Chicken Tikka Pita with Cucumber Raita

Name: Chicken Tikka Pita with Cucumber Raita
Yield: Makes 4
Ingredients: 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed; 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 tbsp. olive oil; 1 tbsp. tikka masala spice blend or paprika; 2 tsp. garam masala or ground coriander; 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin; 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice; 1 1/2 tsp. ginger-garlic paste (or 3/4 tsp. ground ginger and 3/4 tsp. minced garlic); 1 tsp. chili powder; 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream; 3 sprigs mint (about 1/4 cup), leaves stripped and chopped; 1/2 tsp. ground cumin; 4 pita pockets, halved; 1 small onion, chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and shredded; 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise; 4–5 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups); 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped; 1/2 English cucumber, sliced

9-year-old Shakthi Ramachandran's Chicken Tikka Pita with Cucumber Raita Recipe

Author:: Shakthi Ramachandran
Updated:: Jul 12, 2017
Original:: Jan 23, 2017

Shakthi Ramachandran, Age 9, of Indiana says: “My dad is from India and I like Indian food, especially chicken tikka masala. So I worked with him to make it into a sandwich. I love chicken and I also like to eat a lot of vegetables. This recipe combines all these things!”

Makes 4Servings

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. tikka masala spice blend or paprika
2 tsp. garam masala or ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. ginger-garlic paste (or 3/4 tsp. ground ginger and 3/4 tsp. minced garlic)
1 tsp. chili powder

Cucumber Raita

1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
3 sprigs mint (about 1/4 cup), leaves stripped and chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Assembly

4 pita pockets, halved
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
4–5 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, sliced

Preparation

1. For the chicken tikka, in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover; let marinate in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the broiler. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a large ovenproof skillet. Broil until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine all the raita ingredients; season with salt.

4. To assemble, fill the pita with the vegetables, chicken and raita.