Grilled Lemon-Oregano Chicken Bowls with Whipped Tzatziki

A weeknight Greek bowl built to actually fill you up: seared lemon-garlic chicken, a cool yogurt sauce, and a crunchy tomato-cucumber salad over nutty bulgur.

This is the bowl to make when you want something that tastes like a taverna plate but takes 30 minutes start to finish. The chicken gets a quick lemon-oregano marinade so it browns fast and stays juicy, the tzatziki is thick because you actually squeeze the cucumber dry, and the bulgur underneath adds the kind of chew and fiber that white rice does not. Nothing here is a "diet swap." It is just a good Mediterranean plate, sized honestly.

Per serving: about 510 calories, 51g protein, 29g carbs (6g fiber), 21g fat. This adapts the marinade ratios and bowl format from Chelsea Joy Eats' high-protein chicken souvlaki bowls (published January 2026), swapping in bulgur for rice and trimming the oil and yogurt fat to land the macros above; math below is our own.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

• 12 oz (340g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bulgur

• 1/3 cup dry bulgur (about 60g)
• 2/3 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
• pinch of salt

Cucumber-tomato salad

• 1 cup diced Persian cucumber
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt

Whipped tzatziki

• 2/3 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated cucumber, squeezed dry in a towel
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• pinch of salt

To finish

• 1/4 cup (30g) crumbled feta
• Fresh parsley or extra dill, for garnish

Steps

1. Toss the chicken cubes with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Let it sit at room temperature while you do everything else, at least 15 minutes.
2. Bring the water (or broth) and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the bulgur, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Take it off the heat, let it stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. Stir together the yogurt, squeezed-dry grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and a pinch of salt for the tzatziki. Refrigerate until you plate.
4. Toss the diced cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.
5. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel (this matters, see the tip below), then heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in a single layer, undisturbed, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through (165°F internal temperature), about 7 to 8 minutes total.
6. Divide the bulgur between two bowls. Top with the chicken, cucumber-tomato salad, a generous spoonful of tzatziki, and the feta. Finish with fresh herbs and a lemon wedge.

Make it better: pat the chicken bone-dry before it hits the pan. Marinade left clinging to the surface steams the meat instead of browning it, and browning is most of the flavor here. Same logic applies to the tzatziki: salt the grated cucumber, let it sit five minutes, then wring it out hard in a clean towel, or the sauce turns into cucumber water by the time you eat it.

Batch prep: the marinade, seared chicken, cooked bulgur, and tzatziki all hold separately in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Double or triple the chicken and bulgur for the week, but keep the cucumber-tomato salad fresh-cut each night, it turns watery fast once salted and dressed.