Oregano Chicken Greek Bowls: Healthy Comfort Food

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Short on time but craving a deliciously healthy meal? Look no further than this 30-minute zesty Oregano Chicken bowl! Featuring tender lemon and oregano marinated chicken breasts, garden-fresh zucchini noodles, mini mozzarella balls, and roasted red peppers, this Greek meal is the perfect solution for busy weeknights.

Update: This recipe was originally published in August 2015. I made updates to the article below to include more information about making Greek chicken with oregano at home.

Hi, friends! If you’re looking for flavorful and deliciously healthy meal without any fuss, look no further than these oregano chicken zoodle bowls.

About this chicken oregano

These grilled oregano chicken zucchini bowls are healthy, light and refreshingly delicious. These babies are loaded with magnificent Mediterranean num nums that your I-heart-ALL-the-things-summer self craves.

This grilled oregano chicken is lemony, herbaceous, succulent, tender, and char-ilicious. If you’re tired or boring, bland chicken breasts, you’ve GOT to try this fantastically flavorful greek marinated chicken. I’m not ashamed to say I ate an entire pound of this chicken and honestly, I can’t wait to do it again. (There really IS something to that catchy tagline “eat more chicken”.)

BUT, that is just the chicken. Clearly, you can’t have a “bowl” without more. I decided to serve the chicken over zucchini noodles. It recently crossed my mind that while I have a spiralizer, and I use it to noodle all the things possible, I have NEVER posted ANYTHING spiralized. Don’t ask me why. I have no rhyme or reason. But I am fixing that today, so I know you forgive me. 🙂

The “zoodles” are tossed in a silky, smooth, garlicky, lemony, olive oil mixture that is toe-ts delicious. All of that YUM is topped with glorious Mediterranean ingredients – creamy bocconcini, sweet roasted red peppers, salty green olives, spicy crushed red peppers, nut-nummy pine nuts, and zippy lemon zest. The overall result? A pungent, crunchy, creamy, wonderfully delicious bowl of Oh.My.Gawd. Gimme all this summer yum!

FAQs: frequently asked questions

What cut of chicken is best for oregano chicken?

While the recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts, several cuts of chicken work well with oregano, depending on your preference:

• Chicken breasts: A classic and lean option. Pounding them thin helps ensure even cooking.
• Chicken thighs: A more flavorful and juicy cut compared to breasts. They take slightly longer to cook through.
• Boneless or Bone-in: You can use boneless or bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, depending upon your preference. Bone-in chicken pieces tend to stay juicier than boneless.

Do I need to marinate the chicken?

While marinating is not essential, it is highly recommended. Marinating lends extra flavor to the chicken and tenderizes the meat in the process. You can marinate the chicken in the Greek oregano marinade for as little as 30 minutes, but if you’re looking for the best oregano chicken experience, be sure to marinate it at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

How can I cook chicken with oregano?

There are several ways to cook oregano chicken, each offering a slightly different texture:

• Grilling: The recipe below calls for grilling the oregano marinated chicken as grilling offers a smoky flavor as well as beautiful grill marks on the chicken.
• Pan-Frying: If it’s too hot or too cold out to fire up the grill, using a skillet and the stovetop is quick and easy option that results in nicely browned chicken.
• Oven Baking: Prefer a hands-off approach? Baking ensures even cooking and allows you to roast vegetables alongside the chicken for a complete meal.

Serving chicken with lemon and oregano

Oregano seasoned chicken pairs well with a wide variety of sides dishes. Below are some ideas to inspire:

• Salad: The most obvious pairing option here would be a light and refreshing Greek salad with feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, and a vinaigrette dressing.
• Marinated Vegetables: Add some flavorful goodness to your plate by serving your chicken with your favorite marinated favorites, like marinated grape tomatoes and marinated mushrooms.
• Roasted vegetables: Roast your favorite vegetables, think: broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, or potatoes for a healthy side that complements lemon oregano chicken beautifully.
• Rice, Quinoa, or Couscous: If you’re looking for a filling side dish, any grain, such as quinoa, zucchini rice, Greek lemony rice, or recipes with pearl couscous are perfect for soaking up the flavorful sauce.
• Pasta: Serve oregano chicken over pastas for a heartier meal. Use pearl couscous to keep things Mediterranean.

Bonus Tip: Shred or chop leftover oregano chicken and use it to make various dishes such as salads, wraps, and quesadillas. Or use in as a substitute for rotisserie chicken in your favorite Greek recipes.

Trust and believe. You need to do this before it’s too late. Before autumn weather takes over your soul and you are surrounded by Halloween candy, pumpkin decorations and eventually annoying Christmas carols on the radio… on repeat. So stop reading; start marinating and spiralizing! I know you guys are going to love this bodacious bowl of all things delicious just as much as we did! Cheers and happy zoodle-ing!

Cheyanne

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More delicious Greek chicken recipes!

• Mediterranean Pasta with Chicken
• Chicken Hummus Bowls
• Chicken with Moroccan Couscous Salad

Oregano Chicken Mediterranean Zoodle Bowl

5 from 8 votes

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Total Time: 32 minutes mins

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Healthy, delicious Oregano Chicken Mediterranean Zoodle Bowls. Succulent, tender chicken breasts bursting with oregano and lemon flavor, piled high on zucchini noodles and finished with mini balls of mozzarella, roasted red peppers, pine nuts and olives.  

Ingredients 

• Oregano Chicken:
• 2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts – pounded to even thickness* (about 1 pound total)
• 1 tsp Anchovy Paste (can substitute 1 anchovy, minced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic – minced
• ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 ½ tsp Lemon Juice
• ½ tsp Lemon Zest
• ½ small Yellow Onion – thinly sliced
• ¼ Cup Fresh Oregano – roughly chopped – thinly sliced, plus more for garnishing
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• Vegetable Oil – to brush grates
• Zoodles:
• 2 Zucchini – spiralized (about 1 pound total)
• ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 TBS Lemon Juice (about 1 small lemon)
• ½ tsp Lemon Zest
• 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small clove Garlic – minced
• Bowl Garnishes , to taste (optional):
• Bocconcini Cheese
• Sweet Roasted Red Peppers – thinly sliced
• Green Olives
• Pine Nuts
• Lemon Zest
• Fresh Oregano Leaves
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

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Instructions

• Marinate the Chicken: In a large Ziploc bag combine the anchovy paste, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, onion and oregano. Add chicken breasts and toss to coat. Set aside in the refrigerator for 6 hours to overnight to allow to marinate.
• Meanwhile, Prepare the Zucchini Noodles: Transfer the “noodles” to a fine mesh strainer set into a large bowl. Generously salt the noodles and toss to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the salt to remove excess moisture from the “noodles” and drain. Use a clean tea towel or paper towels to squeeze as much moisture as possible out of the noodles. Transfer to a medium sized bowl.
• In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and a pinch of pepper. Pour mixture over zucchini noodles and toss to combine.
• To Grill the Chicken: Remove chicken from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling. Heat a grill, or grill pan, to medium/medium-high heat. Generously oil grates with vegetable oil. Remove chicken from marinade and allow excess to drip off and back into bag. Discard marinade.
• Grill chicken until browned, about 3-6 minutes. Flip and continue to grill on the second side and until browned and chicken is cooked through* (an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees F.), an additional 3-6 minutes. Transfer to a clean work surface and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into large bite sized pieces.
• To Serve: Divide zoodles equally between two bowls. Top with grilled chicken, bocconcini, red peppers, green olives and pine nuts. Garnish with lemon zest and oregano. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*Use a meat mallet, or use a rolling pin, to pound chicken to even thickness (about ¾’’ thick) for juicy, evenly cooked chicken.
*If chicken is starting to brown too quickly before thermometer registers 160 degrees F, move chicken to a cooler side of the grill to finish cooking.
*Grilling time for chicken will depend on thickness and size of chicken
*Inactive Marinade Time of 6+ hours

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal    Carbohydrates: 10g    Protein: 27g    Fat: 37g    Saturated Fat: 5g    Cholesterol: 74mg    Sodium: 1712mg    Potassium: 973mg    Fiber: 2g    Sugar: 5g    Vitamin A: 425IU    Vitamin C: 43.3mg    Calcium: 52mg    Iron: 1.4mg

Course: entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean