Connect with us

Food

Chicken Souvlaki Bowls – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Published

1 month ago

on

Spread the love

These tasty chicken souvlaki bowls are loaded with lemon chicken skewers, roasted veggies, tzatziki, hummus, feta, and garlic rice!

This is the meal of my dreams.

Top down view of white bowl with metal skewer with chicken pieces, roasted squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, rice, hummus and tzatziki sauce.

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade

There is a lot going on in these chicken souvlaki bowls! (In a good way.) However, with a few minutes of prep time, they come together quickly and easily, especially if you make use of a few store bought hacks, which we’ll get to in a minute.

First, the chicken!

Chicken souvlaki is a Greek-inspired dish that involves marinating chicken in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and a few other simple ingredients.

The chicken is cut into bite-size pieces, threaded onto skewers and grilled. It is flavorful, juicy, and so, so good!

Liquid measuring cup with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic.Liquid measuring cup with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic.
Glass bowl with chicken pieces marinating in lemon juice, olive oil and oregano.Glass bowl with chicken pieces marinating in lemon juice, olive oil and oregano.
Glass 9X13-inch dish with skewers of raw chicken in lemon marinade.Glass 9X13-inch dish with skewers of raw chicken in lemon marinade.
Glass 9X13-inch pan with skewers of cooked chicken.Glass 9X13-inch pan with skewers of cooked chicken.

Toppings and Sauces for Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

The sky is the limit for how and what to serve the tender chicken souvlaki with! The recipe includes my favorite variation:

  • Garlic butter rice (hoo-boy, so good)
  • Roasted zucchini, bell peppers and red onions (can easily cook the veggies in an air fryer – details below ⬇️)
  • Tzatziki sauce
  • Hummus
  • Crumbled feta
  • Flatbread
  • Other toppings: cherry tomatoes, avocados, etc

I’ve included homemade recipes in the notes of the recipe for tzatziki and hummus, but let me tell you, these are two optimal opportunities to let a store bought grab save you some time (and there are some delicious options for both sauces out there in the wild).

White bowl with metal skewer with chicken pieces, roasted squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, rice, hummus and tzatziki sauce.White bowl with metal skewer with chicken pieces, roasted squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, rice, hummus and tzatziki sauce.

Change up the toppings to your liking. Add, subtract, delete, multiply. Whatever it takes to honor your taste buds and make you excited about dinner.

These bowls are only as good as the stuff you pile in there! So follow your heart, and they will be DELICIOUS.

Greek-inspired meals are my jam. I love the flavors. I love the freshness. I love the flatbread and feta that almost always (should) accompany. I love all of it.

These chicken souvlaki bowls are right up there with some of my favorite Greek meals ever! They are most definitely “last meal” type of yummy.

Don’t let the long list of components put you off; it’s a simple meal with tons of flavor that comes together quickly with a bit of prep and planning. I promise you’ll be so, so glad you made them!

Fork piercing bite of chicken, roasted veggies hummus and tzatziki.Fork piercing bite of chicken, roasted veggies hummus and tzatziki.

One Year Ago: Easy English Muffin Bread {New and Improved}
Two Years Ago: Creamy Avocado Roasted Veggie Flatbread 
Three Years Ago: Loaded BBQ Chicken Totchos
Four Years Ago: Lemon White Chocolate Cream Bars 
Five Years Ago: Easy Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Crazy Good Green Sauce
Six Years Ago: Roasted Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
Seven Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Eight Years Ago: Summer Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad with Fresh Basil 
Nine Years Ago: Whole Grain Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins
Ten Years Ago: Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread {Pao de Queijo}

White bowl with metal skewer with chicken pieces, roasted squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, rice, hummus and tzatziki sauce.White bowl with metal skewer with chicken pieces, roasted squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, rice, hummus and tzatziki sauce.

Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Marinating Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Chicken:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

Rice + Veggies:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 small zucchini or yellow squash (or a combo), diced
  • 1 large bell pepper, cored and diced
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • Hot, cooked rice, for serving (optional – see note for my fave garlic rice recipe)

Toppings + Sauce Ideas:

  • Tzatziki, store bought or homemade (see note)
  • Hummus, store bought or homemade (see note)
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Pickled red onions
  • Diced avocados
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Pita or flatbread, to serve alongside (see note)

Prevent your screen from going dark

  • For the chicken, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic and salt. Place the chicken in a dish or resealable bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, toss to coat, cover (or seal the bag), and refrigerate for two hours or up to 8 hours.

  • Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grill over medium-high heat, flipping once, until the chicken is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Tent the chicken skewers with foil and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes before serving.

  • For the veggies, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a half sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp tender. (See note for air fryer instructions.)

  • Slide the chicken pieces off the skewers. Serve the chicken with rice, roasted veggies, and any or all of the sauce and topping suggestions.

Veggies: change up the veggies however you like – many different vegetables would work here: broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, etc. Rather than cooking them on the stovetop, the vegetables can be tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven (400 degrees for 15 minutes) or cooked in an air fryer (400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes). 
Rice: this garlic butter rice is fantastic in these chicken souvlaki bowls. Start the rice before putting the chicken on the grill to maximize time.
Tzatziki: the tzatziki sauce recipe on this post is an easy homemade option. 
Hummus: homemade hummus recipe here. 
Flatbread: several homemade recipes here – flatbread, easy yogurt flatbread, sourdough flatbread, homemade pita bread. 

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Greek

Method: Air Fryer, Bake, Grilled, Stovetop

Serving: 1 serving (includes chicken and vegetables), Calories: 272kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 525mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Food

Exploring Bengaluru’s Iftar hotspots: Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala

Published

13 hours ago

on

June 22, 2025

By

Spread the love

Bengaluru’s Ramzan feasts: A lip-smacking journey through three food hubs

Bengaluru’s Ramzan food scene comes alive at night. From sizzling kebabs to sweet sherbets, we explore three buzzing iftar hotspots: Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala.
| Video Credit:
The Hindu

Bengaluru, for all its tech-driven energy, is not exactly a city that never sleeps. Unlike Mumbai’s 3 am vada pav stalls or Delhi’s all-night paratha joints, most of Bengaluru winds down before midnight. Late at night, the roads empty, streetlights hum in solitude, and even the city’s famous cafés shut their doors. But during Ramzan, a few pockets of the city defy this drowsy routine.The air is thick with the scent of grilled meats, the streets hum with chatter, and every corner has something sizzling, smoking, or being stirred in a giant pot. On the evening of March 14, we go on an Iftar walk across three distinct neighbourhoods — Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala.

Shivaji Nagar (7.30pm to 8.45pm)

If you think Bengaluru’s traffic is overwhelming, you have not experienced Chandni Chowk Road Cross in Shivaji Nagar during Ramadan. It is a sensory overload — a feast of sights, sounds, and, most importantly, smells. The area, named after the Maratha king Shivaji, is known for its historic charm, but tonight, even the warrior king might have found the chaos too much.

Smoke from sizzling meat fills the air, mingling with the scent of spices. Vendors yell over honking vehicles, beckoning passersby with promises of the best kebabs in town. At one stall, we watch as paththar ka gosht— meat cooked on hot stone slabs — sizzles to perfection. Nearby, pizzas are being baked in kulhads (mud cups), a quirky fusion of Indian and Italian. It is a carnival of food.

Ananya Rao, a 28-year-old software engineer from Chennai, is here for the first time. “Bengaluru is not just about tech parks and traffic,” she says, “It’s about moments like these — where history, culture, and food collide.”

The heat and smoke make us thirsty, so we find solace at Malabar Kulukki Sarbath Stall, run by Hassan Sinan, a coffee shop owner from Indiranagar who sets up his Ramadan stalls across the city. The Kulukki Sarbath, a Kerala specialty, is a mix of lemon juice, raw mango, crushed ice, and basil seeds, with a hint of green chili for an unexpected kick. It is like a punch to the taste buds: sweet, sour, spicy, and cooling all at once.

Refreshed, we follow Hassan’s recommendation to Shalimar Restaurant, run by Abdul Rahman, for our first real meal of the evening. Their special pepper prawns pack a fiery punch, while the classic sheekh kebabs are juicy but a tad too salty. Abdul chuckles, saying, “This is just the beginning. Come back in an hour, and you won’t be able to walk here.”

He is not joking. When we return to our scooter, it takes us 20 minutes just to squeeze it out from a sea of parked vehicles. By 8.45pm, we are en route to Frazer Town, hoping for a slightly calmer experience.

A person making paththar ka gosht. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

A person making paththar ka gosht. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

Frazer Town (9.15pm to 10.30pm)

Frazer Town, historically the epicentre of Bengaluru’s Iftar scene, is undergoing a transformation. Once famous for its Ramzan Food Festival on Mosque Road, the area now operates under new restrictions — no pop-up stalls, only in-house restaurant setups.

