Cucumber, Red Onion, Tomatoes, Mint [Note 2]Feta Cheese, optional
Lettuce or Roquette [Arugula]; chopped fresh dill
Instructions
For the chicken marinade
Gather and weigh your ingredients. Combine all the marinade ingredients [Note 3] into a large mixing bowl, stir well and add the prepared chicken; ensure the chicken is covered completely by the marinade.Cover the bowl and pop into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight.
Cooking the chicken
Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before cooking as you don't want to try and cook cold chicken- the meat can seize and may produce a tough bird!
When you're ready, place a colander over a medium mixing bowl and pour in the chicken- marinade and all, this will help you to remove the excess marinade so that when you cook the chicken it won't burn the pan. [I use a brush to then remove any other excess marinade]
Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy bottom non-stick skillet over medium/high heat. When the pan is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken pieces, Do not over crowd the pan and cook in batches if you need to.Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes [depending on the size of your chicken pieces] or until there is no pink in the middle.
In the meantime, pour the strained marinade sauce into a small saucepan. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook through- the sauce should be a bit thick at this point.
Serve with flatbreads and any other options [Note 4] For the flatbread recipeDuring the kneading process in Step 2, I like to add ½ teaspoon each of fresh mint and dill, finely minced. A dash of lime zest gives it a nice subtle zip!
Notes
VARIATIONSNote 1. If you prefer your marinade sauce a bit sweeter, add 1 Tablesoon apple juice to the mix and stir through.Note 2. You can make a 'salsa' of diced tomatoes, sliced red onion, peeled [and de-seeded as some people prefer], diced cucumber, and minced mint. Pop that into a bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
Note 3. You can also make a bit of extra marinade sauce, add some peeled, deseeded and diced cucumber and pop into the fridge.
Note 4. We like to serve this meal as a DIY. We place all the prepared items on the island in the kitchen. Starting with a warmed flatbread, you could brush some of the cooked marinade all over the surface of a flatbread. Add the cooked chicken down the centre, add peppers, the 'salsa' lettuce, feta - whatever options you are using, and top with the extra chilled cucumber marinade sauce. I like to put a bit of fresh, chopped dill on top and roll it up!
This dish definitely calls for using your hands; the soft flatbreads mop up the juices perfectly. Serve with plenty of napkins!!