These Chicken Quinoa Bowls combine the warmth and vibrancy of Lebanese 7 spices with tender chicken and wholesome quinoa. With refreshing cucumber-tomato salad, salty olives and halloumi, and fresh herbs, this gluten-free chicken recipe is ideal for a hearty lunch or a light, nutritious dinner.
This easy chicken and quinoa bowl recipe blends traditional Lebanese flavors with contemporary ingredients like quinoa and halloumi, creating a culturally rich yet modern dish.
The smashed cucumber and tomato salad uses a Chinese technique where cucumbers are smashed with a knife’s side and then torn into craggy pieces, enhancing their ability to soak up flavors such as lemon juice and Greek yogurt. This technique, paired with salt-draining the cherry tomatoes, ensures they fully absorb the dressing, enriching the salad’s taste.
What I love most about these bowls is their adaptability, making them a perfect choice for family meals where everyone might want something a little different.
Table of contents
Ingredients for Lebanese Chicken and Quinoa Bowls
Each ingredient in this recipe brings its own unique flavor and texture, making its combination worth repeating week after week. Here’s what makes this Quinoa Chicken Bowl not just delicious, but uniquely nourishing:
- Persian Cucumbers: Smashed Persian cucumbers, with their thin peel, add a refreshing and crunchy bite to this bowl, without the extra effort of having to peel them. Use English cucumbers if you can’t get Persian ones.
- Cherry tomatoes taste good all year round, making them a great choice for this recipe, especially when tomatoes are out of season.
- Salt enhances the flavors and also helps remove excess moisture from the cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Halloumi: This firm, salty cheese adds a delightful texture and rich flavor to the bowl. I like to grate it for even distribution.
- Lebanese 7 Spice (sebaa baharat) is a blend of ground allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and cloves. It gives the chicken a deeply comforting warm, and aromatic flavor. This recipe includes instructions for blending your own 7-spice mixture, but If you have pre-mixed 7-spice or baharat in your pantry, you can absolutely use that instead.
- Chicken thighs: Chosen for their juiciness, these are seasoned and cooked to perfection.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Coating the chicken with fruity extra virgin olive oil helps it brown and ensures that the spices adhere well to the chicken, adding depth and richness. Try our premium, single-origin Extra Virgin Olive Oils
- Quinoa: A super grain that is as nutritious as it is delicious, providing a fluffy base for the bowls.
- Greek yogurt brings creaminess to the cucumber and tomato salad, balancing out the spices.
- Lemon juice adds a necessary zing that lifts all the other flavors.
- Fresh Herbs: Mint and parsley add freshness and brightness.
- Kalamata olives: Deeply colored kalamata olives contribute a briny depth, enhancing the Mediterranean feel of the bowl.
- Pine nuts, toasted in a splash of olive oil, add a delicious, nutty crunch.
What Is Lebanese 7 Spice?
Lebanese 7 spice, or “sebaa baharat” in Arabic, is a staple spice blend in Middle Eastern cooking. Baharat is the Arabic word for “spices.” which generally refers to any Middle Eastern spice blend, and “sebaa” is the Arabic word for seven.
Seven spice is cherished throughout Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan. Each region, even each household, might boast its own unique blend, turning this traditional mix into a closely guarded family secret. These spice blends may or may not actually include 7 different spices.
When it came to making, my own blend for this quinoa chicken bowl, I experimented with various combinations for the perfect blend. I settled on the warm, aromatic mix of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and cloves.
You can make the spice blend yourself, as I did for this recipe, but if you don’t have all the spices or you don’t want to mix the blend yourself you can swap in a jar of baharat from your pantry. It will definitely work in this recipe.
How to Make Quinoa Bowls
You can make Quinoa Chicken Bowls in a few simple steps. Each component can be stored separately in the fridge, making it an excellent choice for meal prep.
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make Lebanese 7 Spice Blend: To make your own 7 Spice mixture, mix together 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves until thoroughly combined. Makes about 1/2 cup.
