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I have the best kind of Monday food for you.
Greek!
Greek food is delicious on pretty much any given day, but it sure helps to get you through a Monday, donโt cha think?
So you remember how last weekย how I said August was gonna be all about summer foods? And that I really wanted to spend the last full month of summer eating everything and anything that SCREAMS summer? Well, I really wasnโt kidding. I am going crazy with all the farm fresh produce that comes along with the month of August. It really excites me to come up with creative ways to make the most of it all.
Although I may have to throw in a few chocolate recipes here and there that have nothing to do with summer. For some reason over the weekend I could not stop thinking about chocolate. Probably because my chocolate lover mother is coming back for a few days, so I wanted to make something that was all about chocolate. You see, when it comes to my mom and her chocolate (and me too for that matter) the mixing in of fruit is forbidden.
Unless itโs bananas or dates. Bananaโs and dates are my only two exceptions.
I also feel I should tell you that if youโve ever seen any raspberries, cherries or strawberries on top of anything chocolate Iโve posted, you can pretty much guarantee that I put them there for the photos. This also means I probably picked the berries off and ate them separately. I am just not a fruit with my chocolate kind of girl. White chocolate, sure, but not chocolate chocolate.
So, I am taking suggestions. Nothingโs been made yet.
Ok, sorry about my all too common diversion there, but I kind get serious about my chocolate.
FYI โ We all should be serious about our chocolateโฆno matter the season.
On to Greek food.
I made us Greek Plates! Not bowls because I do bowl food all the time, so I went with plates. You COULD put this all in a bowl, but to me plates seem better with Greek food anyway.
These plates? They have a little bit of everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything good. We are talking Greek chicken, marinated veggies, rice pilaf, Tzatziki, tomatoes, feta and homemade pita.
Have you ever hadย Greek Souvlaki? I made salmon souvlaki last summer and fell in love with the the flavors. So I used that recipe, but swapped chicken for the salmon. If you wanted to, you could use salmon, beef or even pork or lamb. I think pork is what the Greekโs traditionally use, but I bet lamb would be delicious too!
Instead of skewering the chicken with skewers I used the stems of rosemary. I have seen this all over the internet this summer and have been wanting to try it. The stems are awesome because they work so perfectly as a skewer while the rosemary flavors the meat. And itโs nice because they bend. It makes fitting them on a plate actually do-able. Hooray!
I had the chicken souvlaki down but I needed some carbs to go with it. Every meal needs a little carbs. It does.
So I made this really easy rice pilaf. Itโs a mix of orzo pasta (I used whole wheat) and basmati rice. Itโs super simple and perfect for scooping and eating with a little chicken + summer veggies.
Ah, the yummy grilled summer veggies. I marinated them in a little of the souvlaki marinade. The marinade keeps things quick and simple, but adds nice flavor to the vegetables. To top the dish off โ Tzatziki. I do not think any proper Greek meal is complete with out a little Tzatziki sauce and feta cheese. Of course any Greek dish also needs to be paired with fresh homemade pitaย to be truly complete.
Oh, and tons of fresh herbs. I used a lot of dill, basil and oregano. So good.
Greek Chicken Souvlaki and Rice Pilaf Plates w/Marinated Veggies + Feta Tzatziki.
Ingredients
Veggies + Chicken Souvlaki
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast, diced into chunks
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon pepper
- 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional
- 2 red pepper, cut into fourths
- 1 inch zucchini, sliced into 1/4 rounds
- 1 inch small eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 batch [Tzatziki | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/greek-salmon-souvlaki-gyros-with-tzatziki/]
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- warmed [pita bread | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/traditional-greek-pita-bread/], for serving
Rice Pilaf
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup orzo pasta, use gluten free if needed
- 1 cup white or brown basmati or jasmine rice
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, or water
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs, or 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl or glass measuring cup combine the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, dill, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the chicken to a gallon size ziplock bag and pour half the marinade over the chicken, toss well, making sure the chicken is completely coated in the seasonings. Place in the fridge. Add the veggies to a bowl and toss with the remaining marinade. Set aside.
