Grilled Chicken Pitas With Saffron And Greek Slaw

Lyndsy Hassett|Aug. 29, 2012 3:04 pm EST

4 (2 ratings)

I may not be en route to the Greek Isles or pledging for a sorority, but my kitchen has been Greek-inspired over the last week. Why? Well, I’m not sure other than I have an abundance of lemons and fresh thyme to get creative with, and I do love the flavors of their cuisine. I decided to adapt my own take on a classic "Greek plate." You know the ones, with skewers of lemon and herb-marinated chicken, saffron rice, fresh salad with beets and feta, and creamy tzatziki sauce. That’s a lot of goodness right there, so I opted to combine all of these components into one, deliciously Greek pita. Click here to see 15 Great Grilled Chicken Recipes.

Servings

4

Ingredients

one 5-ounce package saffron rice, such as mahatma
2 cup fresh spinach, chopped finely
3 cooked baby beets, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoon finely chopped peperoncini, preferably golden greek
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoon grated feta
2 tablespoon italian dressing
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into medium-sized strips
2 tablespoon lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
dash of red chile pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
whole-wheat greek pita bread, for serving
tzatziki sauce, for serving
1 sliced lemon, for garnish

Directions

Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, make the Greek slaw. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, beets, red onion, and peperoncini. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then stir in the feta cheese and Italian dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon-infused olive oil, wine, thyme, red chile pepper flakes, garlic, lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken tenders and mix well. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Preheat the grill on medium-high heat.
Grill the chicken, using the marinade to baste, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees, about 6-8 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Place the whole-wheat pitas on the grill until slightly warmed.
Coat the inside of the pitas with some tzatziki sauce and then fill each with generous portions of the chicken, rice, and slaw mixture. Serve with a slice of lemon for garnish.