Chicken Shawarma Pitas

I set up my Christmas tree today. It seems I have a lighting problem; the middle section won’t light up. WTF?

WHY did they ever make a string of lights where if one light is out then the whole string stops working??  WHY???

How are you supposed to figure out which one is the dud?

What a pain…

While I try to figure it out, let’s talk about these Chicken Shawarma Pitas.

They are spicy and fresh and crisp, absolutely delicious.

Not to mention they only took 30 minutes to make!

What you need,

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3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. ground coriander

5 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt, divided

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced and divided

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced thinly

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. tahini or peanut butter (I didn’t have tahini but peanut butter worked just fine!)

2 pitas, halved

½ cup chopped cucumber

½ cup chopped tomato

¼ cup chopped red onion (optional)

Combine 2 tablespoons of the parsley, salt, red pepper flakes, ginger, cumin, coriander and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the Greek yogurt, stir to combine.

Add the chicken and toss to coat, set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining 4 tablespoons of Greek yogurt, the tahini or peanut butter plus the remaining lemon juice and the garlic. Stir in the last tablespoon of parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat.

Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes flipping halfway through until browned and cooked through.

Spread some of the sauce inside of each pita, divide the chicken between the pockets and top with cucumber, tomato and onion if you are using it.

A little added sauce on top is always good!

These spicy little pitas were fantastic! They made a great light dinner.

If you need me I will be testing a million tiny Christmas lights trying to find the dead one…

Jen

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine