Chicken Bowl with Tzatziki
Brown rice, yogurt-marinated chicken, a crunchy cucumber-tomato salad, and homemade tzatziki. One bowl, 20 minutes.
The same yogurt that tenderizes the chicken becomes the base for the tzatziki. The same garlic that flavors the marinade finishes in the sauce. Half the cucumber goes into the salad as cubes, the other half gets grated into the tzatziki. Three ingredients pulling double duty keeps the shopping list short and the flavor layers stacked.
736 calories, 37 grams of protein, 75 grams of carbs. One pan for the chicken, one pot for the rice, everything else mixed raw.
Brown rice, yogurt-marinated chicken, a crunchy cucumber-tomato salad, and homemade tzatziki. One bowl, 20 minutes.
The same yogurt that tenderizes the chicken becomes the base for the tzatziki. The same garlic that flavors the marinade finishes in the sauce. Half the cucumber goes into the salad as cubes, the other half gets grated into the tzatziki. Three ingredients pulling double duty keeps the shopping list short and the flavor layers stacked.
736 calories, 37 grams of protein, 75 grams of carbs. One pan for the chicken, one pot for the rice, everything else mixed raw.
Ingredients
- brown rice 3 ounces
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- garlic 2 cloves
- yogurt, nonfat 2.5 fluid ounce
- Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon
- olive oil 2 tablespoons
- cucumber 0.5
- cherry tomatoes 8
- red onion 0.25
- vinegar 1 teaspoon
Method
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Cook the rice according to the packaging instructions.
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Cut the chicken breast into cubes. Press the garlic.
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In a bowl, mix the chicken cubes with 2 tablespoons of yogurt, half of the Italian seasoning, 1/3 of the oil and half of the garlic. Allow this to marinate for a while.
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Cut half of the cucumber into cubes. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the onion into half rings. Mix this in a bowl with vinegar, 1/3 of the oil and the rest of the Italian seasoning.
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Heat the remaining oil in a pan and cook the marinated chicken pieces for about 5 minutes.
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Grate the other half of the cucumber coarsely and mix it together with the pressed garlic into the yogurt.
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Serve the rice, chicken and cucumber salad in a bowl. Spoon the tzatziki on top. Season with salt and pepper.
Squeeze the grated cucumber in your hands before mixing it into the yogurt. Cucumber releases water fast, and a watery tzatziki dilutes the garlic flavor you just pressed in.
Crushing garlic into yogurt does more than sharpen the taste. Research found that the good bacteria in yogurt are naturally resistant to allicin, the compound released when you crush a clove. At cooking-level amounts, like the two cloves in this tzatziki, garlic does not harm any probiotic strain. Garlic even carries a type of fiber that acts as food for those same bacteria.
Behind this recipe
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of nonfat yogurt?
Yes. Greek yogurt works for both the marinade and the tzatziki. It is thicker, so the tzatziki will have a denser, dip-style texture. The protein count goes up slightly since Greek yogurt packs more protein per serving. Either way, the marinade tenderizes the chicken the same way.
Why marinate the chicken in yogurt?
Yogurt's lactic acid gently breaks down the surface proteins of the chicken, making it tender without turning mushy the way vinegar or citrus marinades can. The yogurt also helps the Italian seasoning and garlic stick to the surface, building a thin, flavorful crust in the pan.
Can I meal-prep this bowl?
The rice and chicken keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Store the cucumber-tomato salad and tzatziki separately since both release water overnight. Grate the cucumber fresh on the day you eat it, or squeeze it extra dry before storing.
Is 37 grams of protein enough for a full dinner?
Research on per-meal protein utilization found that muscle protein synthesis does not hit a hard wall at 20 to 25 grams per meal the way older advice suggested. At 37 grams from chicken breast, this bowl lands comfortably in the range researchers studied for supporting muscle maintenance.
Read the full evidence review