- To make the rice. Heat a 10-12 inch sided skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and orzo pasta. Allow the pasta to get slightly golden and toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast the rice another 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer or until the garlic is fragrant. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pre heat the grill to medium high heat.
- Grab your rosemary and strip the herbs away from its woody stem. Thread the chicken onto the rosemary stems (or just use skewers), placing them on a plate as you go.
- Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the zucchini and eggplant slices for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender. Grill the red peppers for about 5 minutes flipping once or twice during cooking. You may also use a grill pan to do this or even just cook everything on the stove. Remove everything from the grill.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and then stir in the kalamata olives, pine nuts and fresh herbs.
- Divide the rice among plates or bowls. Add some grilled veggies + tomatoes to each plate and then 1-2 chicken skewers. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve with warm [pita bread | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/traditional-greek-pita-bread/] and [Tzatziki | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/greek-salmon-souvlaki-gyros-with-tzatziki/].
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Now how healthy (and good) does that look? Told you, the perfect food for a Monday.
Delicious! How would boneless thighs be? Trying to cut costs.
Hi Judy,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks for making it! Boneless thighs would be great to use! xxT
We loved this recipe! With all the veggies, it’s so lovely and light, but with lots of flavor packed in. Our grill is out of commission right now so I treated it like a sheet pan meal and baked everything at 425 degrees-25 minutes for the chicken, 15 minutes for the veggies. It worked out perfectly that way!
Hi Erica,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Only used the chicken marinade as was doing Other bits to go with it but it was delicious. Will definitely use it again
Hey Jo,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Amazing!! We loved it.
Thanks so much Lorry! xTieghan
This is now heavily in my meal prep plan rotation and working beautifully! This dish was absolutely amazing and so full of flavor – everything came together so perfectly. Iโm usually not a huge fan of veggies but these were so delicious Iโve made it both with and without meat.
Greek food is one of my favorites and I never thought Iโd be able to make something at home Iโd prefer to ordering out but thanks to you and your wonderful recipes I have!! My mom also came by for a quick visit and being unprepared, I had leftovers of this prepped in meal containers so I gave her one for lunch. She was blown away…even by leftovers! Sheโs already made this for herself now too and itโs one of her new favorites!
Wow that is so great to hear!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Amanda! I hope you continue to enjoy this and others of mine! xTieghan
Bam! Luckily my wife was late coming home from work, because this took me a little longer (just a little) than I planned. Could be because I used 3 of your recipes to make one DELICIOUS MEAL!!!
Main course was the Greek Chicken Souvlaki & Rice Pilaf w/Veggies. But then used your Tzatziki recipe from a Greek Gyro recipe, and then thought we needed something else, so made the delicious Feta Fries (I added a BIG squeeze of lemon to them, to remind us of traditional lemon potatoes.
Everything worked out great – and was super delish. Thanks!
Ok wow that is so amazing!! I am sure it was an amazing dinner! Thank you so much David! xTieghan
Amazing! We made this tonight and loved it! A great recipe for company too! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Ramona! xTieghan
This is so delicious! Looks a bit complicated but in fact was easy to put together and so worth it! The only thing I would add is mushrooms and red onions to the vegetables. The rice is so yummy and the marinade to die for. Make sure you use the smoked paprika!
Thank you so much Miriam! xTieghan
My husband and I have this as our favorite Sunday meal. We made it for my father when he came to visit and he said it was โone of the best meals of his lifeโ. We have had it on once a month repeat for about a year. We love all your recipes. Thanks for sharing!!
That is so amazing! Thank you so much Rebecca! xTieghan
Amazing! My entire family LOVED IT!
Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that and I am so glad your family loved this, Barbara! Thank you!
I made the rice pilaf the other night and paired It with your chicken shawarma marinaded chicken breasts and a greek salad. The rice pilaf I finished off with a heaping tablespoon of basil pesto… to say this was good.. would be an understatement. My boyfriend loves ricearoni but I wont buy it because of all the crap in it… I now can feed him what he craves without all preservatives. Well done on this dish!!!
YAY so soo happy you liked it Breah! love finding alternatives to not so healthy foods!