“Mamma mia, here I go again.”

Last week, I sang along with those familiar lyrics once again, swept back into my ABBA obsession. Since my sorority days in college, I have been hit with these strong obsessive episodes once every six months(ish), where I remember the band exists and have to listen to all their hits.

Daylight Savings Time, and seeing the sun after work, triggered just such an episode. Seeing the sunlight apparently makes my brain crave disco pop. I was the “Dancing Queen.”

But here’s the thing about the dancing queen. She’s young and sweet. She’s only 17. And she seems to not have many responsibilities besides, well, dancing.

And when I got home from work and was faced with the realities of now having to cook a meal, well – let’s say I changed my tune a little. All I could do was groan, thinking of cooking the same old same old again. I wasn’t ready to give up that disco pop feeling quite yet.

Fueled by the energy of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” I wanted to try something new instead. I searched for a new dinner recipe for two, and scrolled for a bit while the songs still played in my head.

That’s when I found this recipe for Chicken Gyro Bowls on Recipe Runner. It seemed perfect for the energy I had at the time. Plus, I don’t know if you know this, but there’s a movie musical with a lot of songs from ABBA in it that’s set on a fictional island in Greece.

Is the band ABBA Greek? No. They’re Swedish. But that’s not the point. When I listen to their music, I’m mentally on a beach with Meryl Streep. Colin Firth is there. Men are wearing flippers and jumping into the ocean in sync.

So, I figured Greek food would work just fine to satisfy my ABBA-inspired cravings. I got back in my car, cut the music back on, and took myself to the nearest grocery store, where I practically pranced through the aisles with my earbuds blasting in my ears.

Within just a few hours, I was plating up bowls full of rice, marinated chicken, fresh tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and olives.

(Not sure exactly why I followed through on the olives – neither I nor my husband enjoy them. But hey, you can’t say I wasn’t committed.)

If you want to try an easy dinner recipe that has you singing, “my, my, how can I resist you,” this may be the recipe for you. I thought the end result was absolutely delicious. The fresh vegetables mixed with the marinated chicken brought the whole dish to life.

But don’t forget the secret ingredient. You have to dance a little while making them.

CHICKEN GYRO BOWLS

Ingredients

Chicken marinade
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, low fat or full fat are best
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of fresh garlic, grated
2 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

Tzatziki sauce
1 cup shredded cucumber, you can also dice the cucumber
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt, non-fat, 2%, or whole
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I added another tablespoon after tasting for more tartness.)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon fresh grated garlic (You can half this if you want to, but I bumped it up from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon and it was perfect.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Other Ingredients
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup kalamata olives (if you don’t like olives, skip them. No one will know but you.)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups cooked rice (I used jasmine rice, since it’s my favorite. But you can also do white rice, brown rice, whatever you prefer.)

Directions
■ Combine all the ingredients for the chicken marinade in a bowl and stir together until combined. Add in the cubed chicken and let it marinate for 30 minutes (or more, if you have time!).
■ While the chicken marinates, make the tzatziki sauce. Stir together all of the ingredients and taste for seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Also, while chicken is marinating, cook your rice.
■ In a large skillet over medium-high heat add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in the chicken and spread it into a single layer. Let it brown for 3-4 minutes before flipping it over. Continue to cook another 4-5 minutes or until it’s cooked through.
■ To assemble the bowls, fill the bowl with rice and then top it with some of the chicken, cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, kalamata olives, crumbled feta, and tzatziki sauce.

READER FAVORITES

• 

  Three recipes to use up summer tomatoes

  By Ashlynd King • 1 day ago