I've been seeing dinner bowls -- basically a dish with its distinct parts artfully arranged rather than mixed together in a bowl -- a lot lately. The concept is pretty cool, and the final result is usually more aesthetically pleasing than your basic tossed salad or pasta dish.
The day after I made these Greek chicken and orzo bowls for the first time, there was even a post on the Kitchn about dinner bowls and how to make them. They describe the dinner bowl as a big salad plus a protein and a base of grains, pasta, or Asian noodles. This is a good start, and with flavorings and other components, you can take it in any direction you want.
I had an olive craving and I knew we had some chicken breasts in the fridge, so I began building a dinner bowl in my head and it quickly became a Greek-inspired bowl.
I started the dinner bowl with a layer of baby spinach tossed with Greek dressing. (I made the dressing with Greek seasoning, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice, but bottled dressing will work well, too.)
I topped the spinach with a pile of orzo that I seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed with a little olive oil. (Jeff and I had the salads with warm orzo one night, and my friend and I tried them with room-temperature orzo the next night; both were great.)
Around the orzo, I arranged piles of cubed grilled chicken (marinated in Greek dressing the first night and simply seasoned with salt and pepper the second), quartered grape tomatoes tossed with Greek dressing, chopped kalamata olives, and crumbled feta. (Jeff had cucumbers in place of the tomatoes and olives -- one of the nice things about dinner bowls is that they can be tailored to each person's tastes.)
Then I added wedges of warm pita and a small piece of lemon (to be squeezed over the components as desired) to each bowl.
For a final touch of artistry and a little extra flavor, I snipped fresh chives over the bowls.
These dinner bowls are nothing complicated (another plus), but they do look impressive and they offer customization, a fun way to use what you have on hand, and a little change from routine salads and pastas.
Greek Chicken And Orzo Bowls
Baby spinach, orzo, chicken, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta, and chives
are artfully arranged to create these Greek chicken and orzo bowls.
are artfully arranged to create these Greek chicken and orzo bowls.
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Prep Time: 25 minutes (plus 30 minutes if marinating chicken)
Cook Time: None
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients
2 cups baby spinach
2 to 3 tablespoons Greek dressing, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup dried orzo, cooked according to package directions, mixed with a little olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper (warm or room temperature)*
12 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise then crosswise
10 to 12 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 inch thick, seasoned with salt and pepper (or marinated in Greek dressing for 30 minutes), and grilled or pan-seared*
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh chives
1 pita, warmed in toaster oven and cut into 4 wedges**
2 small lemon wedges
Preparation
Place spinach in medium bowl, drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons (based on how much you like) Greek dressing on top, and toss, using tongs, until spinach is well coated. Divide spinach between two bowls.
Spoon half of orzo over spinach in the center of each bowl.
Add tomatoes to same medium bowl, drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon Greek dressing on top, and toss, using tongs, until tomatoes are well coated. Pile half of tomatoes in one section of each bowl.
Pile half of kalamata olives in another section of each bowl.
Pile half of chicken cubes in another section of each bowl.
Pile half of feta in another section of each bowl.
Arrange 2 warm pita wedges and 1 lemon wedge in each bowl.
Snip fresh chives over each bowl.
Serve, with extra dressing on the side.
*A good strategy is to cook the chicken and orzo while you prep the other ingredients, or you can even make them a day ahead, depending whether you want them warm or cool.
**I recommend warming the pitas once the rest of the salad is prepared, just before serving.
These Greek chicken and orzo bowls are full of lemony, salty, briny flavors and feature a good mix of protein, vegetables, and pasta. I loved the different colors in the bowl and thought the dish was as tasty as it was eye-catching.
What kind of dinner bowl would you make?