Greek Chicken and Cucumber Noodle Bowls

Happy belated 4th of July! This post is coming to you from my parents’ cozy little cabin in heavenly Lutsen, Minnesota, a small little resort town located in the northeastern corner of the state. Growing up, my summers weren’t complete without a trip up to the North Shore. I have fond memories of hiking the scenic trails with my mom and grandma, scouring the shores for the flattest of rocks and skipping them into Lake Superior, and stuffing my face with s’mores.

It so warms my heart to be passing on these traditions to my kids and starting new ones, including the great candy heist at Tofte’s (neighboring town) 4th of July parade. These kids were armed and ready to pounce on any and all flying Dum Dums.

This year, my husband and I might have started a new 4th of July tradition: the Tofte Trek, also known as a 10k through the woods. I say “might have” because, well…Let’s just say, they weren’t kidding when they said, “Wear your old running shoes.” About a mile in, we were freaking out about skipping over the tiniest bit of mud. These casual skips turned into straddling the path while doing Heismans to dodge the never-ending succession of puddles.

And then those puddles turned into a full out river, which we fought for about the last half of the race. The guy in front of me even lost his shoes and ended up running in his socks.

I’m happy to report that we made it back with our shoes still on our feet, albeit drenched in muck and God knows what kind of parasites. But the best reward of the whole race, hands-down, was the freshly-made breakfast pizza from the outdoor brick oven that they were serving at the finish line. Scrambled eggs, bacon, scallions, kale, and gooey choose melted atop a crisp and bubbly crust (ahh! Sorry I didn’t snap a pic!). I’ll run the Tofte Trek again next year as long as they have the pizza at the end!

Aside from the outdoor shenanigans this weekend, I set up shop in the kitchen, obviously. Cooking at the cabin is a time when I test out new recipes and try out some of the recipes overflowing from my Pinterest boards. I cranked out homemade almond butter this morning and got the brilliant idea to spread it on graham crackers to make the most epic s’more! Other recipes I’ve made:
• this smoky grilled cherry salsa
• these no bake black bean fudge brownies,
• this grilled corn guacamole
• an original cauliflower creation that will either be happy dance-inducing or completely craptastic. We shall see.

AND, these Greek Chicken and Cucumber Noodle Bowls. This will be my parents’ first foray into the world of veggie noodles so I had to choose a recipe that packs a punch of flavor. These bowls are full of vibrant, tangy flavors from the Greek-inspired marinated chicken and dressing and topped with fresh grape tomatoes, hearty garbanzo beans, and my favorite Greek food condiments. As I’ve said before, I absolutely love eating food prepared in bowls because you can easily mix everything together to ensure maximum flavor in every bite. With hummus, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce as toppers, mixing is a MUST.

As always, if you don’t have a vegetable spiralizer, use a mandolin or knife to thinly slice the cucumber into strands. Chopped cucumber works too! Also, feel free to skip the chicken and make this meat-free. The veggies soak up the dressing beautifully, making this a wonderful vegetarian option. This recipe can be a filling main meal or make it a salad/side dish. Another idea: mix all servings of these Greek Chicken and Cucumber Noodle Bowls together to make the perfect healthy accompaniment to any summer get together!

Speaking of get togethers, I’m gearing up for 2 birthday parties that I’ll be throwing over the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned for a plethora of photos, decoration and party theme ideas, and of course, recipes!

I recommend using The Inspiralizer to spiralize the cucumbers used in this recipe!

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using any of the links.

Greek Chicken and Cucumber Noodle Bowls

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

Author: Krista

Serves: 4 bowls

Ingredients

Chicken:

1 lb raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts)
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper

Cucumber Noodle Mixture:

2 English cucumbers
2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup garbanzo beans (drained), divided

Dressing:

¼ cup red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tbs honey
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, chopped

Toppings:

¼ cup feta cheese, divided
¼ cup hummus, divided
¼ cup tzatziki sauce, divided

Instructions

For the chicken: In a medium Ziploc bag, add the chicken breasts, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and give it a good shake to incorporate all ingredients and evenly coat the chicken.
Marinate at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Once oven is heated, place the chicken breasts on a large lined baking sheet. Bake the chicken for about 25 minutes. Let cool.
For the cucumber noodle mixture: While chicken is in the oven, use a spiralizer or mandolin to create cucumber noodles. If you don’t own a spiralizer, use a knife to slice the cucumbers into thin strands. Chopping into small chunks works just fine too!
Chop the tomatoes in half, and finely chop the onion.
For the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or Nutribullet. Or, simply whisk the ingredients until combined.
Prepare the bowls: Chop the chicken into small chunks and set aside.
Set out 4 medium bowls.
Place ¼ of the chopped chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions into each bowl. Add a ¼ cup of garbanzo beans to each bowl.
Pour the dressing over the mixture. Toss until the dressing is incorporated.
Top each cucumber bowl with 1 tbs each of feta, hummus, and tzatziki sauce.

Notes

Serving size: 1 bowl
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 400 Fat: 17.3g Carb: 30.1g Fiber: 5.6g Protein: 34.1g Sugar 11g Sodium: 365mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 8 Points Plus