Marinated and grilled chicken souvlaki skewers with fragrant saffron rice and a creamy red pepper Romesco-style sauce
If you’ve been following my page for a while, I’m sure you know by now that Mediterranean/Greek bowl variations always end up being my favorite dinners. These souvlaki and saffron rice bowls fit the bill: deliciously charred and deeply spiced souvlaki chicken meet delicate saffron rice, all smothered with a Romesco-style sauce that’s packed with flavor.
Saffron is a spice that is characterized by having an earthy, floral, and slightly bitter taste. It’s very mild yet effective. A little goes a long way!! If you don’t want to use or purchase saffron, this spanakorizo rice with feta is one of my all-time favorite rice dishes and pairs perfectly with souvlaki.
Souvlaki chicken translates to “skewer” chicken. For this dish, we’re marinating in lots of fresh garlic and spices then grilling our chicken, but if you’d prefer to cook in doors you can also just cook it in a pan on the stovetop!! The flavors are delicious either way, I just love the charred, slightly smoky flavor grilling adds.
Feel free to make these bowls your own: I made a tomato cucumber salsa for topping. Some other delicious topping ideas for Mediterranean bowls are:
hummus
Tzaziki
Feta
Fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, dill)
Olives
Pickled red onions
avocado
If you love Greek food like I do, make sure to check out my delicious Chicken Shawarma and Za’atar spiced Mediterranean bowls on my substack. Full recipe for this fabulous dinner is below, I hope you love it!!!
For the chicken (from NYT cooking):
2 1/2 lbs chicken
8-10 cloves garlic, grated
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt + black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 bay leaves
one yellow onion, roughly chopped, for grilling
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken, toss to combine. Nestle in bay leaves and marinade for at least 2 hours (up to 1 day).
To skewer and grill: add a couple of chicken pieces to a metal skewer (if using wooden, soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior). Add a small chunk of yellow onion to cap the chicken pieces, then repeat the process for the rest of the skewer and the remaining skewers after that. Grill for 6-10 minutes per side, depending on how big your chicken chunks are. Remove from grill when chicken has a slight char to it and 165F internal. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
For the saffron rice:
10 saffron strands, ground with a pestle and mortar (1/8 tsp ground)
1 cup basmati rice
1 3/4 cups chicken broth + 2 tbsp warm water
2 bay leaves
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
Add ground saffron into a bowl with 2 tbsp warm water. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes; this will bloom the delicate flavors of the spice.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add broth, rice, lime juice, and salt. Add saffron liquid. Stir to combine. Nestle in bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Allow to cook for 15 minutes undisturbed.
After 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat source/turn off the heat (do not remove the lid!) allow to steam for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
Roasted Red pepper Romesco sauce (adjusted from Cookie and Kate):
One 16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
½ cup raw or roasted almonds (unsalted)
¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
2 medium-to-large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, + more to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, + more to thin
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Taste, and add salt as needed to balance the flavors.
Serving ideas:
hummus
Tzaziki
Feta
Tomato cucumber salsa (just tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, fresh herbs, lemon juice and salt)
Fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, dill)
Olives
Pickled red onions
avocado
Start by adding a serving of rice to one side of your plate. Use a spoon to spread the Romesco sauce on the other side. Remove chicken + onions from a skewer and add on top of the Romesco sauce. Top with additional toppings of choice. Dig in, and enjoy!!!
I hope you love this recipe, make sure to give my other Mediterranean bowls and recipes a try! Here are some of my favorites:
With love,
Abigail