Chicken Tikka Pita with Cucumber Raita
Photography by Joseph De Leo
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.
