These chicken meatball bowls are on a weekly rotation at my house in summer! Herby chicken meatballs, soft pita, creamy cucumber salad, pickled red onions, and feta all come together in a simple, feel-good dinner bowl.
My partner's son said this is his favorite dinner that I make (!), and I'm more than happy to make it every week because the flavor combination hits all the right notes, and it's one of those feel-good dinners. It's simple to throw together - about 30 minutes for the chicken meatballs, and everything else gets prepped while those bake.
The flavor combination here was sort of a happy accident. I had been photographing recipes that are now already on my site, so I had them sitting in my fridge. They were SO good together that they became components of this bowl recipe that we now return to every summer!
A creamy cucumber dill salad (made with Greek yogurt) paired with feta, pickled red onions, and chili crisp to top it off. All piled high with the herby chicken meatballs onto soft pita bread. Maybe get some greens or avocado in there. I mean, come on!
I hope you love this is much as we do, and can't wait to hear if you try it.
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Optional Advance Prep
DIY Breadcrumbs
Sometimes I make my own breadcrumbs to use up dry sourdough bread before it goes to waste. Just tear the bread into medium-sized pieces (two-inch chunks, ish - just enough to get more surface area exposed), and bake on a sheet pan at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes. I'll usually try to do this on the weekend so they breadcrumbs are ready for me during the week.
You could also quickly blitz up some croutons or crackers, in a pinch.
Pickled Red Onions
Same for pickled red onions. I prep these in advance so I already have a jar in my fridge, unless for some reason I have time earlier that day. I mean they are pretty quick to make... I've been known to pickle a jar before work lol. They just need time to pickle in the fridge.
Step-By-Step Visual Overview: Chicken Meatball Bowls
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and combine all chicken meatball ingredients into a bowl. Mix well with your hands, then form into meatballs.
- Step 2: Line up the meatballs on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
- Step 3: Meanwhile, place sliced cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 10 minutes to draw out some water, then add yogurt, lemon, herbs, plus more salt & pepper to taste.
- Step 4: Get other ingredients ready for bowl assembly: pitas, greens, feta, pickled red onions. Then when the meatballs are out, assemble the bowls! Layer greens and pita wedges first, creamy cuke salad, meatballs, feta, pickled red onions, and chili crisp.
REcipe Tips
- Cucumber thickness - Sometimes I like paper thin slices and use a mandoline slicer for those (plus that makes it so easy!). Other times I go a little thicker but at most, ¼-inch slices.
- Avoiding overcooked meatballs - Ovens vary, so I recommend checking your meatballs at 20 minutes, then see if they need more time. Chicken should be cooked to 165, but remember meatballs continue to cook after taking them out (5-10 degrees) so I like to take them out before 165 and watch them reach that on the pan. If you don't have a thermometer, poke the meatballs-they should feel bouncy and look golden brown on the outside.
- Workflow - I like to get the meatballs started first, then work on the rest of the meal components while they bake.
More Simple Dinners
Did you make these chicken meatball bowls? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a ⭐️ rating and comment below, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and my newsletter for more everyday seasonal recipes.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Meatball Bowls with Creamy Cucumber Salad & Feta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A simple, feel-good dinner recipe! Chicken meatball bowls with a creamy cucumber salad, pita bread, feta, pickled red onions, and greens. We love serving this with chili crisp.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup finely chopped tender herbs (see notes)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Cucumber Salad:
- 2-3 small-medium cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 2 cups slices)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk recommended)
- ½ cup finely chopped dill (plus other herbs, if you'd like)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Assembling the bowls:
- Greens
- Pita bread, cut into wedges
- Feta
- Pickled red onions (see notes!)
- More chopped herbs
- Chili crisp
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil to a bowl. Mix well with your hands, then roll into balls and place on the sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
- Make cucumber salad. Meanwhile, salt the cucumbers and set aside for 10 minutes so the salt can draw some water out of the cukes. Add in the yogurt, lemon, and herbs, and stir to form the creamy salad. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed, then set aside.
- Assemble bowls. With any remaining time you have left, cut pita into wedges or prep other toppings. Take the meatballs out when they're done, and to each bowl add: greens, pita wedges, meatballs, and creamy cucumber salad. Then top with pickled red onions, feta, herbs, and chili crisp if desired.
Notes
- Storage. Store leftovers in separate containers in the fridge and assemble just before eating (except the pita bread; we usually keep that out of the fridge).
- Pickled red onions. If using, you'll want to make these in advance. Fill a jar with thinly sliced red onions, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Fill the jar halfway with hot water and the rest of the way with vinegar. Let pickle for about an hour (check sooner and feel free to go for it if you're good with how pickled they are!).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl w/ 4 meatballs + 1 pita
- Calories: 542
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 1019.9 mg
- Fat: 19.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.1 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 38.2 g
- Cholesterol: 152.1 mg
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