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Mediterranean chicken meal prep in a gray shallow bowl.
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4.70 from 23 votes

Mediterranean Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Mediterranean chicken meal prep bowls are quick and easy to prep, high in protein and made to last all week for make ahead lunches.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Chicken and turkey recipes, Meal Prep Recipes, Salads
Cuisine: Mediterranean-American
Servings: 5
Calories: 523kcal
Author: Cheryl Bennett

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

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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1453mg | Potassium: 1445mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6981IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 6mg