Mediterranean Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Mediterranean chicken meal prep bowls, made with seasoned chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, and tangy feta cheese, are topped with a creamy tahini dressing. These high protein bowls are easy to prep in under an hour and hold up well in the fridge for several days, making them a great option for meal prep lunches.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
Why This Recipe Works
🍋 Make Ahead – This recipe is designed to be made ahead, giving you easy lunches for the week.
🍋 Versatile – You can easily swap out ingredients, increase or decrease quantities to suit your needs and preferences.
🍋 Fast & Easy – A bit of light chopping, cooking a handful of chicken breasts and blending up a tasty dressing is all that is required to assemble these meal prep bowls.
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Mediterranean Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Chef’s Tip: For the best texture, store components separately and assemble just before eating.
You probably had chicken for dinner at least one night this week. So why not cook a little extra and turn it into one of our favorite Mediterranean lunch recipes for the week ahead. Made with lean protein, leafy greens, and vegetables, it’s a simple, healthy meal that actually tastes good, and is good for you.
Ingredients
- Baby spinach – Spinach holds up well in make ahead bowls, but it can get slimy if stored near vegetables, so try to keep them separate.
- Substitution: Romaine lettuce is a sturdy substitute that will hold up for a few days.
- Grape tomatoes – I like to use these tiny tomatoes so I can either leave them whole or cut them in half.
- English cucumber – This cucumber is long and thin, the skin is thinner than a regular cucumber and it is sweeter.
- Feta cheese – Buy a block of cheese and crumble it yourself, it tastes better, and it’s less expensive.
- Kalamata olives – Look for pitted olives that you can toss right into your chicken meal prep bowl.
- Bell peppers – Any color will do, but I prefer red, yellow or orange.
- Grilled chicken – I aim for 4 – 5 ounces per serving, but plan accordingly for what you need.
- Quinoa – Add in a half cup of quinoa for an additional 4 grams of protein. Plus, it bulks up your lunch to make it a bit more filling.
- For a lower carb option, swap in cauliflower rice.
- Chickpeas – Roasted chickpeas are crunchy and delicious when they are warm. After they’ve cooled, they are chewy and nutty which gives great texture to this salad.
How to Make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make chicken meal prep bowls. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast in the oven. Cook the chicken and the quinoa.
- While the chickpeas and chicken are in the oven, make the tahini dressing and portion into cups.
- Add spinach, chicken, cheese, vegetables, and cooled chickpeas to the containers.
- Secure the lids and refrigerate.
How to Meal Prep These Bowls (So They Stay Fresh)
Meal prep isn’t just about cooking everything ahead — it’s about assembling and storing this salad in a specific order so it still tastes good a few days later. After years working in restaurant kitchens, this is exactly how we batch-prep meals to hold up for days.
Here’s how to keep these bowls fresh all week:
- Keep the dressing separate – Add it just before eating to prevent soggy greens.
- Store fresh vegetables separately if possible – Cucumbers and tomatoes release liquid as they sit. Keeping them away from the greens keeps the lettuce crisp.
- Let everything cool completely before assembling – Before packing up, everything MUST be room temperature or cold. Trapped steam = condensation = soggy bowls.
- Use sturdy ingredients as a base – Grains, chicken, and chickpeas hold up well for several days and should go on the bottom.
- Add delicate ingredients later – Greens, herbs, and soft cheeses are best added the day you eat.
How long do they last?
These bowls will keep well in the fridge for 4–5 days when stored properly.
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Storage / Reheating Information
To store: For BEST results, store each component separately, and assemble just before eating. Assemble in the morning or the night before if that’s not possible.
To reheat: To reheat chicken or chickpeas, warm in a 350°F oven for 15 – 20 minutes, covered, or until heated through. To microwave: heat the chicken for 2 minutes, covered, to prevent drying out.
Make It Your Way (Easy Variations)
- Low-carb → Swap quinoa for cauliflower rice.
- Dairy-free → Skip feta, add hummus or tahini instead.
- Vegetarian → Add extra chickpeas or lentils instead of chicken.
- High-protein → Double the chicken or add a yogurt-based sauce like tzatziki.
- Thighs → If you prefer chicken thighs, try these Mediterranean baked chicken thighs.
- Dressing → If you prefer an herby topping, or to add extra flavor, try this gremolata drizzled on top.
Chicken Meal Prep Bowls FAQ’s
Absolutely. To make this even easier and quicker, use store-bought rotisserie chicken and add it to your bowls.
If all of the components are store separately, the ingredients will last 5 days. If the salads are put into containers, you’ll get 4 – 5 days.
In general, the Mediterranean Diet prioritizes fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts. Lean proteins like chicken and fish are favored over red meat. Whole grains like quinoa and brown rice are also a part of a healthy eating plan.
Because tahini is high in oil, it can become rancid if it has been sitting on the shelf too long or stored in a warm place. Store in the fridge to prevent it from going bad. You can add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of honey, maple syrup, or agave to help reduce the bitter flavor.
Best Containers for Meal Prep Bowls
- Compartment vs single container – Divided containers can be helpful for keeping watery vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumbers separate, however, they generally don’t hold as much as single compartment containers.
