Protein Rice Bowl
This is the bowl I build when I want dinner to look sectioned, not stirred into one pot. Rice goes down first. Seared chicken covers the middle. Tomato, cucumber, and red onion stay in their own piles, the way they do in the photo, and a thin lemon-yogurt sauce goes over the chicken and the cucumber. Lemon sits on the rim. Most of the work is the chicken. The rest is chopping.
It fits a Mediterranean plate without a long ingredient list. Olive oil for the sear, herbs, lemon, yogurt, tomato, onion, and cucumber. The chicken is the protein. A short rice portion keeps the bowl from turning into a carb plate with a little meat on top. If you want it lighter, use half the rice and add spinach under the chicken. The sauce should be thick enough to drizzle, not a puddle in the bowl.
I use one wide bowl for two, or split it into two plates. It feeds two as a meal. The chicken and rice reheat. The cucumber and tomato are better fresh, so keep those separate if you are packing lunch.
Why you'll love it
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- High protein from the chicken, with the rice as the base.
- Looks like the photo: seared pieces, tomato, cucumber, onion, white drizzle.
- Sauce is yogurt and lemon, not a heavy dressing.
Anti-Inflammatory & Mediterranean Recipes
Protein Rice Bowl
- Prep15 min
- Cook15 min
- Total30 min
- Servings2 servings
- Calories560 kcal
Ingredients
- Chicken
- Bowl
- Drizzle
Instructions
- Stir the drizzle: yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, water, salt, and olive oil. It should run off a spoon. Add a splash more water if it sits in a mound.
- Pat the chicken dry. Toss with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Sear the chicken 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until gold and cooked through. Rest 2 minutes.
- Spoon the rice into a wide bowl. Add the chicken in the center, tomatoes at the top, onion on one side, cucumber on the other.
- Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and the cucumber. Finish with parsley and a lemon wedge.
Notes & Tips
- Dry chicken browns. Wet pieces steam and stay pale.
- Do not stir the bowl. The photo works because each part stays in its place.
- Onion in a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, then drained, if raw onion is too sharp.
- Sauce last. It soaks into hot rice and disappears if it goes on too early.
- Nutrition: Per serving (half the bowl). Estimate, with white rice.
- Nutrition: Net carbohydrates: 49g
- Nutrition: WW estimate: 10 points on the current plan (rice and oil carry most of the points; chicken and yogurt are the lighter part)
- Fridge: 3 days for the chicken and rice. Keep tomato, cucumber, and sauce separate and add them cold.
- Chicken freezes well, up to 2 months. Rice is better fresh.
- Nutrition is an estimate from chicken breast, 1 cup cooked rice per bowl, vegetables, yogurt, and olive oil.
Variations & serving ideas
- No yogurt: use a lemon-olive oil drizzle and skip the white sauce.
- Higher protein: add another 4 oz chicken, or a spoon of chickpeas on the side.
- Lower carb: use half the rice and fill the gap with spinach.
- No rice: cauliflower rice works. Season it or the bowl tastes flat.
- Dairy-free: the lemon-olive oil swap covers it. The chicken does not need the yogurt.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · makes 2 servings
| Nutrient | Amount per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 560 kcal |
| Total fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 52 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Protein | 46 g |
Nutrition values are approximate and vary with brands and portion sizes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to make Protein Rice Bowl?
About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking.
What ingredients do I need for Protein Rice Bowl?
The key ingredients include chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cucumber-herb salad and garlic. The recipe card lists every ingredient with exact amounts.
How should I store leftovers?
Fridge: 3 days for the chicken and rice.
Can I freeze Protein Rice Bowl?
Chicken freezes well, up to 2 months.
Test your knowledge5 quick questions about this recipe
1 / 5
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!