Greek Pita Pizzas

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest a long time ago and was curious how it would turn out.  We made this for dinner on Friday night and it was a perfect light meal to kick off the weekend.  I wasn't sure if one pita would be satisfying enough, but you will be surprised at how filling these pita pizzas are. The original recipe can be found on this blog.  I made a handful of adaptations when I made my version - mostly using pitas instead of making your own pizza crust.  Either way would be delicious!

Servings:  2

Size:  1 pita pizza

Points Plus: 9pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pitas
1 cucumber
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup feta cheese

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt, plain, reduced-fat
1/2 cup shredded cucumber
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil and cook the chicken.  You may want to cut the chicken breasts into smaller strips to speed up the cooking time.  While the chicken is cooking, you can make the homemade Tzatziki sauce and prep the veggies.  For the Tzatziki, combine the Greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, lemon juice, garlic and salt & pepper in a small Pyrex measuring cup.  Whisk together until well mixed.  Wash and prep the Roma tomatoes by dicing and dice the remaining cucumber.  Once the chicken is done cooking, allow to cool for a few minutes before you cut into bite-sized pieces.  Assemble the pizzas by brushing each pita with a little olive oil - then layer veggies (tomato and cucmber), feta and chicken.  Drizzle the Tzatziki sauce over the top of each pita pizza.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.  You are really just warming up the pizzas and making sure the pitas crisp up a bit.

Tip:
For the shredded cucumber, using a zester worked well for me.  You will end up with more juice than actual shredded cucumber pieces, but it will help to flavor the Tzatziki just the same.

XOXO Megan

Chicken Gyros (Yee-Roh)

NEWSFLASH! Chicken gyros are just as good as regular normal delicious wonderful lamb gyros.  Ok, this might not be 100% true (coming from a major gyro lover), but they are a good, healthier substitute! I think this was the first time I actually ate a chicken gyros, and slightly altered this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything (good blog). You begin by mixing up a Greek inspired marinade AND your own Tzatziki! I served this with a basic Greek chop salad of cucumber, tomato, feta and red onion.  Made me feel like I was in Greece! (jk)

Servings:  2

Size:  Ingredients below split in half, 5 oz of chicken

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 mins, including marinade time

Cook Time:  10 mins

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredients:

Tzatziki sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the chicken:

2 tsp. minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tbsp.)

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

To assemble:

Pita bread, one split in 1/2

Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:

Shred the cucumber and wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Don't over salt! Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Spray a non-stick pan and sauté chicken until cooked through. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Broil pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, and sliced onions. Serve immediately. Also feel free to add chopped romaine and diced tomatoes if you have them, which I didn't!

Tip: Marinades such as this are a great way to spice up (not literally) your boring run-of-the mill chicken.  You could use this marinade without the pita and serve with a salad and veggie side OR use to top a simple Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta.

XOXO - Katie