Pakistan Style Chicken Pita

Let me begin by saying this sandwich is packed with some really great spice, balanced out by a yogurt blend that will blow your mind. Chicken marinated overnight, pulsed and formed into patties, grilled, packed in a warm pita, and stuffed with cucumbers and cilantro? If you want flavors, this sandwich is right up your alley.

Ingredients for marinade:

• 4 chicken thighs, cubed, skinless and boneless (if you cannot get them, then you have trimming to do)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp shallots, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (use 1/4 tsp for less heat)
• pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
• pinch of course salt

Yogurt Sauce:

• 6 oz of plain yogurt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp minced onion

Sandwich Stuff

• pita bread, halved, and warmed
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seed, and sliced lengthwise
• handful of fresh cilantro, rough chopped

Begin by getting a bowl ready and tossing in the chicken, and marinade ingredients. Mix well, coating every piece of chicken. Toss in a ziplock bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Place in the refrigerator overnight. If you cannot allow for that time, try to marinate for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to get your chicken cooking, get a food processor, place the chicken mixture inside, and pulse 7-10 times, until you have a nice rough blend. You do not want a paste, but you want a texture a bit more course then lets say a ground beef.

Form into small patties, about a 3 inch diameter. Remember you are going to want these to fit into the pita’s. Once the patties are formed and placed on a plate, place them in the freezer until your grill is ready.

Preheat your grill. When the grill is heated on a nice medium-high heat, rub the grates with some vegetable oil. I do this with some tongs and paper towel. This cleans the grill grates, and at the same time lubricates them.

Place the patties on the grill, cooking 4-6 minutes per side. Careful when you flip them as the patties are a bit fragile. In the meantime, get your yogurt sauce made. In a small bowl add the yogurt ingredients, mixing well. Place in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to go, remove the cooked patties from the grill. Now you have a couple of options here. You can either place the pitas on the grill to warm them, or you can microwave them for about 30 seconds.

Place two patties into the pita, add in some sliced cucumber, some cilantro, and generously drizzle with the yogurt sauce.

Now it’s time to get your game on. Pick up, and take a big bite, getting all of the flavors. The spice from the patties, the coolness from the yogurt, and the blend from the cilantro and cucumber make you go a bit crazy. Makes you want to dance, or shout out something. It’s beautiful.