Arjun M, a marketing executive and long-time Ramadan food walker, looks around and sighs. “It’s quieter, but the spirit is still alive.” The road construction and stall ban have kept things more organised, but regulars like him miss the celebratory chaos of past years.

For restaurants, business is down. “Sales have halved,” says Akbar Ali, manager at Savoury Restaurant. Despite this, their menu remains a crowd-puller, featuring slow-cooked haleem, juicy kebabs, and Mohabbat Ka Sharbat — a sweet, rose-flavoured Ramadan staple.

Iftar Walk food stall in Frazer Town. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

Iftar Walk food stall in Frazer Town. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

We dig into idiyappam with chicken rogan josh, a surprising but delicious pairing, followed by Mahalabia, a Middle Eastern milk pudding topped with pistachios. The first few bites are divine, but once the nuts are gone, the dessert becomes a bit too sweet and one-dimensional.

At Empire Restaurant, another staple of the area, a manager tells us their Ramadan sales are down by 80%. It is clear that many food lovers have migrated elsewhere this year. And from what we hear, that ‘elsewhere’ is Koramangala.

By 10.30pm, we are ready to find out if the rumours are true.

Koramangala (11:10pm to 12:15am)

Koramangala is unlike the other two stops. It is neither as overwhelming as Shivaji Nagar nor as subdued as Frazer Town. Instead, it is a lively mix of college students, IT professionals, and weekend partygoers.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Ramadan vibes to hit this hard here,” says 19-year-old Aisha Khan, a college student and first-time Iftar walker. “It’s not as chaotic as Shivaji Nagar, but it’s buzzing. You’ve got kebabs on one side and cocktails on the other — it’s like two worlds colliding, and somehow it just works.”

Mr Kulukki stall in Koramangala. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

Mr Kulukki stall in Koramangala. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

We make a beeline for MR Kulukki, run by Hamza, a former Empire Restaurant employee who claims to “know the pulse” of Koramangala’s crowd. His stall caters to a younger demographic, offering flavoured tiramisu, baklava, and kunafa alongside Ramadan classics like rabdi and phirni.

Intrigued, we try Hyderabadi shahi thukda, a thick milk-soaked bread pudding with nuts, and a custard roll, both indulgent and utterly satisfying. Nearby, a Kashmiri tea stall serves fragrant kahwah, and a kebab vendor shouts his rhythmic chant: “Chicken, mutton, kebab… chicken, mutton, kebab.” The night is alive, but in a different way from the old Ramadan hotspots.

As we sip our last drinks (one more mango kulukki sarbath), we glance at our phones. It is 12.15am. Somewhere between our first kebab in Shivaji Nagar and our last sip of kulukki sarbath in Koramangala, March 14 had turned into March 15.

And just like that, our Iftar walk had crossed not just three neighbourhoods, but also two different days.

Published – March 20, 2025 04:31 pm IST

Continue Reading

Food

Madurai Kullappa Mess brings the flavours of southern Tamil Nadu to your plate

Published

3 days ago

on

June 20, 2025

By

Spread the love

An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess

An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Now, find the flavours of Madurai in the heart of Chennai. At Madurai Kullappa Mess, the menu is built around meat: ghee mutton chukka, brain masala, liver fry, and head and trotters curry. However, it is the seafood here that seems to pull the most crowds, from crisp netheli fry to their Sunday-only ayira meen kuzhambu (a tamarind-based gravy made using this freshwater fish native to Tamil Nadu. These are tiny and slender fish often found in canals along agricultural fields and ponds. Due to their size, they are typically cooked whole.)

Promoted by Jeyanandh Dinakaran and helmed by managing director V Sivasankaran, this restaurant brings the bold, rustic flavors of Madurai to the city, with a menu that celebrates everything from biryani to meat-based gravies.

We visited this newly launched restaurant on a sunny afternoon to try their non-vegetarian set meals (₹299 andveg ₹225). The meals come with unlimited rice and five gravies, including crab, fish, chicken, mutton and a robust karuvadu thokku (a semi-gravy made with dried fish) .

