Mediterranean Chicken Barley Bowls
with Roasted Broccoli & Lemony Yogurt Drizzle
- Milk
This bowl features the ancient grain barley, which has been satisfying tummies with its pleasantly chewy texture and nutty flavor since the dawn of civilization. Here, barley is seasoned with Italian herbs and fresh garlic to make a delicious bed for crispy roasted broccoli and juicy seared chicken. It’s all drizzled with a zesty lemon yogurt sauce for a simple, hearty dinner idea for the ages!
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
8 ounce
Broccoli
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Lemon
4 tablespoon
Yogurt
(Contains: Milk)
1 clove
Garlic
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
¾ cup
Barley
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince or grate garlic. Cut broccoli florets into bite-size pieces if necessary. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. • Stir in barley, stock concentrate, 2½ cups water (4 cups for 4 servings), ¼ tsp Italian Seasoning (½ tsp for 4), and a pinch of salt. (You’ll use more Italian Seasoning later.) • Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until barley is tender and liquid has absorbed, 25-30 minutes. (TIP: If you end up with any excess liquid, simply pour it out. Alternatively, if liquid has evaporated before barley is done, add a splash of water.) Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, toss broccoli on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until browned and tender, 12-15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice (big squeeze for 4 servings), and a pinch of lemon zest. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. TIP: If you prefer a less citrusy flavor, use less lemon juice and zest. • Season with a pinch of pepper.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; cut into bite-size pieces if necessary. Season with 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (2 tsp for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. (Be sure to measure the Italian Seasoning—we sent more.) • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
• Stir chicken into pot with barley. • Divide chicken and barley between bowls; top with broccoli. Spoon yogurt sauce over everything and serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many found it bland; some suggest adding extra herbs, richer stock, or hot sauce for deeper flavor 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Barley often took much longer to cook than instructed; consider starting it earlier in the process.
- Suggestions: Try swapping barley for couscous or quinoa; add feta cheese or a more substantial sauce for extra flavor.
- Portions: Some felt there was too much barley compared to other ingredients; others appreciated the filling meal.
- Texture: The chewy barley texture divided opinions; some loved it, while others found it unpleasant.
Reviews from our home cooks
Ok the chicken and the broccoli and the sauce were DELICIOUS ... but the barley took FOREVER to cook. The instructions were completely wrong. They said 25-30 mins on simmer after bringing to a boil ... it took 50 minutes to cook... so twice as long.
Loved the chewy texture of the barley. The yogurt sauce was a bit too tart, even with juice from only one lemon slice. Overall a bit dry; the yogurt sauce didn't go far enough - maybe because the barley is more chewy than rice it needs more sauce?
Easy to prepare. Lots of barley! The lemon yogurt sauce makes it!
Great portion size, especially for the calorie count, and we were thrilled to get a high fiber meal. But the barley and chicken were pretty bland and we didn't taste the Italian seasoning very much.
Plain but healthy. Also the barley took a lot longer to cook than recipe calls for. More like 40 to 45 minutes, not 25 to 30 minutes!
Loved the flavors and textures together. Normally not a barley fan but this was really good!
I wasn't sure if I would like the barley, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was--my kid was less of a fan of the barley, but still enjoyed the meal.
The barley took a lot longer than the instructions, but that could have been my own error. Very simple yet delicious meal.
I love how healthy this meal is. It was kind o tasty, but I do wish it had a bit more flavor, maybe a different seasoning on the chicken or some hot sauce. The chicken breast strips were much better than they have been in the past. They could have been trimmed a little bit better, but they were a good size.
This was great and the barley was a different texture.
