Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Quest to be a better cook, Spicy Chicken Shawarma


I really enjoy cooking, though I have never ventured out until I got married.I am not the type of person who tries different things at res truants, I like to play it safe and enjoy what I know is going to be good. So when I am at home, I LOVE to try different things. Mark is a pretty good sport and will try just about anything, I was lucky enough to find a man who isn't a picky eater! I decided I would post good recipes I come across. Hopefully someone will try them and enjoy them, like we do!

I decided to try Spicy Chicken Shawarma... It reminded me of the "Pita Pit". So I went for it.

What you need:
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (which is easy to grow, if I might say so!!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
5 tablespoons plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided (I used sour cream)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini (Sesame paste... hard to find, try a health food store like me. Mark & I had to google what it was)
4 (6-inch) pitas, halved
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup prechopped red onion

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently.

2. While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita half; divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 1 tablespoon cucumber, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1 1/2 teaspoons onion.

I got this recipe from the April edition of Cooking Light. I must say, I REALLY liked this recipe. And it only has 10 grams of fat!!! Mark's review: It has good texture, with a nice blend of flavors. Overall good. (LOL, that's Mark for you.)

1 comment:

Ashley W. said...

If you are looking to branch out I have a whole file of recipes (with pictures even) that I put together for my SIL for christmas one year. They are all either fast, easy or cheap (or a combination of the three). I've actually made each one and several have become staples in our household.