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This blog post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. All opinions are my own.
There are some recipes that I never get tired of eating when I meal prep during the week, and this Mediterranean chicken farro bowl is one of them. And as you can see in the video below, making them is super easy!
This is the perfect recipe for those days where you crave something filling and healthy at the same time but don’t want it to include lettuce? I have days like that, all the time!
Now if you’ve never cooked with farro, don’t worry. It’s a lot like cooking rice and resembles barley when cooked. Its nutty flavor also makes it a healthy and delicious alternative to regular rice in soups, stews, and salads.
Healthy Mediterranean Salad with Farro
Growing up in Spain I ate a lot of cold salads. This Mediterranean Chicken Farro Bowl recipe can be enjoyed warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Imagine, marinated chicken breast, feta cheese, fresh veggies, all on top of cooked farro with tzatziki sauce! This bowl is a feed-your-soul-mind-and-body kinda’ goodness! It’s absolutely loaded with all the good things like protein, summer veggies, and whole grains from Bob’s Red Mill farro.
And much like their flours, baking mixes, and other whole grains, Bob’s Red Mill farro is high quality and certified organic. Their grains, baking flours, and gluten-free baking products are superior are top quality and use them for some of our favorite recipes like:
- Cassava Flour Pancakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
- Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
- High Protein Lunchbox Cookie
- Perfect Yellow Cupcakes
What is Farro?
Good question! Farro is a healthy whole grain that looks similar to barley but has a nutty taste and chewy texture of its own. It’s one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world, and it’s high protein and fiber content make it a prime choice for whole grains.
Like rice, farro is exceptionally versatile and great for salads, stews, soups, side dishes, or even breakfast. But today, we’re doing something a little special and using this healthy whole grain for Mediterranean Chicken Bowls.
How to Cook Farro
Farro comes in three different forms: whole, semi, and pearled. The whole and semi variety can take over 30 minutes to cook, another reason I prefer Bob’s Red Mill farro. It’s pearled and is ready to eat in 30 minutes, which is all the attention span I have for preparing dinner during the week.
To cook, combine 1 part (1 cup farro) with 3 parts liquid (3 cups) into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low and allowing the farro to simmer for 25-30 minutes. When the grain is tender, drain the excess water, and you are ready to whip up these Mediterranean bowls or do whatever your heart desires.
Farro readily takes on flavors so cook it with broths, stocks, or herbs you keep on hand.
What goes in Mediterranean Salad Bowls
If it starts with “Mediterranean salad” you can guarantee there will be cucumber, feta, olives, and tzatziki included! All this for a good reason, the flavor combo screams fresh and tastes out of this world. If you’re not sure what tzatziki is, it’s a cucumber yogurt sauce you won’t want to miss!
But we don’t stop there. I’m stepping up the game by adding marinated, seared chicken breast and of course, the star of this dish, farro. The farro ties everything together and packs so much more flavor and nutrients than regular rice or couscous.
How to Make Chicken Farro Bowls
Just like taco bowls or the buffalo chicken bowls, this is one of those, top-it-how-ya-like-it type meals. My favorite. This way, all you have to do is prepare the ingredients and assemble them in a self-serve style on the table so that everyone can build their bowl. It goes a little like this:
- Scoop cooked farro into a bowl
- Top with the chicken
- A sprinkle of feta
- Add some cukes (chopped cucumber)
- Can’t forget the kalamata olives
- Drench it with Tzatziki sauce
- A squeeze of lemon and some freshly chopped dill
BAM! Isn’t that one good lookin’ bowl?!
If you are looking for more epic chicken recipes like this one, you have to check out my chicken recipe ebook. It has 70 delicious meals like this one, proving chicken does not have to be boring!
70+ Epic Chicken Recipes
If chicken is your go-to meal builder, you’re going to love the recipes inside this book!
From marinades, soups, slow cooker meals, one-pot wonders, sheet pan dinners, and more, the recipes inside are delicious and kid-approved.
If you want to make it vegetarian, swap the chicken for chickpeas. Hummus, chopped red bell pepper, and red onions would also be a good idea here! As you can see, these Mediterranean Chicken Farro Bowls are super easy to meal prep and hold up really well in the fridge for a couple of days. I love storing them in glass meal prep containers and eating them cold as a salad or warmed up in the microwave. They make the perfect healthy work lunch we all wish we could buy nearby!
Bob’s Red Mill Greek Chicken Farro Bowls
Ingredients
FOR THE BOWLS
- 1 cup cooked Bob's Red Mill Farro
- 3 cups water or stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 large breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups chopped cucumber
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Fresh dill and parsley, for garnish, optional
TZATZIKI SAUCE
- 1 cucumber
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
FOR THE BOWLS
- Rinse and drain farro. Place farro in a pot with salt and enough water or stock to cover it. Bring it to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain off any excess water.
- For the chicken: In a gallon size zip bag, combine chicken breasts, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken breasts into the skillet and cook for 7 minutes, flip, and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes until the internal temperature has reached 165. Discard marinade.
- Remove chicken from pan and wait 5 minutes before slicing.
- To assemble the Greek bowls; place a bed of farro at the bottom of your bowl or meal prep container. Top with sliced chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, tzatziki sauce, and feta cheese. Sprinkle some parsley and dill and serve with lemon wedges.
TZATZIKI SAUCE
- Line a large bowl with a mesh strainer, place a paper towel into the strainer.
- Use a cheese grater to grate the cucumber and garlic clove, transfer to the straiiner to remove the excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl combine the shredded cucumber, garlic, yogurt, salt, lemon juice, and dill. Stir to combine and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
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