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Learn how you can easily cook grains and chicken to build a nutritious lunch that will keep you full.
Mediterranean Lunch Bowls for High School Lunches
Opening the fridge and finding epic homemade school lunches waiting to be packed in the lunch bag feels like clapping to myself. That “well done!” feeling. That’s exactly what you will feel once you make and pack these nutritious Mediterranean lunch bowls for teens.
It’s the perfect meal-prep recipe you can make for dinner or lunch and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. And let me tell you, this is not an exclusive teen lunch. We’re talking about chicken, farro, veggies, and a delicious dressing. Yep. We’re talking about a satisfying lunch you can pack for you too!
In this recipe, I’m marinating chicken to infuse it with flavor, but if you have chicken leftovers or a rotisserie chicken on hand, go ahead and use it. Long live meal-prep kitchen shortcuts!
What You Need
The base of these Mediterranean lunch bowls for teens is farro, chicken, veggies, tzatziki sauce, and seasonings. At the end of the post, you’ll find the ingredient amounts to make this recipe from start to finish, but first, check what you need:
- Farro: a whole-grain similar to rice, but more nutritious! I use pearled farro because it cooks faster. You can also use rice or quinoa.
- Chicken breasts: you can also use chicken thighs or chicken leftovers.
- Lemon-oregano marinade: a simple and delicious way to infuse chicken with tons of flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes: or any other tomato chopped.
- Cucumber: another fresh addition to this bowl.
- Kalamata olives: or your favorite variety.
- Red onion: adds a nice sharp flavor.
- Tzatziki sauce: use store-bought or check out my easy homemade recipe down below.
- Feta cheese: to sprinkle over the bowl.
How to Make Teen Mediterranean Lunch Bowls
Once you cook the chicken and the farro, the next step is simply assembling these terrific Mediterranean Lunch Bowls that your teen is going to love! Check how to make the recipe:
- Marinate the chicken
In a zip bag, you combine the chicken breasts with olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. You place the bag in the fridge and marinate it for at least 20 minutes, ideally 4 hours or overnight. - Cook the farro
You cook farro as you do with rice: in a pot with water or stock. Simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Yes, it’s that easy! - Cook the chicken
Now, you cook the chicken in a hot skillet for about 7 minutes per side. You’ll know it’s cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165F. Here are more tips to check chicken doneness. - Slice the chicken
You transfer the chicken to a plate and wait 5 minutes before slicing. - Make the tzatziki sauce
If you’re making tzatziki sauce at home, you start grating the cucumber. Squeeze any excess moisture before combining it with grated garlic, yogurt, salt, lemon juice, and dill. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to pack. - Pack it for lunch
You make a base of farro in each lunch container. Then, you add chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese. Pack the tzatziki sauce in small leak-proof containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Want to watch how I cook farro and make this delicious Mediterranean lunch bowl? Check out this video:
Do you want to meal prep like a pro? Here are my top picks for meal prep containers!
Do you Eat Farro Bowls Hot or Cold?
There’s no wrong way to enjoy a farro lunch bowl. Your teen can eat this lunch at room temperature, like a salad, or cold, if you pack it inside an insulated lunch bag and use an ice pack to keep the temperature inside the lunch bag cool.
More Filling Lunch Bowls for Teens
If you’re looking for more healthy lunches to keep your teens full, try these Thai Chicken & Rice Lunch Bowls, an epic burrito bowl, Korean chicken lunch bowls, or even these Buffalo Chicken and Rice Bowls.
Mediterranean Lunch Bowls For Teens
Ingredients
The Marinated chicken:
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for cooking
- 1 lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
The farro:
- 1 cup farro
- 3 cups water or stock
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Bowls:
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 seedless cucumber, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ red onion, sliced
- Tzatziki sauce
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
Marinate the chicken:
- In a large zip bag, place the chicken breasts, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, ideally 4 hours or overnight.
Cook the farro:
- Rinse and drain farro. Place farro in a pot with salt and water or stock. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes until the grain is tender. Drain off any excess water.
Cook the chicken:
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, place the chicken breasts on the hot surface, and cook the first side for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken breast over and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the internal temperature has reached 165F. Discard the marinade.
- Remove chicken from pan onto a plate and wait 5 minutes before slicing.
Make the tzatziki sauce:
- Grate the cucumber on top of a couple of paper towels. Once grated, squeeze any excess moisture over the sink and transfer the grated cucumber into a bowl. Grate the garlic clove in the bowl. Add yogurt, salt, lemon juice, and dill. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to pack.
Pack it for lunch:
- In a lunchbox, make a base of farro. Top with sliced chicken, tomatoes, cucumber slices, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.
- Pack the tzatziki sauce in a small leak-proof container and place it in the lunch box. Enjoy this lunch cold or at room temperature.
Stephanie says
I have twin 14 year olds and they both loved this one!
Connie says
My growing teen needs a hearty lunch and this Mediterranean lunch bowl has become a new staple for his school lunches! Easy to prep and absolutely delish!