Kosta's Chicken Souvlaki on a Pita w/ Greek Yogurt and Salad

I get my chicken souvlaki already marinated at a local butcher, Kosta's Meat Market. The marinade is simple, salt, pepper, paprika and olive oil. It makes a great, tender souvlaki which I sauce up with my husbands favourite greek salad and yogurt all in one goodness of a pita. Support your local butcher, I can almost guarantee the meat selection and quality is better.

A few pointers on why this recipe is good food good for you.

1. Poultry vs. red meat. Traditionally, we would eat lamb souvlaki which is high in saturated fat. However, since chicken souvlaki has half the fat than red meat it's the better heart healthy choice.

2. Yogurt. Yogurt is a great snack to have when maintaining a heart healthy diet and a dollop here and there on some dishes can really give you that extra protein and flavour. Greek yogurt also has probiotics which are great for your digestive system AND has no saturated fats or cholesterol. To be honest, I threw this in the dish as a substitute to tzaziki, mainly because I don't have the time to make it and I'm not a fan of the store bought versions. Yes, I am pretentious when it comes to tzaziki.

3. Whole wheat pita vs. white pita. Whole grains are always healthier and provide more heart benefits than white flour items. They have similar amount of calories and carbs but the main difference between the two is that whole wheat pita has almost four times more fibre than white pita. Fibre helps reduce your risk in cholesterol and high blood sugar and helps your digestive system. Eat more fibre!

Skip ahead to the nutritional facts and printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 chicken skewers

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 head chopped romaine

1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1/8 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 minced garlic clove

1 tsp dried oregano salt and pepper to taste

4 whole wheat pitas

greek yogurt to taste

7 Easy Steps (Instructions):

Step 1: If you didn't buy your chicken skewers already marinated, you can quickly mix it altogether the night before or even right before cooking. Mix paprika, salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil and toss the chicken bits in marinade. Let marinade in fridge. To prevent skewers from burning, soak them in water before putting the chicken on it. Alternatively, buy them marinated for you :)

Step 2: Preheat grill on medium-high.

Step 3: Start the salad by whisking together the oil, vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic in a glass bowl.

Step 4: Add skewers to grill and cook for 6-8 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.

Step 5: Add lettuce, onion, olives, cucumber, tomatoes and feta to the salad dressing and mix thoroughly.

Step 6: In the last minute of the skewers grilling, add pitas on the grill to toast for 30 seconds, each side. Step 7: To serve, add a spoon or two of greek yogurt in the toasted pita, add salad on top of yogurt and top with chicken (skewer removed, duh). Enjoy!

Enjoy! Nutritional facts and printer-friendly version of this recipe here.

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