Lemon marinated chicken pitas with oven baked fries and tzatziki
Mediterranean chicken, oven baked fries, tzatziki sauce, and all the toppings stuffed in a warm pita. The best quick, easy and delicious family weekday meal. Either serve the pitas filled already or put it all out on the dinner table so everyone can fill their own pita to their liking.
Ingredients
Lemon marinated chicken
- 1½ lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup extra virgen olive oil
- 1 large lemon (zest and juice)(or sub 2 limes if lemons aren't available where you are)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Oven baked fries
- 1½ lbs large potatoes (washed not peeled, cut into large, thick fries)
- 3 tbsp extra virgen olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
Tzatziki
- 1 small cucumber (washed, not peeled, seeds removed (optionally), grated)
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- a squeeze lemon
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)(optionally)
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves (chopped)(optionally)
- 4 (whole wheat) pita breads (store bought or homemade*)
Toppings
- 1 small head lettuce (or sub kale or spinach or other greens)
- ½ small cucumber (sliced)
- 4 tomatoes (cut in 4)
- 1 small red onion (cut into strips)
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Mix olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic and oregano together either in a bowl or a ziplock bag. Add the chick breast to it and either stir (bowl) or massage (ziplock bag) everything and let it sit to marinate. (if you want marinated tomatoes instead of just sliced tomatoes as a topping, keep some of the marinate for the tomatoes!)
Oven bake the fries
- Preheat the oven to 220C/430F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cut the potatoes in long thick, skin-on fries.
- On one of the two lined baking sheet toss the cut potatoes with olive oil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and salt to season the fries.
- Bake the fries for 15 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and toss/flip the fries. Now put them back in the oven (together with the chicken!) for another 15-20 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown.
Bake the chicken in the oven
- Take the chicken out of the marinate. Shake off excess marinate and lay the chicken out on the second lined baking tray.
- When you place the fries back in the oven (at half time), also slide the tray with the marinated chicken in the oven, on the rack above the fries.
- When the fries are ready, either take the chicken out as well (check for doneness) or turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to create a smoky, browned char on the chicken (optional, but recommended).
- While the chicken and fries for these are in the oven, prep the toppings.
Prep the toppings
- Shred the lettuce, slice the cucumbers, red onions and tomatoes. If you want to quickly marinate the tomatoes, do that now. And cut some lemons into wedges to serve on the side (optional).
Make the tzatziki
- Mix all the tzatziki ingredients together and set aside for serving.
Warm up the pita bread
- Warm up the pitas. You can just pop them into the oven for 1-2 minutes next to the fries.
Serve the pitas!
- Now it is time to serve these lemon marinated chicken pitas with oven baked fries and tzatziki. Either fill each pita with chicken, fries and the other toppings or put out both trays on the dinner table so everyone can fill their own pita bread. Enjoy!
Notes
*homemade whole wheat pita bread
Nutritional information:
the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.