Creamy hummus and JUICY spiced chicken are the basis of this delicious hummus bowl! Add in a Greek salad, flatbreads, and tzatziki sauce and you have a family pleasing meal.
Hello, all.
I decided I needed some Mediterranean comfort food! Based on how many people are baking no knead bread, I think I’m not alone in needing comfort these days.
Of course, you may be looking at this and thinking ‘where am I going to be able to find all these ingredients right now?’ and I understand. So, what do you really need to make the recipe?
Basics for the Recipe
- Hummus – Yes, you need this. It’s nonnegotiable – it’s in the title. š Whether you can snag some at the store or you have dried chickpeas and tahini paste to make your own, this all starts with hummus.
- Chicken – Either thighs (my preference for flavor and juiciness) or breast will work fine. All you need are some pieces you can cut into skewerable chunks.
- Salad – I’m showing a classic American-style Greek salad, but any combo of greens and salad veggies is great.
- Optional Extras – Pita (or naan or other flatbreads or some of that no knead bread I linked above are all good, no bread? rice or other grains are good sub), Yogurt Sauce (I love it with souvlaki but you can skip it)
What do you need?
- Hummus – I like the classic chickpeas/tahini version, but use your favorite!
- Tzatziki Sauce – Yogurt and cucumbers.
- Bread – Traditionally pita but any dinner type bread would be great
- Greek Salad – Lettuce, feta, olives, and various sliced veggies
- Chicken – Thighs or breast meat, diced up and tossed with paprika
- Salad Dressing – Preferably Greek, but you need some dressing to marinate the meat
How to make this
To make a souvlaki hummus bowl, start by adding hummus to the bowl then layer with grilled chicken skewers, a green salad, yogurt sauce, and pita bread.
1. Prepare the Chicken
Start with about a pound and a half of chicken thighs or breast. Dice it up into 1-2 inch pieces and toss it with paprika, salt, and pepper.
Now pour some Greek dressing over (check out my easy mason jar dressing recipe!) and let it marinate for at least 40 minutes. If you are using wooden skewers stick them in water right now so they’ll be ready.
Tip: The marinating time is when you can make the yogurt sauce and the salad and get things organized.
To finish up, start the grill and skewer up the chicken. Then grill, turning to get all sides, until they are cooked through. Put a skewer in your bowl and enjoy!
2. Prep the Sauces
Hummus – Homemade is AWESOME but needs to be done ahead! I usually make enough for a few meals and so all I need to do for these bowls is take the leftover out of the fridge. I also love store bought and it’s great for making bowls on the fly.
Tzatziki – This you will likely have to make, since I’ve not seen it in supermarkets. But it’s easy and quick. Just shred up some cucumber, squeeze it dry, and mix it with Greek yogurt, a bit of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Stir and done!
3. Make the Salad
Eh, I think you know how to make a salad. Greens, your favorite salad veggies, feta and black olives if you have them, and some dressing.
4. Toast the Pita
While this is not strictly necessary, it’s sooo good I recommend it.
Just put a little olive oil in a skillet and heat it until it is shimmery. Then add the pita, turning to coat with the oil, and toast on each side. Take it off the heat, sprinkle it with salt, and slice into wedges. Yum!
Great Grilled Greek Flavors
If you try my recipe for Chicken Souvlaki Hummus Bowls, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Stay Safe, Annemarie
Chicken Souvlaki Hummus Bowl
Ingredients
Greek Dressing/Marinade
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breast), cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
Salad
- 4-5 cups lettuce, or other greens such as spinach, kale, or arugula
- 2-3 mini cucumbers (or one medium cucumber), sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 4 oz feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, full fat or low fat preferred
- 1 mini cucumber (or equivalent), shredded
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Remaining Elements
- 2 cups hummus, store bought or homemade
- 3-4 pita breads
Instructions
Dressing/Chicken
- Make the Dressing: In a mason jar, mix together all of the dressing ingredients. Shake well to combine.
- Marinate the Chicken: Toss the diced chicken pieces with the paprika, and sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper.
- Pour about 1/2 cup of the dressing over the chicken and coat well. (I like to mix everything together in a sealable bag.)
- Leave the chicken to marinate on the counter for 40 minutes while you prep the rest of dinner. (Make ahead: You can put the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate 2-24 hrs. Take it out about 20 minutes before you are going to cook it.)
- If you are using wooden skewers, put then in water to soak now.
- Grill the Chicken: After about 20 minutes, start preheating the grill.
- When the chicken is done marinating, thread it onto skewers.
- Grill on high, turning occasionally, so the skewers are browned on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is 165F (155F for breast meat) on a thermometer.
Salad
- Combine all the vegetables for the salad in a large bowl.
- Pour over about 1/4 cup of the dressing. Toss to combine.
- Top with the crumbled feta and black olives.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Squeeze the shredded cucumber in a towel to remove much of the liquid.
- In a bowl combine the yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, and salt. Mix well.
Make the Bowls
- Toast the Pitas: Coat each pita with a little olive oil. Then put it in a hot skillet (medium heat), turning occasionally, until both sides are toasted. Remove to a cutting board, sprinkle with kosher salt, and cut into wedges.
- Spread out 1/2 cup of hummus in the bottom of the bowl. Add a portion of salad, along with a skewer of chicken, and some of the tzatziki sauce. Put out a platter of pitas for people to take some.
Notes
- Dressing/Marinade: This recipe is found in my post for Homemade Greek Dressing, where you can also find more discussion, step by step photos, and so on. You can use your favorite Greek dressing (homemade or store bought) in place of this one.
- Leftover Dressing: You may have extra (depending on how much you use on the chicken). Just seal it up in a container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Red Onion: If you want to tame the bite of the onion, toss it with some of the salad dressing and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Meal Planning: Since there is a lot going on in this recipe, I like to do one of two things. One - make double and use the recipe for dinner and meal prep for lunches through the week. Or Two - plan two-three Mediterranean dinners which overlap and double of the recipes of the parts I'm going to use again. Getting two-three meals out of the hummus, tzatziki, and dressing makes life a lot easier!
- Hummus: If you wish to make your own, I have an excellent recipe for Israeli Hummus with instructions for pressure cooker, oven, or stovetop. Note that you will need to make the hummus ahead since it takes over 2 hours from start to finish.
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