If I had to eat Mediterranean food every day that would be okay with me. This dinner combo is one that R and I would both like to see on the menu each week. The rice is the best rice I’ve ever had. It’s especially light and the fresh ingredients make it perfect for summer. Soaking the rice for 15-20 minutes before cooking is key! The chicken is super duper delicious thanks to the marinade, also made with fresh ingredients. I used chicken breast because that’s what I already had – the recipe called for thighs. It was still really tender. The tzatziki is like the icing on the cake. I always like to add a tossed salad sprinkled with feta cheese and maybe some pepperoncini. The souvlaki and tzatziki recipes came from The Everything Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook (Amazon affiliate link). It is full of so many great recipes. Lots of slow cooker options that I’m dying to try too. Let me know if you try any of these recipes. Enjoy!
Greek Lemon Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup orzo
- 2 lemons, juiced + zest of one of the lemons
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- Wash rice well. Soak covered in cold water for 15-20.
- Heat about 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan with a lid until oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook for about 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and orzo. Stir a bit until the orzo has gained some color. Stir in the rice and toss to coat.
- Add lemon juice and broth. Bring to a rolling boil, then turn heat to low. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is done. The liquid should be fully absorbed and rice should be tender but not sticky.
- Remove from heat. Uncover and stir in parsley, dill, and lemon zest.
Chicken Souvlaki
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1" cubes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest, grated
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, oil, onions, garlic, lemon juice and zest, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before skewering.
- Grill skewered chicken about 3-4 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.
Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1/2 large cucumber, seeded and grated
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 18 oz plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl, add cucumber and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Strain cucumber 30 minutes. Hand squeeze remaining water from the cucumber (I use a paper towel for this).
- In a large bowl, stir together cucumber, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, yogurt, garlic, vinegar, and dill.
- Slowly stir in oil until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate until cold or serve at room temperature.
My grandfather was from Macedonia. Our family grew up on the Mediterranean diet. There is nothing so good. If you can find it the sheep feta is by far the best.
Thank you for the recommendation! I will definitely look for it.
This sounds fantastic and we’re going to make it this weekend, can’t wait! Thanks Rene!
I hope you enjoyed it, Ginger!
This looks wonderful. I am wondering though if there is a typo with 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of broth. I always use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups broth. I want to make this meal but want to check with you first. Thank you!
Thank you for reaching out, Tricia. I think it calls for extra broth because of the orzo. It should be 2 cups rice & 2 cups broth.