For an easy weeknight dinner, nothing beats the convenience of grilled lemon chicken wrapped in pita bread and served alongside a simple salad.
The chicken is marinated in a delicious mixture of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, herbs and warm Mediterranean spices. This needs to be done a couple of hours ahead of time. Not only will this marinade tenderize the chicken and make it very moist, but it will also give it an incredible flavor.
Spices and aromatics for the marinade: thyme, cumin, paprika, coriander, hot pepper, garlic, oregano, lemon zest
For this recipe, I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. They are much more flavorful than chicken breasts and they don’t dry out as easily. I know some people prefer chicken breasts, but I urge you to give chicken thighs a try for this recipe. If you can’t grill outdoors, you can easily cook them indoors using a hot grill pan on the stove.
How to serve the grilled lemon chicken
Once the chicken is cooked, I cut it against the grain in thick slices. I spread a generous spoonful of tzatziki on a warm piece of Greek pita bread. Next, I place several pieces of the chicken on top of the tzatziki, followed by some chopped, juicy tomatoes and thinly-sliced red onions. Finally, I wrap the pita tightly around the filling in order to hold everything together. You can find the recipe for tzatziki in several posts on the blog like this one and this one.
This is great recipe for easy, weeknight chicken that the whole family will like. I hope you give it a try!
- 1.5 lbs. chicken boneless and skinless thighs (about 6 pieces)
- For the marinade:
- 1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
- 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ¼ tsp. hot pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 TBSP. lemon zest
- 2 TBSP. lemon juice
- 4 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the marinade.
- Trim the chicken and place it in a zip-top bag. Carefully pour all of the marinade over the chicken. Close the bag tightly and use your hands to massage the chicken to spread the marinade all over the chicken pieces. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to four hours.
- When ready to cook the chicken, remove from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for half an hour.
- Heat your grill to medium high. Place chicken pieces on the grill and cook the first side for about 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for about 3 to 4 minutes (depending on the thickness). With an instant read thermometer, check the temperature - it should register 165° F. Remove the chicken from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Squeeze a little lemon juice over the chicken and serve wrapped in warm pita bread, with a good amount of ttzatziki, tomatoes, and sliced red onions.
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