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Homemade CAVA Bowl Recipe with Instant Pot Chicken

Name: Homemade CAVA Bowl Recipe with Instant Pot Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 500 g chicken breasts; 2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp zataar; 1/2 yellow onion, diced; juice of 1 lemon; 1/3 cup chicken broth; 1 cup dry basmati rice, cooked according to package directions ((or 1 cup of another grain, cooked)); 14-15 oz can lentils, drained and rinsed; 1/2 cup black olives, halved; 1/4 cup capers; 1 large jalapeno, sliced; 2 cups pickled vegetables of choice (pickled onions, pickled cabbage); 1 cup tomato salsa; 1/2 cup tzatziki ((use our easy Greek tzatziki recipe)); 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese; fresh parsley and/or dill for garnish

Last Updated: February 25, 2024

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Prep

15 minutes

Cook

40 minutes

Yield

4 bowls

This recipe brings the delicious bowls from CAVA into a budget-friendly version you can make at home.

If you’ve ever had a bowl from CAVA, you know that they are so darn delicious. This is how you can have those delicious bowls at home for cheaper. Like other bowls, this recipe is extremely versatile, and a great way to use up leftovers in your fridge. This bowl has a Greek spin with the olives and tzatziki and is a great, easy recipe for lunch prep.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This CAVA Bowl Recipe

Healthy: This recipe uses healthy, easy ingredients for a nutrient-packed dish
Versatile: Swap out any of the ingredients for whatever you have on hand to personalize your bowls
Quick: Make this CAVA bowl recipe with instant pot chicken in just under an hour
Budget-Friendly: Save your money by not eating out at CAVA and making it right at home

🍲 Ingredients

Pickled Veggies – You can quickly pickle any veggie and it’ll come out slightly vinegary and crunchy. Use this recipe for pickled onions, or get creative with quick pickling things like cucumber, carrots, and hot peppers.

Capers – Capers add a yummy, salty and pickled flavor to this bowl. However, they are entirely optional if you aren’t a big fan or don’t have any in your fridge.

👩‍🍳 How to Make CAVA Bowls at Home

To make the instant pot chicken

Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and zataar and season the chicken breasts with the mixture. Set aside.
Press the saute function and add the olive oil to the insert.
Once warm, place the chicken breasts in and sear/cook for 3 minutes per side. Then add the diced onion and saute 4-5 minutes until softened.
Add the juice from one lemon and the chicken broth and cook for a minute.
Close the lid and make sure the vent is sealed.
Press the manual/pressure cook button and set the time for 7 minutes.
The Instant pot will come to pressure and then cook. When the cooking time is over, allow to naturally release steam for 10 minutes and then push the valve to release the rest of the steam. Then, remove the lid and remove the chicken and to a bowl or cutting board. Shred the chicken into small pieces and then add the chicken back to the pot to stir together with the sauce/onions.
While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice or grain of choice according to packet directions.

Assemble the bowls

Assemble the bowls by dividing the cooked rice, cooked shredded chicken, lentils, black olives, capers, jalapenos, pickled vegetables, tzatziki, crumbled feta cheese and tomato salsa between 4 bowls.

Hands holding a cava bowl with ingredients surrounding it

🪄 Tips and Tricks

Meal prep these CAVA bowls in advance for a quick and easy lunch or dinner
Use my homemade tzatziki recipe for fresh, homemade tzatziki for these bowls

🗒 Substitutions

There are so many substitutions for these CAVA bowls because they’re entirely customizable. Here is some inspo:

Protein: Make these bowls with ground chicken, beef, turkey, or lamb instead. You can also use chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this recipe
Grains: You can swap the basmati rice for your favorite grain like quinoa, couscous, or another type of rice
Lentils: Not a big lentil fan? Use a bean instead like chickpeas or black beans.

🗒 Best served with

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can keep your ingredients all separately and assemble them when you’re ready to consume.

🤔 Common Questions

What is a CAVA bowl?

This is my spin on the famous CAVA bowls you can get at the chain restaurants throughout the states.

Is homemade tzatziki hard to make?

For this recipe, you can buy the stuff at the store but it’s honestly so easy to make homemade tzatziki on your own. It’ll only take about 5 minutes and a few simple ingredients.