- Dressing cups – These are essential. Keeping the dressing separate is key.
- Stackability – This is another thing to consider when choosing containers – how well will they stack? Not only in the fridge, but in the kitchen cabinets when storing them.
More Meal Prep Recipes
If you like these Mediterranean chicken bowls, here are a few more easy meal prep ideas:
- Moroccan chicken bowls – For fans of warm spices and roasted veggies.
- Chicken fajita bowls – Tex-Mex flavor, great for wraps to take on the go.
- Greek meatball bowls – Swap out the grilled chicken for Greek chicken meatballs.
- Trade chicken for lamb – these Mediterranean meal prep lamb meatballs are a favorite in our house.
- Replace sliced, grilled chicken for chicken meatballs. Make a double batch to make meal prep easier and freeze what you don’t need for next time.
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Mediterranean Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
For the Bowls
- Roasted chickpeas recipe below
- ¾ cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 10 cups baby spinach
- 2 ½ cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 ½ cups English cucumber diced
- 5 ounces Feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup Kalamata olives
- ½ cup Bell pepper diced
Tahini Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice *see note
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons water more or less to achieve desired consistency
- salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Chickpeas
- 15 oz. can chickpeas drained, rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make Roasted Chickpeas
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 – 30 minutes, until crunchy. Set aside to cool.
Cook quinoa
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Spread out on a sheet pan to cool quickly. *I find it easier to cook quinoa in a sauté pan instead of a pot. It clumps less.
Cook Chicken
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, and oregano.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken to the pan and let it brown, undisturbed, for about 5 – 6 minutes.Flip the chicken over, and place the pan in the oven. Cook the chicken for 22 – 24 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts. When chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Make Tahini Dressing
- Combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk until smooth. You may want to add more or less water depending on how thick you'd like the dressing. If the dressing is too tart, add a teaspoon or two of honey. Portion dressing into cups and set aside.
Assemble Bowls
- When chicken has cooled to room temperature, thinly slice, or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Into each of the 5 containers – layer in ¼ cup cooked quinoa, ¼ cup roasted chickpeas, 5 ounces chicken, then olives, bell pepper, tomatoes, diced cucumber, 1 ounce feta, and spinach. *See note
- Add a dressing cup to each container, put the lid on and refrigerate.
Video
Chef’s Notes
- For BEST results, store each component separately, then assemble meal prep bowl just before eating. If that’s not an option, assemble in the morning, or the night before.
- If you’re using a jar, this is easy to layer. If you are using a rectangular container, place spinach at one end of the container, vegetables at the other end, and the chicken, chickpeas, and quinoa in the middle to keep them separated. Then simply give a shake to mix everything together.
- If the flavor of raw garlic is too sharp for you, consider using roasted garlic instead, or sauté the garlic for a few minutes just to take the bite out of it.
- If you need a little sweetness with your dressing, add a squeeze of honey.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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Originally published 8/6/19, most recent update 4/23/26.
What size containers did you use?
Hi Vicki, there is a link to the containers at the bottom of the post. I believe they are about 28 oz. to allow room for a dressing cup in the corner.
This is such a great idea (meal prep) and it sounds so flavorful and yummy!
Not only are these so convenient but they are also delicious. I love that I already have lunch ready to go… which reduces my chance of making a bad choice for a meal!!!
Everything came out great except for the dressing. I added the water to thin it out and it separated. I also have a very bitter flavor that I can’t seem to get rid of. Any suggestions?
Hi Danielle, the dressing should come back together with a little whisking. I make this all the time and I’ve never had it separate on me, so I’m not sure what happened. As to the bitter taste, it could be a few things – maybe the lemon juice is too much for you? You can try reducing the amount. Also, all tahini is a little bitter, some more than others. It could very well be the brand of tahini that you have. Check the date on the tahini as well. If it has been sitting for awhile, that could also be the culprit. Finally, if all else fails, try adding a bit of honey to the dressing to balance the bitterness.
I ad this exact same problem. Possibly the brand of Tahini? (Trader Joes). I rectified this by adding more acidity (lemon/lime juice) and then adding honey to taste. It’s not as healthy but certainly helped with the bitter taste. I also think the level of garlic in this contributed to the sharpness of the dressing. Bitter with a lot of garlic wasn’t doing it for me. The extra acidity and the sweetness helped. I think I’ll try less garlic next time even though I’m a huge garlic fan!
It could very well be the brand of tahini making your dressing bitter. The dressing only calls for one clove of garlic, so that isn’t a large amount. Try using roasted garlic if raw is too sharp for you. This is the brand I use and it is not bitter. https://amzn.to/3iP5361
Thank you for this easy, delicious meal prep idea. I’m new to the Mediterranean diet life style and this will get me on the right path.
I’m so glad to hear this! I hope you enjoy these meal prep bowls!
What a great idea. This would make meals for the week so easy.
Thank you so much, Keira! Enjoy!
Yum! These look great. I’m going to try them with some farro as the base.
Ooh! That sounds fantastic! I love farro!