Greek chicken souvlaki with gluten free pita bread
Prep Time: 40 minutes, includes time to brine chicken (10 minutes active time)
Total Time: 1 hour
2 Tablespoons kosher salt, plus more
1 quart cold water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3 pieces each and flattened
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1/4 cup fresh juice (from 2 lemons)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
fresh ground black pepper
1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red onion, ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 4 chinks each, pieces separated
1. Brine Chicken: In a medium bowl add 2 Tablespoons kosher salt and 1 quart of cool water and stir to dissolve salt. Add chicken pieces and stir to coat with brine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Make Marinade: In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and whisk together well to combine. Transfer 1/4 cup only of the marinade to a clean medium bowl (to toss the cooked chicken in.) Set aside.
3. Dry Chicken: Remove the chicken from the brine and drain well. Without rinsing chicken pieces, pat each dry with paper towels and transfer to the medium mixing bowl that you mixed the marinade in. (NOT the clean bowl with the 1/4 cup reserved marinade. Not that one!)
4. Marinate Chicken: Toss chicken pieces with the marinade to coat.
5. Cook Chicken: To a large cast iron skillet, regular skillet or non-stick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add marinated chicken pieces in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until well browned and just cooked through, about 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer cooked chicken pieces to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Repeat with any remaining chicken pieces.
6. Cook Pepper & Onion: To the now empty skillet, add the pepper and onion pieces and stir. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften and are spotty brown in places, about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to the clean medium size bowl with the reserved 1/4 cup of marinade.
6. Chop Chicken: Cut cooked chicken pieces into large 3/4 inch dice and transfer to the bowl with the vegetables and marinade and toss together to coat.
7. Finish & Serve: Serve hot in fresh pita bread or over rice with tzatziki sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
