Mediterranean Chicken Bowls

I’m a firm believe that something doesn’t have to be EITHER healthy OR delicious. These baked chicken mediterranean bowls are my longtime favorite feel-good lunch or dinner. This recipe makes hearty bowls for four, but can easily be scaled up or down. I cheat a little when I’m making this just for myself and just dice up my raw, seasoned chicken thighs and pop them in the air fryer- they’re good in about 20 minutes and SUPER crispy. This is also GREAT on a bed of warm grains like couscous or quinoa.

Ingredients

• Eight chicken thighs, boneless and skinless.

• 1 red onion

• 1 english cucumber

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, or one large heirloom tomato

• 2 bell peppers

• 1 avocado

• 3/4 cup yogurt

• Juice of one lemon

• 1/4 cup fresh tarragon

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp dried powdered thyme

• 1/8 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Dump your chicken thighs into a gallon ziploc bag and set aside.

3. In a very small bowl, combine the olive oil and all the spices (except tarragon) and salt and mix together well.

4. Pour the spice and oil mixture into the ziploc bag with the chicken. Seal it, then manipulate the bag to make sure everything is well coated with seasoning. You could also do this in a bowl with your hands but… this way means no dirty dish and no oily hands.

5. Pour the chicken into a 8x11 baking dish, spread the thighs out so they mostly do not overlap.

6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for around 90 minutes.

7. While the chicken bakes, chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado to roughly the same size and combine them in a large salad or mixing bowl. Squeeze about half a lemon over it, then season with salt to taste.

8. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, remaining lemon juice, tarragon, garlic, and salt to taste. Mix well.

9. Remove the foil from the chicken, reduce the heat to 375, and cook for another half hour.

10. When the chicken is done, arrange personal bowls with the salad first, topped with the shredded, diced, or sliced chicken, then drizzled with the yogurt sauce. Mix thoroughly before eating for best results.

11. Enjoy!