Greek Chicken Meatball Bowls with Tzatziki
These delicious Greek chicken meatball bowls are worth every second of prep time. With everything you’d expect in Greek cuisine, like flavorful meatballs, fresh veggies, and homemade tzatziki, everything can be prepped ahead of time for when busy weeknights strike.
The homemade Greek meatballs are made with lean chicken and a spice blend that isn’t shy on flavor. The air fryer gets the meatballs golden brown and crispy without using too much oil. They’re great for double prepping and freezing for later too.
The tzatziki is the star of the show, made with Greek yogurt, lemon juice and fresh dill, it’s a must if you’re eating Greek food. This recipe makes extra so save it for wraps or sandwiches. Combine that with a crispy and fresh Greek salad and you have a flavorful bowl ready for the week.
Add a little wedge of pita bread and an extra glob of tzatziki and your deliciously healthy lunch or dinner bowl has arrived. For more easy bowls, try Breakfast Burrito Bowls and Hibachi Chicken Bowls.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fresh simple ingredients and flavors.
- 37g of protein per bowl.
- Juicy meatballs, flavorful homemade tzatziki, and fresh Greek salad.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for these Mediterranean meatball bowls. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Lean Ground Chicken: any ground meat: ground beef, ground turkey and ground pork all work.
- Italian Breadcrumbs: I used Italian bread crumbs for extra seasoning.
- Brown Rice: while I love these with brown rice, any rice works great, even cauliflower rice!
- Feta Cheese: I am using low fat feta but use any preferred cheese here.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: 2% has the perfect amount of thickness to it. You can use full-fat or non-fat but be sure non-fat isn’t too watery.
- Romaine Lettuce: any type of lettuce. I like a 50/50 romaine and baby spinach for an extra punch of nutrition.
- English Cucumber: I like English cucumber because it’s slightly sweeter and has smooth skin.
- Fresh Dill: if using dry dill, only use 1 tsp.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: a high quality is preferred, as it’s the base of your salad dressing.
Variations
- Use storebought tzazitki to save on time but this one is nice and easy!
- Add red pepper flakes to the meatballs for a bit of heat.
- For low carb turn this into a salad bowl by using cauliflower rice.
- To lower the fat for this meal, use the air fry method for your meatballs and lower or omit olive oil in the salad and sauce.
- Try this with egg-free beef and chicken meatballs. The sun-dried tomatoes add a pop of flavor to the bowl.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- For dairy-free, use a dairy-free yogurt for your Tzatziki sauce. Make sure there’s no hidden dairy in your breadcrumbs for the meatballs and use dairy-free feta cheese.
How to make Mediterranean meatball bowls (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: make the meatballs
Combine the meatball ingredients in a large bowl (image 1). Mix all the ingredients until well combined (image 2). Shape the mixture into 12 meatballs, approximately 42 grams each. Spray the air fryer pan with nonstick spray and lay the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer, careful they do not touch (image 3). Air fry at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (image 4).
Step 2: make the tzatziki sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl (image 5). Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving (image 6).
Step 3: make Greek salad
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (image 7). Mix to evenly combine and chill in the refrigerator before serving (image 8).
Step 4: assemble bowl
Serve the bowls assembled with lettuce, rice, meatballs, tzatziki and Greek salad (image 9).
Expert Tip!
Use a cookie scoop to make your meatballs all the same size. Make a double batch and freeze and serve with cottage cheese pasta sauce later.
Recipe FAQs
Serve in a bowl like described with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill or fresh mint. Enjoy the meatballs alone with a side of rice and grilled vegetables or serve in pita bread with fresh veggies, lettuce and topped with the tzatziki sauce.
Store your leftover ingredients separately in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can split the ingredients between 4 containers to meal prep 4 Mediterranean Chicken Meatball Bowls to take on the go. Or simply take some mediterraneanmeatballs to enjoy as a snack. Enjoy cold or reheat your meatballs in the microwave. Both hot and cold are delicious!
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can bake your Greek meatballs at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
Check out our other easy bowl recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Mediterranean Chicken Meatball Bowls
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Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken 99/1
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs 28g
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt 224g
- 1/2 cup cucumber finely grated and drained, 84g
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped 1 tsp. dried
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Greek Salad
- 1 1/2 cups cucumber chopped, 200g
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives sliced lengthwise, 80g
- 1/2 cup fat-free feta cheese 56g
- 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- pinch of salt
For the Bowls
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Shape the mixture into 12 meatballs, approximately 42 grams each.
- Air fryer: Spray the air fryer pan with nonstick spray and lay out meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer, careful they do not touch. Air fry at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes until the meatballs are cooking through.
- Pan seared: Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Baked: You can bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.
For the Greek Salad
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix together to evenly combine and chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Assembly for Mediterranean Bowl
- Serve the bowls assembled with lettuce, rice, meatballs, tzatziki and greek salad.
- You can split the ingredients between 4 containers to meal prep 4 Mediterranean Chicken Meatball Bowls to take on the go. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, such as parsley or dill.
Notes
- All nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Measurements per bowl: ½ cup brown rice, 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, 3 Mediterranean chicken meatballs, 85 grams of Tzatziki, and 137 grams of Greek salad.
- Meatball nutrition facts: 55 calories per meatball: 8 P / 2 C / 1 F – “Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs” in tracking apps.
-
Tzatziki Nutrition facts: (85g) 77 calories per serving: 6 P / 4 C / 5 F – “Greek Yogurt Tzatziki” in tracking apps.
- When mixing and forming meatballs, be gentle. This ensures the meat doesn’t get touch.
- Do not let meatballs touch in the air fryer to ensure an even cook. You may have to work in batches.
This was so easy and SO delicious!! My husband loved it too, he said it was a 10/10. So so yummy!
Woohoo!! Thank you!
Delish! Doubled the recipe and kept extras in the freezer for perfect easy lunches!
Very tasty! I used store bought tzatziki to make it easier for prepping and a few other modifications (no feta, black olives instead), and it was so yummy!
This was a lot of work, but totally worth it!!
When meal prepping do you cook the meat balls and then freeze them for later?
How do you store the sauce?
And what about the veggies, do you cut and keep them in the fridge separately or combined?
Prep time of 15 minutes? No way.
I’m sure we’ll love it, but…
I made this yesterday and it is DELICIOUS! It will be on repeat at my house. It’s also so versatile for just using what you have. Love it!
Easier than i thought and bursting with great flavors, those chicken meatballs were the best
This recipe has been on repeat at my house! My kids LOVE it, & leftovers are great for lunch the next day 🥳
Yay!! Thank you!