These Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewer Bowls with Orzo and Green Goddess Sauce are easy to assemble and can be made quick and easy for a simple weeknight dinner (or meal prep!). They make me feel like I am eating Chipotle… in Greece! These bowls are broken down with similar base ingredients as Chipotle, but full of Mediterranean flavors! The chicken skewers can be grilled over a hot outdoor grill, on an indoor grill pan, or even in the oven!
Hello! Currently reporting to you from my cozy little living room. Jared is sitting on the floor playing with Rascal and we are finishing up the last episode from Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why. It’s quite heavy for a Wednesday, but a great show none the less. Lately, in the evenings I have been so thrashed that I can barely move from this spot. We recently got a new gym instructor and I feel like a limp noodle after the first few hours of the class. It’s a great limp noodle feeling, but I haven’t felt this tired in a loooong time! I might also just be a little out of whack from my quick work trip to Colorado last week.
I went for a super fast three day trip to Boulder, CO for a shoot with Purely Elizabeth. Nothing makes you feel more adult like staying in a hotel by yourself for a work trip. They are one of my favorite regular clients and I was thrilled to create some summer content with them. True story I have a little harder of a time with fall/winter content because I tend to style on the bright/whiter side but SUMMER! Summer content is just SOOO up my alley! We did lots of fun recipes filled in papaya boats and coconut shells. Purely Elizabeth focuses on the healthier and vibrant content so not only do I learn a ton about healthier options, but we meet in the middle with style.
This week I sat down with Abbie and planned out the majority of summer content for The College Housewife as well! It’s always great to work with brands on their content strategy and work on your own. It keeps this whole job really fresh and new. I don’t know what I would do if I had a career that consisted of the same things over and over again. I’d probably go cray!
Speaking of summer content…everything is super light and full of flavor! Amongst the line up is a Peach Frose, Prosecco Floats, and a S’mores recipe that is to die for! One of my favorite summer flavors is Mediterranean! Things like basil, lemon, feta, and fresh tomatoes are some of my go-to ingredients! Cue in these lemon garlic chicken skewer bowls with orzo and green goddess sauce (yes, that’s a mouthful, ha!)
My favorite thing about these bowls is that they come together so easily! You can have a quick and delicious weeknight dinner in under an hour! These are the recipes that I make in my own home and we genuinely eat them! Sooo…I try and simplify them as much as possible! I am right there with you in respect of wanting a quick (but delicious!) dinner. I also just really like to eat things in bowl form!
How long do you soak wooden skewers?
The first thing you need to make sure you do is to soak your wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes. You can go as far as to soak your wooden skewers overnight, but to me, that’s just crazy talk!
The Chicken Skewers Marinade
Marinating chicken is so easy, I don’t know why I don’t do it more often. On top is a super simple marinated chicken skewer! I let the meat marinate for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Just remember the longer you marinate the meat, the tastier it will become. I just wouldn’t recommend marinating the chicken for longer than 2 hours because the lemon juice will actually start to break down the proteins in the chicken. I then place them on a skewer so they are ready to go! You can even swap out the chicken for shrimp, salmon, steak, or cubes of vegetables.
Outdoor Grill, Indoor Grill Pan, or The Oven
The method you use to cook your chicken is completely up to you! I really like the chicken skewers cooked on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan because you get the added bonus of the pretty grill marks and charred flavor. But if you are really looking for a quick, easy dinner, baking the chicken in a hot oven at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes is another way to go. Just make sure you oil the chicken, season with salt & pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Flipping the chicken halfway through cooking time also helps to cook them easily.
What goes into a Bowl?
The base of these bowls is orzo pasta, but you can use any grain or pasta! I think orzo is so nice because it’s like a combo of rice and pasta, but you could use quinoa, farro, or even riced cauliflower if you want to go low carb! These bowls really do have a ‘Chipotle’ feel to them! You can mix and match most of the ingredients! For veggies and more flavor, I added fresh tomatoes, Persian cucumber slices, and feta cheese blocks to top the bowls off! I also made a note during recipe testing that if you are into meal prepping, these are a fantastic option!
The Green Goddess Sauce
Lately, I can’t eat any protein without topping it with Trader Joe’s bottled green goddess sauce. Needless to say, I was inspired to try and replicate it! This green goddess sauce is a bit thicker and aids to the base of the bowl. There is more avocado and basil and less cilantro and greek yogurt, making it extra green and delicious!
Try these other healthy lunches:
- Healthy Greek Chicken Pita Wrap
- ‘Chipotle Style’ Healthy Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Chipotle BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewer Bowls with Orzo and Green Goddess Sauce
ingredients
Lemon Garlic Chicken Bowls:
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Rosemary minced
- 2 cups Cooked Orzo Pasta
- Feta Cheese diced in small chunks
- Persian Cucumbers sliced
- Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil divided
- 3 Zucchinis thinly sliced
Green Goddess Sauce:
- 2 Avocados
- A handful of Fresh Basil
- A Large Spoonful of Greek Yogurt
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together cubed chicken, garlic, lemon juice, and rosemary. Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to marinate.
- While chicken is marinating, prepare orzo pasta according to package directions, and prep your feta cheese blocks, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
- Place cubed chicken onto skewers. If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak in water for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat BBQ grill or grill pan over medium high heat and lightly coat with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Grill zucchini slices for 2-3 minutes on each side and set aside.
- Season skewers with salt and pepper, coat grill with another 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and grill on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- In a shallow bowl, smear a thin layer of green goddess sauce, add 1/2 cup or so of cooked orzo, 2 zucchini slices, and 2-3 chicken skewers. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cubes and more fresh basil!
- Green Goddess Sauce
- Combine all ingredients into a Vitamix, food processor, or blender for 30-60 seconds, or until creamy. Place in the refrigerator until bowls are ready to serve.
- To Cook in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the cubed chicken in 1 Tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper, place on one half of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 10 minutes. Toss the zucchini with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, add to the other half of the baking sheet, flip chicken, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Save this recipe for dinner!
I would love to try this recipe! But I don’t have a grill or a grill pan; what do you suggest as an alternative to cooking the chicken to get the same charred grill taste? Is there an alternative?