Friday, March 4, 2011

Chicken Skewer Pitas w/ Cranberry Sauce & Tahini Yogurt


Okay, raise your hand if you're excited that it's Friday!  (Yes, I'm raising both hands just for good measure!) 

What does everyone have planned for the weekend?  Anything exciting?  Well, me... I've got an Open House to go to for the Culinary School that I applied for!  Hopefully can tour the campus and get in on some scholarship action.  So you guys will definitely be informed on Monday!

Anyway, it's supposed to rain for half the weekend, but it's going to be fairly warm, so that's good, right?  Spring is coming, and I couldn't be happier! 

So to keep happy spring thoughts going, I made these Chicken Skewers (although I didn't take them out back to grill them... but they would be perfect for grilling parties!) and thought of the flowers blooming, the warm weather, and how great it will be to have cookouts.

Ingredients:
 Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe


Tahini Yogurt:

juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup tahini

Cranberry Sauce - recipe from the Eggnog Pancakes post


1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
small handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon


Chicken:

1/2 onion, grated
juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
wooden skewers
pitas, warmed

For the tahini yogurt, in a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, oregano, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and garlic.  Mix well.  Whisk in yogurt and tahini.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

I had some leftover cranberry syrup (that I had frozen) from these Eggnog Pancakes, and thought I'd incorporate it into this savory meal.  The original recipe called for a pomegranate relish, and not being able to find any pomegranates, I just decided to improvise a little bit.  So in a small bowl, combine the thawed out cranberry syrup, chopped pistachios, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the chicken, in a large bowl, combine the onion, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and nutmeg.  Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to marinade mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 2 hours.

30 minutes before the chicken is done marinating, place your wooden skewers in some water to soak (so they won't burn up under the broiler/grill).

Turn broiler to high (alternatively, you could fire up your grill under medium high heat) and place your rack about 6 inches from broiler (2nd highest notch for me). Thread the chicken pieces on the skewers (about 4 or 5 pieces per skewer) and place on a baking sheet.  Broil chicken in oven for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

When chicken is cooked, let rest just for a minute or two and then assemble your pitas with the tahini yogurt and cranberry sauce.


This would definitely win over at a cookout!  The chicken is absolutely moist and flavorful!  I was a little worried that the cranberry sauce would be a tad to overbearing or sweet, but it actually accompanied the chicken and yogurt very well!  Give it a shot, your guests will be amazed by the flavor and beauty of this dish! 

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

29 comments:

  1. I have both hands raised very high. So happy that it's Friday. Good luck with your culinary school aspirations. I love this recipe. Cranberry sauce paired with chicken is always fresh and interesting.

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  2. That Tahini Yoghurt looks interesting. Off to see my father-in-law tomorrow and take him to lunch, Sunday we hope to relax and watch the world cup cricket, S.Africa is playing England :) Diane

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  3. Looks super tasty adn perfect. This weekend for me I plan on doing lots of laundry! too much fun

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  4. Greek yogurt and tahini, they sound perfect to me!

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  5. Yes, happy Friday! This food looks great. Have fun at your open house!! And have a wonderful weekend :)

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  6. Wow, I love the idea of cranberries and chicken together. I'm sure, it's very good :-)

    My best,
    Birthe

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  7. You are going to knock culinary school outta the park! Your recipes always amaze! :)

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  8. I love the cranberry sauce addition!

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  9. Love the spices you use in the yoghurt. Yes, here is to Friday!

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  10. The cranberry sauce is genius! I would totally make this with tofu! yummm! <3

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  11. Tahini and cranberry sauce sound really good and yours turned out perfectly!

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  12. This sounds very refreshing. I love tahini sauce and use it on meat and veggies like carrots a lot.
    Good luck with the tour. Hope everything turns out the way you want it.

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  13. I definitely fell a bit in love with these when I saw them in Bon Appetit but I truly adore the cranberry sauce you added in. A stroke of genius.

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  14. This looks so inviting, I wish i was ur neighbour!

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  15. Delicious recipe. Love the combination of flavors.

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  16. Great looking recipe. I can't wait to get back out to the grill.

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  17. Ooooh these sound so good! I love the flavors...this is a delicious recipe!

    Good luck with culinary school!!! I wish I had the courage to go back to school, but after doing my master's I'm sorta schooled-out.

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  18. They look delicious. I hope you had fun at the open house.

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  19. That looks great! tahini yogurt sounds really yummy with this....

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  20. amazing recipe, loved the way you presented it !

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  21. This looks so pretty - I love that you've used cranberries and pistachios... yummy. Good luck with the culinary school, I went to Le Cordon Bleu in London and had such a fun time :)

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  22. Recipe looks deelish! So glad I heard about your blog. Congrats on the engagement and I'm crossing my fingers for you with Culinary school. That's just soo exciting. :)

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  23. What a yummy sounds recipe! I love the cranberry with the tahini yogurt sauce:)

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  24. This is for sure a keeper recipe;love everything about it;I can just imagine the taste with the cranberry sauce.
    I am late Peggy and now it is Monday;hope you had a fantastic weekend.
    Rita

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  25. mmm i am tagging this one!

    it looks amazing- great photos as well!

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  26. I love tahini! These look lovely, so pretty, light and fresh with the cranberries :)

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