As we waited for our order, Sivasankaran explained that the masalas are made in-house, with the lamb meat sourced from Thiruvallur district. The ghee, cold pressed groundnut and gingelly oil are brought in from the Delta regions, along the river Cauvery in Tamil Nadu. “Our signature dish is ayira meen kulmabu which is served only on Sundays and viraal meen varuval, available everyday. We get ayirai meen from Madurai, which we transport in aluminium cans on buses. This dish sells out quickly, so we recommend pre-booking,” he says.

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

We try the viral meen varuval along with the Simmakkal-style seeraga samba biryani. The biryani is moist, clumped together and not fluffy owing to the texture of the native rice. It was rather underwhelming. It is available in chicken and mutton variants, priced at ₹310 and ₹410, respectively.

To round off the meal, we order mutton ghee chukka and mutton uppu kari — two classic Madurai-style dry preparations. When the set meals arrive, I taste all the gravies, and the mutton kulambu and karuvadu thokku stand out for their depth of flavor. The viraal meen is crisp on the outside and moist inside, perfectly fried. Uppu Kari, Sivasankaran explains, uses the bare essentials: red chilli, shallots, garlic, pepper, and salt, all slow-cooked in gingelly oil. The mutton nei (ghee) chukka has an intense flavour and tender meat. Though the dish carries the rich aroma of ghee, there’s none in the cooking — only the red chillies are roasted in ghee before being added.

Viraal meen fry

Viraal meen fry
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess offers Chennai diners a taste of Madurai’s hearty, meat-centric cuisine. While the gravies in the set meal were more subdued than expected and did not leave a lasting impression, the dry meat and seafood specials shine with bold, rustic flavors.

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess, T Nagar. Open from noon to 11pm. A meal for two is ₹800. For reservations, call 6385123456 .

Published – June 20, 2025 02:08 pm IST

Continue Reading

Food

Looking for meat-heavy breakfast options in Madurai? Try Amsavalli Bhavan

Published

5 days ago

on

June 18, 2025

By

Spread the love

Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.

Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY G

It is not yet 9am when a man arrives at Amsavalli carrying a steel thookuvali and a cloth bag. The hum of workers getting the parcel counter ready fills the air, and he waits patiently as uthappams and parottas are being prepared in the kitchen. It is a dinner-time ritual for people in Madurai to lug a thookuvali to a streetside parotta shop for salna. At Amsavalli though, this also happens at breakfast time. The restaurant, that has been in existence for over 75 years, offers a breakfast menu unlike anywhere else in the city: think mutton liver curry and brain fry. Here, mutton offal is served for a little over an hour from 9.30am onwards, getting sold-out long before lunch is ready.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

G Arunraj, the third-generation owner of the restaurant on East Veli Street, says that the menu is an extension of his grandfather’s idea of offering mutton samosas, trotters paaya, and dum tea from 4am to 6am. “This was served from our initial days,” says the 47-year-old, adding that their chief customers were workers at the wholesale markets at nearby Nelpettai and Vethalaipettai. “The entire neighbourhood used to be bustling from as early as 3.30am, with load men lugging bulging sacks,” he says, adding that they also had early morning walkers who would round off their routine with a cup of their paaya.

The pre-dawn snacks eventually gave way to the present menu, that Arunraj says gets sold-out by 11am. The menu includes a range of mutton offal curries that can be paired with their soft parottas or uthappams.

The curries come in small portions, and can be easily polished off with two uthappams. We order a serving of almost everything on the menu. The mutton nenju chops, a fiery semi-gravy of meat slow-cooked until it is softer than their parotta, is easily a favourite.

Although tempted to order more portions, we move on to the other offerings: eeral kulambu, mutton liver cooked in a chilli and coriander masala base, mutton kidneys enveloped in a spicy masala, and the mutton chukka. The latter pairs well with their parotta. But the highlight is the mutton onion kulambu, a fragrant curry of meat simmered in shallots. This is best had with their thick uthappams: douse a piece in the curry and wrap it in a small piece of mutton to enjoy the flavours of meat and the curry to the fullest.

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

Our waiter suggests we try their famous apple milk. The chilled dessert of tiny pieces of apple and thick milk served in a tall glass, we realise, cools down the palate after the onslaught of the spices. Two parottas, one uthappam, and several plates of the curries down, we realise why this menu works. Mutton is irresistible, no matter which part of the day it is served.

Open for breakfast from 9.30am to 11am. Call  0452 262 0117 for details.

Published – June 16, 2025 01:20 pm IST

Continue Reading

Trending

© 2024 247News.co.in | All Rights Reserved