Chicken Souvlaki Bowl (with Cauliflower Rice)

These Greek-inspired Chicken Souvlaki Bowls are light, healthy, and full of lovely Greek flavor. Loaded with healthy veggies and piled over cauliflower rice, this meal is low in carbs but high in deliciousness! It’s vegan-adaptable with portobello mushrooms.

These Souvlaki Bowls can be made with chicken or portobello mushrooms (or both!) and burst with Mediterranean flavors. Cauliflower “rice” makes the base of the bowl, then it is topped with fresh summer veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers and served with a flavorful dollop of Cucumber Yogurt Sauce and fresh herbs. It’s quick and easy, perfect for weeknight meals outside on the patio. The vegetarian option using portobellos is just as good as the chicken, and the leftovers taste good too, making for a healthy, refreshing lunch the next day. This can also be made stove-top or in the oven, although the grill does add great flavor.

What you’ll love about this!

• Flavorful! Mouth-watering Mediterranean flavors of lemon, garlic and oregano infuse the marinade for the chicken (or portobellos), and the cool, crunchy veggies with the warm grilled chicken or portobellos are a nice contrast of textures and temperatures.
• Adapatable! This can be adapted to your own preferences – for example, you could skip the cauliflower rice and place everything into a toasty pita bread or into grilled tortillas. And of course, you can make regular rice or sub whole grains like faro or quinoa, or even serve this over a bed of garbanzo beans.
• Light and Lean. This lightened-up version is gluten-free and low in carbs, but as always, make it your own. I left the chicken off the skewers to save time, but skewering is another more traditional option.

What is Chicken Souvlaki?

Souvlaki means “grilled on a skewer”. It’s a popular Greek dish made with grilled skewered chicken, traditionally served in a wrap with veggies and sauce. We’ve taken a few shortcuts here!

Chicken Souvlaki ingredients

• Chicken breast or chicken thighs (or sub 3-4 large portobello mushrooms for a vegetarian option)
• Garlic cloves– fresh is best here, finely minced!
• Lemon- you’ll use the lemon zest and the juice.
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Herbs:  oregano ( or 1 teaspoon dried) or sub thyme.
• Seasonings:  salt, pepper,  cayenne, chili flakes, or aleppo pepper

Optional Bowl Additions:

• Yogurt Sauce (see recipe card) or sub Tzatziki  or Tahini Yogurt Sauce!
• Cauliflower Rice (See recipe card) or sub basmati rice.
• Bowl toppings: cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, fresh greens, grilled veggies; red bell pepper, eggplant slices, zucchini or summer squash.

How to Make Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

The chicken and/or portobellos are marinated in olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon and then quickly grilled. You can also grill other veggies to add to the bowl… like bell pepper, eggplant or zucchini.

Marinate: Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and stir. Add the Chicken or Portobellos (leave them whole) and toss to coat. Set aside at room temperature.

Make Cauliflower Rice: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add shallot or onion and saute for two minutes. Turn heat to medium, add garlic, and cook one more minute. Add cauliflower rice. Saute a few minutes, stirring, then turn the heat down to med-low.  Return to the cauliflower rice, stir for a few more minutes, adding seasonings. Be careful not to overcook this; you want to retain its great texture.

Make Cucumber Yogurt sauce by stirring all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Grill: Preheat grill to High heat. (You can also sear or bake- see notes) Set aside any veggies for the bowl ( cut cucumber, tomatoes, avocado). At this point, put the chicken, portobello, and any veggies you like ( brushed with olive oil & salted) on the grill, cover, and turn the heat down to medium, and cook 5 minutes or so.

Check the grill and flip the chicken when you see good grill marks, adjusting heat as necessary. I like to give a good sear first, then turn the heat down to med-low to finish cooking. When cooked, slice chicken, portobellos, and any other veggies you had grilling.

Assemble Bowls: Place a mound of Cauliflower rice in the base of the bowl. Surround with veggies, chicken and a dollop of cucumber yogurt sauce. Sprinkle the veggies with fresh herbs, a little salt, olive oil and lemon if you like.

Storage

Leftovers keep up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container and make great lunches! Reheat in a warm 350F oven or microwave. Its also good cold!

