EPIC Mediterranean Farro Bowls (2024)

Make this epic farro and chicken recipe for dinner or turn it into ahealthy meal prep lunchfor the office with the tips in this post.

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Farro Bowls

You’ll love digging your fork into through layers of juicy marinated chicken, fresh veggies, hearty farro, and feta cheese. And, if that wasn’t enough, a creamy Tzatziki sauce drizzled over the top seals the deal and makes this Mediterranean chicken bowl taste incredible.

I can’t get enough of these farro bowls as a family dinner that everyone loves or packed as a healthy office lunch—which is why I put them up on this site and make them at least once a month!

If you’ve never cooked farro, don’t worry. It’s a lot like cooking rice and resembles barley or brown rice when cooked. Its nutty flavor also makes it a healthy and delicious alternative to regular rice in soups, stews, and salads.

That’s not all. Compared with other grains, farro has a considerable amount of protein. This helps keep you full longer, avoiding unhealthy snacking, and leading to a healthy weight.

Ingredients

With this meal, you have all the benefits of farro and all the other delicious ingredients we add to these bowls. You’ll find the ingredient measurements at the end of the post, but first, check out what you need to make this tasty and nutritious recipe:

• Farro:packs much more flavor and nutrients than regular rice or couscous.
• Chicken breast:marinated in delicious lemon oregano flavors and pan-seared to juicy perfection.
• Lemon-oregano marinade:a very simple marinade that packs on the flavor.
• Cherry tomatoes:chopped fresh tomatoes also work great.
• Cucumber:crisp and refreshing!
• Kalamata olives:have a unique flavor, but you can swap them out for your favorite variety of pitted olives.
• Red onion:if you love their sharp flavor, add them!
• Tzatziki sauce:a delicious sauce made with cucumber and Greek yogurt. Check out my recipe for homemade Tzatziki below.
• Feta cheese:tangy feta brightens the flavors of the farro bowls and adds a creamy element.
• Lemon:to squeeze over the toppings.
• Fresh dill or parsley:chopped and sprinkled over the chicken and veggies.

How to Make Mediterranean Farro Bowls with Chicken

Sometimes, I cook the farro ahead of time and the chicken so I can simply assemble this meal on a busy weeknight. Here is how to make this start-to-finish:

1. Marinate the chicken
   First, marinate the chicken in the lemon marinade for at least 20 minutes.For the most flavorful chicken, marinate it for 4 hours.
2. Cook the farro
   You bring it to a boil in a pot with water or stock for about 30 minutes. Yes, it’s that easy!
3. Cook the chicken
   You pan-sear the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. It takes about 7 minutes per side. Let it rest before slicing.Don’t forget to discard the marinade!
4. Make the dressing
   If you’re making your own tzatziki sauce, here’s when you grate and squeeze the cucumber, grate the garlic, and combine all the ingredients.
5. Build your bowl
   Scoop the cooked farro into bowls and top with juicy chicken slices, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, tzatziki sauce, and feta cheese. Squeeze lemon, grab a fork, and enjoy!

Recipe Video

If this is your first time making farro or one of these types of simple layered bowls, check out this quick video that shows you how:

Recipe Variations

These farro bowls are not just great for meal prep, but also for customizing with ingredients of your choice:

• Make it vegetarian:swap the chicken for chickpeas.
• Add legumes:whether you keep the chicken or not, chickpeas, beans, peas, and lentils are nutritious add-ins.
• Hummus:keep the Mediterranean flavor profile by adding your favorite hummus.
• Add more veggies:some great additions are chopped bell pepper, spinach, cooked broccoli, or Brussels sprouts.
• Make it extra crunchy:you can also top your farro bowls with seeds and nuts of your choice for crunchiness and extra nutrition.

How to Serve Farro Bowls

I like setting these Mediterranean Farro Bowls up self-serve so everyone can build their bowl.

All of the cooking and chopping steps can be done beforehand and the ingredients stored in separate containers. Come dinner-time, having everything ready will make things go quickly, just give the farro and chicken a quick warm-up in the microwave and build your bowl.

Meal Prep Farro Bowls

These farro bowls are a great Mediterranean meal you can prep ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Layer the cooked farro and chicken inside yourglass meal prep containersand top with cucumber, tomato, olives, and red onion. Pack the feta cheese and Tzatziki sauce into separate sauce containers.

When ready to eat, enjoy this salad cold or reheat it in the microwave and top with the sauce and cheese. So good and simple!

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