Wednesday 12 October 2016

Chicken Pittas with Spicy Garlic Sauce.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Too summery for October?
Aah, who cares when they're so delicious? I've made the chicken pittas twice already in the past week and the spicy garlic sauce is my new go-to for everything. It is so good as a mayo replacement in sandwiches.

This recipe begins with the chicken. I was supposed to keep the marinade oil-based but in the end, could not resist dolloping in a few tablespoons of yoghurt. The yoghurt makes all the difference. Think about things like tandoori chicken. The reason it always comes out so soft and succulent is because of the yoghurt that is used in the marinade. 


I took that same idea and those few tablespoons of yoghurt have become my secret ingredient in this recipe. Whether you cook the chicken straight away or leave it for a few hours, it will be soft and lovely to eat.
While the chicken cooks, we'll stir up the simplest spicy garlic sauce. Again, the yoghurt takes centre stage. Unlike traditional garlic sauce which is usually all mayo, here we switch things up and use half mayo half yoghurt. The yoghurt cuts through the richness and along with plenty of garlic is one of the reasons why we've had a bowl of this sauce in the fridge at all times this week. Finally, we stuff our chicken, sauce and salad into a pitta bread. Guys, I have the worst time stuffing pitta breads. They just always break and crack - super annoying. I know that you'll do a much better job. Enjoy!

Pittas, previously: chicken donner kebab

 A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Chicken:
1. Garlic
2. Lemon
3. Salt
4. Black Pepper
5. Allspice
6. Dried Oregano
7. Ground Cumin
8. Ground Coriander
9. Paprika
10. Ground Cinnamon
11. Olive Oil
12. Yoghurt

13. Chicken Breast Slices

For the Spicy Garlic Sauce:
1. Mayonnaise
2. Yoghurt
3. Garlic Paste
4. Chilli Garlic Sauce
5. Lemon Juice
6. Salt
7. Black Pepper

For the Pittas:
1. Pittas
2. Pickled Peppers
3. Tomatoes
4. Lettuce

Bismillah, let's begin!

Let's start by making the marinade for the chicken.

Take 6 Garlic Cloves.

Peel and crush the garlic.

Then, grab 1 Lemon and give it a zest.

Add in the Juice of 1 Lemon.

This is already going to be good with all that lemony garlic goodness!

Time for the dry seasonings! Starting with 1 teaspoon Salt.

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Next, allspice. Such a lovely, warming spice.

In goes 1 teaspoon Allspice.

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander

3/4 teaspoon Paprika

Next, to help bind everything together, 4 tablespoons Olive Oil.

And, to keep our chicken soft and moist, 4 tablespoons Yoghurt.

Time to stir things up!

Oh wait! I forgot my favourite ingredient!

In goes 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon. Literally obsessed with putting cinnamon into all my savoury dishes now!

Stir everything together and our marinade is ready!

Time for the chicken! I used 7 Chicken Slices which is around 6 small Chicken Breasts, sliced through the middle.

Pour in the marinade.

Stir everything well. You can leave the chicken to marinade overnight or for a few hours. I have cooked this chicken straight away and it is still perfectly delicious!

I cooked the chicken in a pan. You may also bake it or grill it.

Place the pan over a high heat and add in the chicken. I had to cook mine in batches.

Sear the chicken for 2 minutes on both sides.

Then, cover and place on a low heat. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping once until the chicken is fully cooked.


While the chicken cooks, let's stir up the spicy garlic sauce.

Into a bowl, place 8 tablespoons Mayonnaise.

Don't forget to flip the chicken!

Back to the sauce! Add in 8 tablespoons Yoghurt.

Next, 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste. Or as much as you like.

For the spice, I squeezed in 8 teaspoons Chilli Garlic Sauce.

I love this combination of the spicy sauce with the creamy garlic sauce. So good!

For a little tang, 4 tablespoons Lemon Juice.

Finally, Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Stir and give the sauce a taste. I felt my sauce could use more chilli garlic sauce.

The sauce is done! Let's check on the chicken!

Once the chicken is cooked, dry out any excess liquid.

The chicken is done. We're nearly ready to eat!

For the pittas, take 6 Pittas. I toasted them until they were warm.

For my salad, I like Pickled Peppers.

Tomatoes, sliced

Lettuce, chopped

And, the cooked chicken.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, slice it up.

Fill your pittas up and enjoy!

Full Written Recipe:


Chicken Pittas with Spicy Garlic Sauce.

Prep Time: About 30 minutes + marinade time.
Cook Time: About 25 minutes.
Serves: About 6 people.

Ingredients

For the Chicken
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
¾ teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 tablespoons Yoghurt
7 Chicken Slices (about 6 small chicken breasts sliced through the middle)

For the Spicy Garlic Sauce
8 tablespoons Mayonnaise
8 tablespoons Yoghurt
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
8 teaspoons Chilli Garlic Sauce
4 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the Pittas
6 Pittas, toasted
Pickled Peppers
Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce, chopped

Method

To marinade the chicken, mix everything together except the chicken. Then, add to the chicken and stir to coat well. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. I have tried this chicken cooked straight away and it was still delicious.

To cook, heat a large pan over a high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sear for 2 minutes on either side. Then, turn the heat down and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping once. Uncover and dry out any extra liquid. Cool slightly before slicing.

For the garlic sauce, mix everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve, stuff the pittas with the chicken, salad and garlic sauce. Eat!

{Adapted from The Cozy Apron}

This Time One Year Ago:
lentil shepherds pie + sweet chilli chicken + battle of the cakes

This Time Two Years Ago:
cheddar waffles with fried chicken and gravy

This Time Three Years Ago:
lahori chicken curry

This Time Four Years Ago:
thumbprint cookies


Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your pittas,

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


Spice Enthusiast
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