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This harissa avocado chicken bowl has everything you need to be happy!
It’s fully loaded with boldly spiced chicken, nutritious greens, tangy feta, protein-rich hummus and loads of crunchy veggies.
We’re using inspiration from the harissa avocado Cava recipe to build a beautiful, balanced chicken bowl that will leave you super satisfied yet still wishing for more.
Cava, a casual restaurant chain that’s best described as a Mediterranean version of Chipotle, creates fabulous flavor combinations with its protein and grain bowls. The Harissa Avocado Bowl is Cava’s most popular bowl.
My favorite thing about making our own Cava bowls at home is that we can customize them in endless ways!
Ingredients for this Harissa Avocado Cava Recipe
We’re using whole, simple ingredients to build this delicious chicken Cava grill bowl:
- Chicken breast
- Avocado
- Corn. Cava uses fire-roasted corn, which you can find in the frozen food section or canned section of many grocery stores. Regular whole kernel corn can also be used.
- Cucumbers. Look for Persian cucumbers, sometimes called mini cucumbers. A Persian cucumber is smaller and has less seeds.
- Feta cheese. The original Cava recipe calls for both crumbled feta cheese plus their own concoction called “crazy feta”. Crazy feta is made by whipping feta cheese in a food processor with fresh jalapeno peppers and olive oil. For this bowl, we’re just using cubed feta.
- Hummus. Buy it at the grocery store or make my homemade recipe.
- Harissa paste. A little bit spicy and a little bit smoky, it’ll become your new favorite ingredient! You can find harissa paste in most grocery stores.
- Basmati rice
- Mixed greens
- Pickled Onions. Pickling red onions is easy, and they’re great to have in the fridge for all kinds of dishes. I’ll include an easy recipe in this post, or you can buy them at the grocery store.
How to Make this Harissa Avocado chicken bowl
Pickle the Onions
If you’re making your own pickled onions, do this first.
Make the pickling liquid on the stove with boiling water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced red onions and let them sit while you make the rest of the cava bowl components.
Marinate the Chicken
We’re making the harissa honey chicken by marinating it in a mixture of harissa paste, honey, lemon juice, garlic and dried spices.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss it in the marinade. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of time to marinate the chicken.
Cook the Rice
Make the basmati rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker.
The rice can be cooking while you assemble the other bowl ingredients.
Make the Hot Honey Vinaigrette
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
The dressing includes more harissa paste and honey, plus a few tablespoons of olive oil, fresh garlic and vinegar.
Cook the Chicken
Pop the chicken into the oven for about 20 minutes.
During this time, assemble the bowls so that you can place the warm chicken on top of them when it comes out of the oven.
Assemble the Bowls
This is the best part! First, set the greens on the bottom of your salad bowls.
Then, pile on your rice, veggies and cheese.
When the chicken comes out of the oven, divide it among your cava bowls. Drizzle the dressing over the bowls right before you’re ready to enjoy them.
Serve the Bowls
Enjoy your delicious cava bowl with a side of pita chips or pita bread. Corn tortilla chips are also a great option if you want to go gluten free.
Variations for this Cava Recipe
The great thing about bowls is the endless ways to vary and customize them! Here are some ideas:
1. The Protein. Whatever pleases your taste buds will work in this bowl! Try boneless chicken thighs or lean cuts of steak. For a meatless option, try using falafel or tofu.
2. The Rice. Although basmati is the best, brown rice, jasmine rice and plain white rice are all good alternatives.
3. The Mix Ins: To stay with the Mediterranean theme, try adding kalamata olives, tzatziki or grilled eggplant.
4. The Greens: Any kind of green you like will work in this bowl! Try baby spinach or chopped romaine as alternatives to spring mix.
How to Store this Harissa Avocado Chicken Bowl
Whenever possible, store the components of your cava bowl in separate containers. I like to put the chopped veggies in individual plastic bags. The chicken can go into an airtight container. Same goes for the dressing, rice and cheese.
The next time you’re ready to enjoy your cava bowl, you can assemble it like it’s the first time! This is also a great way to meal prep for the week.
If you already had your bowl assembled and just couldn’t finish it, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. The bowl will last in the refrigerator for several days as long as it wasn’t dressed with the hot honey vinaigrette.
If it already has the dressing on it, the greens might get a little soggy if you store it for longer than one day.
When you make this harissa avocado chicken bowl, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more fun bowl recipes, try these:
- Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe with Avocado (Hawaiian Style)
- Chicken Bibimbap Recipe (Easy Korean Rice Bowl)
- Falafel Rice Bowl with Easy Tahini Sauce
For more copycat recipes, try these:
- Starbucks Grilled Cheese at Home
- Blackened Chicken Tenders Recipe (Popeyes Copycat)
- Best Snickerdoodle Recipe (Crumbl Copycat)
Harissa Avocado Chicken Bowl (Homemade Cava Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 cup fire roasted corn
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers sliced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup hummus
- 5 oz. bag mixed greens
- 2 cups cooked Basmati rice recipe below
- 1 cup pickled onions recipe below
Harissa Marinade for Chicken
- 2 Tbsp. harissa paste
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. coriander
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Harissa Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup harissa paste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
Pickled Onions
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Make the Pickled Onions
- Thinly slice the onion. Place the slices into a mason jar or heavy duty plastic container.
- Bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the salt and sugar are dissolved, pour the pickling liquid over the onions. Fill to the top of the container and seal it.
- Let it sit until it cools to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
Make the Chicken
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Cut chicken breast into bite-sized cubes and toss in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread chicken onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Set aside.
Make the Harissa Vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients except for the olive oil in a small bowl. Slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture, whisking constantly.
Make the Basmati Rice
- Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low. Cover. Cook 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Assemble the Bowls
- Divide the greens among 4 serving bowls. Top with cooked rice, chicken, cubed feta cheese, hummus, roasted corn, diced avocado, sliced cucumbers and pickled onions. Drizzle with harissa vinaigrette.
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