Copycat Recipe: Zoe’s Kitchen Protein Power Plate with Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken, Greek Feta Coleslaw, + Caramelized Onions

Zoe’s Kitchen Protein Power Plate with Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken,
 Greek Feta Coleslaw, + Caramelized Onions

Some of my fondest memories come from my days at the University of Alabama, well y'all probably already know that, haha. And one of our favorite places to get a quick + healthy lunch was at Zoe's Kitchen. Our go-to meal was their Protein Power Plate. It's fabulous, fresh, and doesn't weigh you down the rest of the day. Their dish consists of a greek vinaigrette feta coleslaw that is topped with grilled chicken and a mound of luscious, sweet caramelized onions. It seriously was the perfect way to start the day, or end the night really. And for a while now, I have been wanting to recreate it myself at home. Because I mean, look at its' components... it should be a breeze. I found a great recipe for greek yogurt marinated grilled chicken, and honestly I can't wait to make it over + over again. It would be great on tacos, in other salads, or just as a main entree. It blackens nicely on the grill, yet retains the moisture from the greek yogurt marinade. For a little extra sweetness, I drizzled my grilled chicken with a little white balsamic reduction-- and it was perfection. Who doesn't like tangy + sweet?! You can make your own reduction at home or you can pick up a handy-dandy store-bought brand at the grocery store. It's as simple as that! The coleslaw is heavy on the onions, which we love, but if you're not so into that... then feel free to not use the red onions. The vinaigrette recipe makes a big batch, so only use enough to lightly coat the coleslaw. You don't want it soggy or drowned in a bunch of liquid. And don't skimp on the feta because it adds a nice saltiness and creaminess to the coleslaw. All you have left to do is caramelize a shit-ton of onions (the more the better, in our humble opinion). Then, just load it into a big bowl and drizzle a little more reduction, as well as some extra crumbled feta... and dinner is served!! I can see this meal becoming a weekly tradition for us, that's how much we liked it!! Enjoy :)

For the Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken:

16oz Greek Yogurt (try to use a thick yogurt)

2-inch Piece of Fresh Ginger, Peeled & Grated

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced into a Paste with Salt

1t Ground Cumin, Red Chile Flakes, Kosher Salt, Pepper, & Greek Seasoning

½t Dried Oregano

2-4T Sugar (depending on how much sweetness you like)

1 Lemon, Juiced + Zested

4 Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Breasts

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for greasing the grill)

White Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

For the Greek Vinaigrette:

½C Red Wine Vinegar

¼C Honey or Agave Syrup

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1T Fresh Basil, Minced

1t Fresh Oregano, Minced

½t Dried Marjoram

1t Red Pepper Flakes

1 Lemon, Juiced + Zested

¾C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste  

For the Greek Feta Coleslaw:

2 Bags of Shredded Angel Hair Coleslaw (the thinly shaved kind)

¼ Red Onion, Shaved

¼C Fresh Parsley, Chopped

1 Small Handful of Fresh Oregano, Chopped

8oz Crumbled Feta Cheese

6 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

¼C Minced Chives

Prepared Greek Vinaigrette (to taste, as little or as much as you want)

For Serving:

Caramelized Onions

Crumbled Feta

Minced Chives

White Balsamic Reduction

Directions:

1. Marinating the Chicken: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, cumin, chile flakes, salt and lemon. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in the yogurt mixture and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to a day to marinate.

2. Grilling the Chicken: When ready to grill, heat a very clean grill to medium. When the grill is hot, brush with the oil and place chicken on the grill, skin side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, and then flip. Cook another 5-10 minutes, covered, until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5-10 minutes before pulling meat off the bone and shredding or slicing it. Drizzle the chicken with some White Balsamic Reduction.

3. For the Greek Vinaigrette: Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

4. For the Greek Coleslaw: Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl thoroughly. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour. Add in some of the prepared Greek Vinaigrette (just enough to coat the coleslaw, but not drown it and make it soggy). Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve cold.