- Prepare the Cucumber-Tomato Salad: Using the side of your knife or a mortar, smash 1 pound Persian cucumbers until they divide into 4 or so pieces lengthwise. Then, either tear or cut them into rough, bite-sized chunks. Transfer them to a colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Halve 1 pint cherry tomatoes and add to the cucumbers. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Toss 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 Spice Blend or baharat, 1 teaspoon salt, and about a tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once that’s done, roast until an instant-read thermometer reads at least 165°F, about 20 minutes, or until the center is fully opaque and the juices run clear. Set the chicken aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice each thigh into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the quinoa: While the chicken bakes, rinse 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Transfer to a pot and add 2 1/4 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low, and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to steam for another 10 minutes.
- Toast Pine Nuts: In a small frying pan, combine a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/3 cup pine nuts, and set over medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, give it a stir. Stir the pine nuts frequently until they turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Transfer to a bowl.
- Finish the Cucumber-Tomato Salad: Mix drained cucumbers and tomatoes with 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt and the juice of 1 lemon.
- Build the bowls: Divide quinoa between bowls and then top with sliced chicken and cucumber-tomato salad and 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi, grated. Top with pine nuts, pitted and chopped Kalamata olives, mint leaves, and chopped parsley. Drizzle with dressing from the salad and serve with lemon wedges.
Ways to Make this Recipe Your Own
What’s great about these Quinoa Chicken Bowls is that they’re completely customizable to suit your personal preferences. Here are a few ideas for ways to customize them.
- Swap chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer, or use crispy roasted chickpeas for a vegetarian variant.
- Replace quinoa with another grain like cooked barley, bulgur wheat, or brown rice.
- Experiment with different cheeses such as feta or goat cheese if halloumi isn’t your style.
- Add some heat to the chicken with a pinch of crushed red pepper
- For those who prefer that signature, squeaky texture, pan-frying or grilling the halloumi is also an option.
What to Serve with Quinoa Chicken Bowls
Serve Quinoa Chicken Bowls with Lebanese 7 Spices with a warm flatbread like Taboon. Pair it with a refreshing mint lemonade or your favorite white wine. For dessert, a light lemon sorbet, lemon tart, or pistachio cake would perfectly round off this meal.
If you mix your own batch of 7-spice, use the leftover spice blend in just about any chicken recipe to give it a Lebanese twist! It would be great in shish tawook, chicken shawarma salad bowls, or even oven roasted chicken.
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Lebanese Quinoa Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 Spice Blend or baharat spice blend
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 (8 ounce) block halloumi, grated
- kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- mint leaves
- chopped parsley
- lemon wedges
Cucumber-Tomato Salad
- 3 to 4 Persian cucumbers, about 1 pound
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the Cucumber-Tomato Salad: Using the side of your knife or a mortar, smash the cucumbers until they divide into 4 or so pieces lengthwise. Then, either tear or cut them into rough, bite-sized chunks. Transfer them to a colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Halve cherry tomatoes and add to the cucumbers. Season with salt. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Toss chicken with 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 Spice Blend or baharat, 1 teaspoon salt, and about a tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until an instant read thermometer reads at least 165°F, about 20 minutes, or until the center is fully opaque and the juices run clear. Set the chicken aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice each thigh into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the quinoa: While the chicken bakes, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Transfer to a pot and add 2 1/4 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low, and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to steam for another 10 minutes.
- Toast the pine nuts: In a small frying pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and pine nuts, and set over medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, give it a stir. Stir the pine nuts frequently until they start to turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Transfer to a bowl.
- Finish the Cucumber-Tomato Salad: Mix drained cucumbers and tomatoes with Greek yogurt and lemon juice.
- Build the bowls: Divide quinoa between bowls and top with sliced chicken and cucumber-tomato salad and halloumi. Top with pine nuts, olives, mint, and parsley. Drizzle with dressing from the salad and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the Bharat spice blend, olive oil, and kalamata olives.
- To make Lebanese 7 Spice Blend: Mix 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves until thoroughly combined. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Nutrition
Try our Baharat Spice Blend!
This blend of spices adds a warm and sweet depth to any dish.
