These gluten free mediterranean bowls are the PERFECt lunch and they are SOOO good. Who isn’t in need of a healthy and filling lunch recipe that is easy to meal prep and perfect for online work lunch breaks? This mediterranean lunch bowl is filled with everything good. Lemon butter rice, greek marinated chicken breast, a homemade cucumber and tomato salad, homemade tzatziki, hummus, and of course, black kalamata olives for the perfect salty flavor. Everyone needs this recipe in their life.
For this recipe, the fun is is making all of the different components to the dish. I personally made most of the things that go onto the bowl at home, however, you can use whatever strikes your fancy! There’s a list of notes at the bottom of this article if you are interested.
The Chicken
The first of the chicken part of this recipe is to measure out all of your spices, then add them all into the same bowl and mix well to combine together. In the photo, you’ll see the olive oil, the salt, the cumin, paprika, and all of the other spices!
To cook the chicken, heat a little extra olive oil in a pan for a few minutes, then cook stirring a few times, until fully cooked through. Once the chicken is done cooking, it can be removed from the pan and transferred into a different bowl to later construct the gluten free mediterranean bowls.
The Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Okay, this is by far the easiest part of the gluten free mediterranean bowl recipe. All you really need is olive oil, balsamic, cucumber and tomato, and of course, dried oregano! I used mini cocktail cucumbers for this part, but I would recommend using persian and cutting them into small chunks. Cut the tomatoes to about the same size, then mix all of the ingredients together. WIthin 3 minutes, you will have the easiest and prettiest cucumber salad you have ever seen.
I used cherry tomatoes for this recipe, but if you don’t have them, use heirloom! They will be not only beautiful on the gluten free mediterranean bowls, but they have a similar sweeter flavor than a roma tomato or a beefsteak tomato.
The Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Who doesn’t love tzatziki? It is the perfect addition to any meal! Creamy, refreshing, and just overall so yummy. Here is one of the easiest tzatziki recipes you will EVER see!
For this recipe, you need greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, mint, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. That is it! For a yummy homemade sauce recipe, that’s as simple as ingredient lists can get.
All you need to do to make the sauce is mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, then you’re good to go!
My Notes for the Mediterranean Bowls
- When making the chicken, I cannot stress how important it is to ensure it is cooked all of the way through. If your chunks of chicken breast aren’t all exactly the same time, take out the LARGEST piece and cut it in half to ensure all of the chicken is done before removing it from the pan.
- To make the homemade tzatziki for the mediterranean bowls, be sure to remove as much water as you can from the cucumbers! Extra cucumber water will make an extremely thin and runny sauce that will separate when stored. I would highly recommend straining it through a cheesecloth.
- In terms of choosing. abase for this recipe, I went with a simple lemon rice recipe you can find HERE, but feel free to use quinoa, white rice, or even lentils or romaine lettuce!
- This piggybacks off of the last tip, but don’t be afraid to get creative with it! You can add whatever toppings you would like to your bowls. I added olives and hummus, but feel free to add nuts, drizzles of olive oil, fresh herbs, or feta.
