The Anti-Inflammatory, High-Protein Dinner I Can’t Stop Making

Last month, my friend Meghan texted me a link to an EatingWell recipe. “I love love love this recipe,” she said. “I know I’ve told you that before, but it’s so good.”

Indeed, she had, several times. It seemed that every time she made Chicken Hummus Bowls, she would text me to tell me how much her family loved it. So would her husband—and he was actually the first one to make it after he saw the recipe in the September 2020 issue of EatingWell. 

But even though I had developed it and we have most of the ingredients on hand all the time, I had never made it for my family. So I finally did. And our daughter declared it her new favorite dinner, so it’s been on our weekly dinner plan every week since.

Chicken Hummus Bowls are really simple to make and endlessly adaptable. The recipe starts with marinating chunks of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a mixture of olive oil, cumin and paprika. The chicken cooks quickly under the broiler. If you prefer, you can grill it (I did). 

While the chicken cooks, you can do the other prep: whisk up a lemon-garlic vinaigrette, slice cucumbers and onion, halve some cherry tomatoes and chop a bit of parsley. That’s really it. We use shallow bowls for most of our meals and this dinner is no exception. I spread a generous amount of hummus in each, top it with the veggies and chicken, sprinkle it with parsley and drizzle it with the dressing. I like to serve the meal with warm whole-wheat pita for scooping it all up.

As I mentioned, it’s endlessly adaptable. Don’t like chicken thighs? Chunks of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or pork tenderloin work, as do cubes of extra-firm tofu. If you have leftover cooked chicken, you could use that too—I’d just warm it with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and the spices in the marinade before spooning it over the bowls. Just about any vegetable you have on hand works. I recommend including at least one crunchy vegetable for texture if you’re going to skip the cucumber—shredded romaine or cabbage would be lovely, as would thinly sliced bell pepper. 

The pairing of chicken and hummus packs each serving with 31 grams of protein. Getting enough protein is a priority for my entire family: my husband is cycling nearly 100 miles a week while training for a bike race and our daughter is a multisport athlete, so they both rely on protein to keep their muscles strong. Plus I’m trying to lose weight to help lower my cholesterol. And as an added bonus, the hummus and cherry tomatoes are ingredients that can help fight inflammation. While some inflammation is good, helping us heal our wounds, for instance, chronic inflammation has been linked to diseases like diabetes and cancer. 

So what’s for dinner tonight? Chicken Hummus Bowls, of course! If you haven’t given them a try yet, I hope you do. And don’t forget to rate and review the recipe—I can’t wait to read what you thought of it.