Peppery Chicken Pitas Food

CHICKEN FAJITA PITA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• Cut the chicken, crosswise into 3/4-inch strips. Cut the onion, and bell peppers into 3/4-inch strips, and place on the baking sheet.
• Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Evenly sprinkle the fajita spice blend on top of the mixture and give it another quick stir.
• Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and squeeze lime juice on top.
• Use tongs to fill the pita pockets and serve.

POPPY SEED-CHICKEN PITAS

Steps:

• Cover the chicken with cold water in a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt. Remove strips of zest from half of the orange with a vegetable peeler; add the zest to the water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 18 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool.
• Grate the remaining orange zest into a large bowl; juice the orange into the bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, celery, nuts, chives, poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Add the apricots, if desired.
• Shred the chicken, discarding the bones and skin, and toss with the dressing. Stuff a few lettuce leaves and some of the chicken salad into each pita.

GREEK CHICKEN PITAS

Steps:

• Dice the chicken into one inch pieces. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, parsley, red wine vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper together. Stir in the chicken, evenly coating it, then cover the bowl and place the chicken in the fridge to marinate. Let the chicken marinate for at least 3 hours, and ideally overnight. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a skillet over high heat. Drizzle enough olive oil into the pan to just coat it. Then add the pieces of chicken one by one so that any excess marinade falls off. Loosely fill the skillet, and as soon as the chicken has lightly browned, flip it over, place the lid on the skillet, and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Let the chicken cook for 10 minutes. Repeat this process until all of the chicken has cooked. Serve the chicken with pita bread, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, and tzatziki.

CHICKEN CUCUMBER PITAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing, mayonnaise, Italian dressing, garlic powder and pepper; pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Fill each pita half with a scant 1/2 cup chicken mixture.

GREEK CHICKEN IN A PITA

Steps:

• In a blender combine juice, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper and mint or cilantro leaves. Process until smooth and pour over chicken to marinate. Refrigerate chicken and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. In a small bowl stir together yogurt, cucumber and chopped mint.
• In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add marinated chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heat pitas under a broiler or in a toaster oven. Slice open pitas and stuff with chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and top with yogurt dressing. Serve immediately.

PEPPERY CHICKEN PITAS

Steps:

• Cut chicken into narrow strips and place in a large zip-top plastic bag.
• Add teriyaki sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Remove chicken strips from teriyaki and discard remaining sauce.
• Combine thyme and next 4 ingredients; sprinkle over chicken.
• Heat oil in large skillet, add chicken and cook until no longer pink and cooked through, about 7-9 minutes.
• Combine mayonnaise and horseradish, carefully spread in each pita.
• Sprinkle lettuce evenly in each pita, then top with chicken mixture.

EGGPLANT, ROASTED PEPPER AND CHICKEN PITAS

Steps:

• Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and allow to drain in a colander for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a grill for medium-high heat (see Cook's Note).
• Pound chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Dredge with flour, shake off excess, dip into beaten egg, then press into seasoned bread crumbs to coat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
• Wipe eggplant dry with a paper towel. If grilling, brush slices with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Grill until tender and well marked.
• Crush garlic with a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Whisk together garlic, red wine vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. Slice grilled eggplant into strips and toss with roasted peppers and balsamic dressing; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To assemble, heat pita breads on the grill until hot and marked. Slice chicken into strips and place into warm pitas along with marinated eggplant and red peppers.