Chicken quinoa tabbouleh bowls are a twist on a classic Middle Eastern dish, gone high protein and gluten free. An easy and healthy meal prep recipe!
If you've ever had tabbouleh, you know it's really flavorful and really healthy! It's not, however, super filling as far as a dish goes. Tabbouleh is light and nourishing, especially on a warm day. You can eat a whole lot of it, that's for sure. But you might want a little something more, right?
Typically, this Middle Eastern dish is made with bulgur wheat, which makes it a dish with gluten. Our version, however, adds protein in two forms: from quinoa (which is gluten-free, hooray) and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Welcome your new favorite high-protein warm-weather go-to healthy meal prep.
Chicken Quinoa Tabbouleh Bowls Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup diced seedless cucumber
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
How to Make Chicken Quinoa Tabbouleh Bowls
This is one of those healthy meal preps that you can make all at once, or in stages; it's up to you. For example, you could cook the chicken ahead of time if desired and set it aside in the fridge. The same goes for the quinoa. This isn't a dish that you necessarily need to serve warm, so it's especially good for really breaking this down into steps. Start with the chicken; get that prepped and pop it into the oven. (Or go ahead and grill it if that's your vibe!)
It's a straight assembly job. Once the quinoa is cooked, fold in the diced cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and green onions. The lemon juice and olive oil form a quick dressing and brighten everything up!
How to Serve and Store
These will keep really well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, as long as they're in a covered, airtight container. We love being able to pull these out when hunger strikes for either lunch or dinner. This dish can be served at room temperature or cold, which, to us, feels the best kind of meal prep.
Substitutions and Alterations
Feel free to make this dish with chicken thighs. It'll be extra juicy! Salmon would also taste great with all of these flavors, and bring in some awesome omega-3s, too.
If you're not following a gluten-free diet, by all means, go ahead and use bulgur wheat if you want to make this a more traditional tabbouleh.
Go totally plant-based and make it with tofu instead of chicken.
Try not to omit the cucumbers and tomatoes if at all possible. Parsley is also a must but we've seen some versions of tabbouleh with cilantro, but that's not totally traditional. (Purists might recoil in horror.)
MORE QUINOA SALADS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 cup cucumber diced, seedless
- 1 cup green onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place the chicken breasts in an oven-safe dish and drizzle with ½ Tbsp. olive oil, turning them in the pan until coated. Season on both sides with garlic powder, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the internal cooking temperature reaches 165°F. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then slice.
- While the chicken bakes, combine quinoa, 1 ½ cups water and ½ tsp. kosher salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand 5 minutes, covered, then fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
- After the quinoa has cooled, fold in the tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, and parsley. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the quinoa tabbouleh into meal prep containers and top with sliced chicken breast. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.
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