be ready in about 20 minutes. It makes a great quick lunch or dinner!
Della’s rices are grown in Arkansas; They are non-GMO and gluten free. Della is giving away 50 rice cookers and there’s still time to enter the giveaway: winners are selected at random and the contest is open through April 10, 2015. Please use the Rafflecopter widger below to enter. Good luck!
Greek Chicken & Rice Bowl
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp olive oil or butter
For the chicken:
- 1 lb chicken breasts I used organic, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- *coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup cucumbers chopped
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp plain yogurt
- water enough to thin the sauce
Instructions
For the rice:
- Combine the Arborio rice, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon olive oil and cook according to rice cooker’s directions (or, if using a pot: combine water, rice, and oil and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, stir the rice, and cover the pot. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes, then fluff and serve).
For the chicken:
- If you have time, I suggest marinating the chicken cubes overnight (or at least for a few hours). To do this, combine chicken with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper in a small glass container. Cover and allow to hang out in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for a few hours).
- Heat the cast-iron skillet. When it is hot, add the marinated chicken and whatever marinade remains in the container. Cook for several minutes, allowing the chicken to brown on all sides. This should take 4 to 6 minutes in a hot pan. Add additional olive oil or a bit of water if the pan seems too dry. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
For the salad:
- Combine chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta in a small bowl. Set aside.
For the sauce:
- In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, and water paste. Mix well until you have a smooth and thick sauce. Taste and add more tahini, lemon juice, or yogurt to taste, or more water to thin the sauce.