5. For Serving: Spoon some of the Greek coleslaw into a bowl and top it with some grilled chicken. Garnish with a pile of caramelized onions, crumbled feta, minced chives, and a little drizzle of more white balsamic reduction. Enjoy.

source: greek vinaigrette. greek coleslaw. greek yogurt marinated chicken.

My Big Fat Greek Lamb Burgers with Crazy Feta Spread, Grilled Red Onions, & Cumin Mayo

Another day, another burger. But, lemme start off by saying that I don't like Greek food. At all. I don't like feta, olives, roasted red peppers, or anything else that is characterized by this type of cuisine. However, I kinda liked this burger. And that's saying a lot. Of course, my Mountain Man loves Greek food, so he loved this burger. It starts off with a lamb burger, and then is piled high with homemade cumin mayo, crazy feta spread, roasted red peppers, grilled red onions, and baby arugula. I saw the recipe for Crazy Feta on one of my favorite blogs, and I knew I had to make it because it kind of reminded me of pimento cheese spread. So, I thought it would be brilliant on a burger. And it was. I served our Big Fat Greek Lamb Burgers with some baked sweet potato fries. This is one fully loaded burger, and you'll be stuffed to the brim after eating it!! Enjoy :)

My Big Fat Greek Lamb Burgers with Crazy Feta Spread, Grilled Red Onions, & Cumin Mayo

Look at those gorgeous grilled onions...

For the Crazy Feta Spread:

1 8oz Brick of Feta Cheese

2 Jalapenos, Roasted & Chopped

2T + 1t Olive Oil

1 Head of Garlic, Roasted

1-2T Lemon Juice

½t Lemon Zest

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Cumin Mayo:

½C Mayo

2t Ground Cumin

¼t Curry Powder

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

 

For the Lamb Patties:

1lb Ground Lamb

1t Greek Oregano

1 Egg

1T Fresh Mint, Minced

1 Garlic Cloves, Minced

½C Bread Crumbs

1t Dijon Mustard

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Olive Oil

For the Big Fat Greek Burgers:

Burger Buns, Buttered & Toasted

Prepared Lamb Patties, Grilled

Prepared Crazy Feta Spread

Prepared Cumin Mayo

Grilled Red Onions

Roasted Red Peppers

Baby Arugula Tossed in Balsamic Vinaigrette

Other Toppings: Tzatziki Sauce, Cucumbers, Olives, Olive Tapenade, Tomatoes, & Hummus

Directions:

1. To Make the Crazy Feta Spread: In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. Add the chopped, roasted jalapenos, roasted garlic cloves, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Add in the olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be a bit “wet”. Taste the feta and season with salt and pepper. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.
2. For the Cumin Mayo: Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set it aside until ready to use.
3. For the Lamb Patties: In a mixing bowl, add in all of the ingredients. Gently fold to thoroughly mix the meat mixture with the breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings. Shape into four equal patties. Drizzle some olive oil on the patties and season with salt & pepper. Cook or grill patties over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side for a medium to medium-rare burger (cook longer if you want well done).
4. Assembling the Burgers: Spread both sides of the toasted buns with a big spoonful of cumin mayo. Top each bottom bun with a cooked patty. Place a large scoop of the crazy feta spread on top of the patty. And then, layer on the roasted red pepper, grilled red onions, and baby arugula. Add on any of Greek toppings that you like as well. Enjoy.

Greek Isles Panini

Like I said yesterday, we had some left over greek chicken, feta cheese, & tzatziki sauce, so we made some greek paninis. I mean you can't really get more greek than marinated chicken, feta, tzatziki, roasted red pepper, red onions, and hummus. The only thing they we chose to leave out was olives, and well that's because we just hate olives. So feel free to add those if you like them. I also decided to put provolone on the sandwich because feta just doesn't melt the way you want it on a grilled cheese. So I figured I would add a mild cheese to achieve that "goo" factor. The paninis were really good, and it's so nice when you can repurpose a dinner into a lunch the next day, so that no ingredients go to waste.