Serving Suggestions

You can also serve the grilled chicken souvlaki in warm pita bread with the veggies and the yogurt sauce- also super delicious! Pair with a classic Greek salad and you are good to go!

I hope you enjoy this one- let us know what you think! Thanks for rating the recipes, it helps others find them and encourages people to try them out as well.

Chef’s Tips

To create a vegan spread, use portobello mushrooms instead of chicken and vegan yogurt in the yogurt sauce.  Feel free to prep everything a day ahead, store it in the fridge, and grill it right before serving.

More GreEk Recipes you’ll love!

• Greek Pasta Salad
• Classic Greek Salad
• Mediterranean Chicken
• Greek Salmon Bowls
• Grilled Eggplant with Greek Relish and Creamy Polenta
• Grilled Chicken Caprese

Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

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• Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 2-3
• Category: Main
• Method: Grilled
• Cuisine: Mediterranean
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

A quick and flavorful grilled Chicken or Portobello Mushroom Souvlaki Bowl with fresh summer vegetables, Cucumber yogurt Sauce and Cauliflower “Rice” – or serve in a toasty pita!

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Ingredients

Units USM

Chicken & Marinade

• 4 cloves garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
• zest of one small lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano ( or 1 teaspoon dried) or sub thyme.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• generous pinch cayenne, chili flakes, or aleppo pepper
• 1 lb boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs (or 3-4 large portobellos) leave whole

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 garlic clove- minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1 cup finely diced cucumber
• 2–3 tablespoons fresh dill, parsley or mint, or a combination
• pepper or chili flakes to taste

Cauliflower Rice

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot (or 1/2 cup finely diced onion )
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or use 1 tsp granulated garlic)
• 3 cups cauliflower rice (cauliflower florets pulsed in food processor until like grains of rice)
• salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
• optional- lemon zest, fresh herbs

Optional Bowl Additions:

• 1–2 cups diced cucumber
• 1–2 cups tomatoes- sliced in half or diced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• fresh greens- arugula or fresh herbs
• Grilled Veggies- red bell pepper, eggplant slices, zucchini or summer squash ( brush with olive oil and salt before grilling)
• Toasty Pita

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Instructions

1. Marinate: Place marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and stir. Add chicken pieces or portobellos (leave whole) and toss to coat. Set aside at room temp.
2. Make Cucumber Yogurt sauce by stirring all ingredients together in a small bowl.
3.  Make Cauliflower Rice: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add shallot or onion and saute for two minutes. Turn heat to medium, add garlic, and cook one more minute. Add cauliflower rice. Saute a few minutes, stirring, then turn the heat down to med-low.  Return to the cauliflower rice, stir for a few more minutes, adding seasonings. Be careful not to overcook this; you want to retain its great texture.
4. Grill: Preheat grill to medium high heat. (You can also sear or bake- see notes) Set aside any veggies for the bowl ( cut cucumber, tomatoes, avocado). At this point, put the chicken, portobello, and any veggies you like ( brushed with olive oil & salted) on the grill, cover, and turn the heat down to medium, and cook 5 minutes or so. Check the grill and flip the chicken when you see good grill marks, adjusting heat as necessary. I like to give a good sear first, then turn the heat down to med-low to finish cooking. When cooked, slice chicken, portobellos, and any other veggies you had grilling.
5. Assemble Bowls: Place a mound of Cauliflower rice in the base of the bowl. Surround with veggies, chicken and a dollop of cucumber yogurt sauce. Sprinkle the veggies with fresh herbs, a little salt, olive oil and lemon if you like.

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Notes

Marinate chicken for 20 minutes or overnight.

Feel free to bake chicken (or portobellos) in a 400F oven until cooked through, or pan sear.

Leftovers can be kept for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheated in a warm 350F oven or microwave.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4 ounces chicken plus ¼ bowl ingredeints
• Calories: 482
• Sugar: 6.8 g
• Sodium: 839.1 mg
• Fat: 25.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 31.1 g
• Fiber: 8.5 g
• Protein: 36.8 g
• Cholesterol: 89.7 mg