Greek Chicken Pitas

Have you ever been to one of those assemble-your-own-dinner places, where you prep a whole bunch of dinners in one afternoon then freeze them at home for later use?  I went once a couple of years ago since I was intrigued by the concept.  I think places like that are great for people who don’t like to cook and don’t have picky eaters, but not the best fit for me.  If I remember correctly, The Picky Apple only liked one of the 6 or 7 different meals I prepped.  I have done lots of stuff like this on my own though: ground beef sessions when ground beef is on sale, chicken sessions when chicken is on sale.  Eating from a well stocked freezer isn’t about eating “reheated” food, for those of you who are turning up your nose at the thought of meals for the freezer.  It’s also not all condensed soup laden casseroles, though I do like some of those from time to time.  Most of the stuff I do is just prepping the meat to cook later on with marinades, spices, etc.  This way, the thinking is done, and all you have to do is throw it in the skillet/oven/crockpot and be done with it!  Doing this kind of planning ahead was extra-useful when I was pregnant and not feeling well.  It also came in handy during those first few weeks after The Littlest Apple was born, particularly during his 10 days in the NICU.  The last thing I wanted to do those nights after a 10 hour day at the hospital was figure out what to eat for dinner.  It was so comforting to come home and have food basically ready to go.

This recipe is based on one of the meals offered at the assemble-your-own-dinner place I visited way back when, though it is not necessary to freeze it (I’ll give directions for both).  The Picky Apple and I both loved it, and I found it tremendously simple to recreate.  (They don’t give out recipes at those places…how else would they keep you coming back?!)  It is easy for each of us adapt our pitas to suit our tastes.  I use a feta/olive topping, omitting the red peppers sometimes, and lots of the lemony sauce.  The Picky Apple uses white rice (he’s GOT to have white rice with chicken, always always always!) and red peppers.  No sauce for The Picky Apple, naturally.  He’s not a very saucy guy.

Greek Chicken Pitas

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• pita bread
• crumbled feta (optional)
• chopped red pepper (optional)
• black olives (optional)
• cooked white rice (optional)

If freezing for later: combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a freezer safe zip-top bag.  Add chicken to bag, seal and freeze.  When it is time to cook, you don’t even have to thaw ahead of time.  Just dump the contents of the bag into a skillet, cover, and cook on medium heat for at least 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Follow remaining directions below.

If cooking immediately (no freezing): add olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken to a skillet.  Cover and cook on medium heat for approximately 30 minutes.

Once chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pan and continue to cook the sauce uncovered until it reduces some (approx. 10 minutes).

Slice chicken and assemble on pitas.  Top with feta, black olives, red pepper, rice, and sauce from skillet as desired.