Look at that Melty Cheese 

Lots of Crunchy Veggies 

Greek Isles Panini

For the Panini:

2 Slices of Rustic Bread

2T Olive Oil

4T Homemade Tzatziki

¼C Crumbled Feta

2 Marinated Greek Chicken Thighs, Sliced Thinly & Warmed Slightly

2T Greek Hummus

1 Marinated Roasted Red Pepper, Split in Half

4 Red Onion Rings

2 Slices of Provolone

Directions:

1. Heat up your Panini press, electric grill, or a skillet to high heat.

2. To Assemble the Sandwich: Spread 2T of the homemade tzatzki sauce on each slice of bread, then designate one slice of bread to be the bottom piece. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on top of the bottom slice of bread, then layer on the sliced Greek Chicken. Slather with the hummus and top with the red peppers & red onions. Lay the slices of provolone on top of the onions (this will help keep all of the fillings from falling out). Top with the other slice of bread and brush on 1T of olive oil on each outside of the bread slices.

3. Grill or fry the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side until the bread is perfectly golden brown and extremely crunchy, while also making sure that all of the ingredients inside are warmed thoroughly and the cheeses are melted.

4. Cut into halves and serve immediately.

Marinated Greek Chicken with Maple Glazed Rainbow Carrots & Roasted Garlic Cous Cous

Hi everyone, I've been studying my ass off lately, so I haven't been able to post the two recipes I made the last couple days. Like I have said numerous times before, I buy a lot of chicken thighs, mainly because they are always on sale and that they come in big packs so that I can separate them into two different dinners. And chicken thighs are great marinated, so I can put them into ziploc bags and marinate them days in advance, so I have a dinner pretty much ready in the refrigerator. This week I decided to do Marinated Greek Chicken. The marinade consists of lemon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and parsley. It just has a fresh, healthy taste to it. I also served it with a homemade tzatziki sauce because the chicken is very lightly marinated, so the tzatziki adds a nice creaminess & punch of flavor. I didn't really have specific recipes for the side dishes, I just kind of added a little bit of this and a little bit of that (like most cooks do), but I'll tell you what I did with them if you would like to make that as well. While I was at the Farmer's Market, I saw a bunch of beautiful baby rainbow carrots, so I decided to just bake them in the oven with some olive oil, maple syrup, honey, garlic, fleur de sel, and fresh parsley. For the cous cous, I just roasted a head of garlic and mashed it into a paste (with some sea salt) and folded it in along with some green onions & chopped parsley. Also, I had some chicken left over, so I ended up making a panini with it yesterday for lunch, so I'll be posting that either later on today or tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Marinated Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce, Maple Glazed Rainbow Carrots & Roasted Garlic Cous Cous

For the Marinade:

4 Chicken Thighs, Boneless & Skinless

4T Olive Oil

1 Lemon, Juiced & Zested

1T Red Wine Vinegar

2t Honey

1t Garlic, Minced

1t Dried Oregano

1t Parsley, Chopped (plus more for garnishing)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Crumbled Feta, For Garnish

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

2C Greek Yogurt, Strained for 2-3 hours

2 Cucumbers, Peeled & Seeded & Diced

2T Olive Oil

2T Lemon Juice

1T Fresh Dill, Chopped

1T Garlic

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions: 
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients of the marinade. Place the chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Let them marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably over night.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat some olive oil to medium-high heat in a large skillet (or spray a George Foreman Grill with Pam, and just grill the chicken, to be a little healthier). Cook the chicken until each side is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take the chicken thighs out of the skillet and place them in a baking dish. Pour the marinade into the hot skillet and cook it over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 minutes). Pour the boiled marinade over the chicken and bake the thighs in the oven for 8-10 minutes. 
3. To make the Tzatziki, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse it until completely combined. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it. 
4.Serve the chicken with some of the crumbled feta & tzatziki sauce on top and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. 

source: mediterranean chicken. greek chicken thighs. 


Check out Everday Sisters Blog for this recipe!