Barbecue Chicken Pita Pockets

This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Sweet Baby Ray’s but all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Daley Plate!

Sometimes the best kind of food isn’t complicated, doesn’t require too much time in the kitchen, and makes use of items we probably all have in our pantry and crisper drawer. I like to say on Instagram, that sometimes you just need a good sandwich, and it’s true. These barbecue chicken pita pockets are so filled with a delicious mix of crunchy vegetables, creamy feta cheese and succulent grilled chicken basted with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original barbecue sauce…How can you go wrong?

When I moved here eight years ago my husbands family welcomed me with a traditional Southern feast of barbecue ribs, collards, potato salad and grilled chicken - I learned then that Sweet Baby Ray’s is a crucial element in many of the foods prepared by his family, and many other families that I’ve come to know since then. Visit the Sweet Baby Ray’s website to check out Sweet Baby Ray’s sauces and discover more delicious ways to use them. I hope that you enjoy this easy recipe that’s so perfect for a satisfying weeknight meal, Summer cookout or quick lunch. The great thing about it is that you can use what you have available and it’s also delicious when substituting lettuce for spinach or cheddar cheese for feta. If I’m entertaining, I love to place individual elements on a large platter for people to make their own pita pockets and kids absolutely love that part! A little bowl of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce on the side for to serve is always special, who doesn’t love a little extra?

Barbecue Chicken Pita Pockets

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1lb)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce, plus more for serving
2-4 cups fresh baby spinach
2 cups sliced salad cucumber
1 1/2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cubed feta cheese 
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 whole wheat pita breads, cut in half

Guidelines:

Season chicken thighs evenly with salt, black pepper and paprika then drizzle with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle pan or grill to medium-high and sear chicken for 4-6 minutes per side. Use a basting brush to coat chicken with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until chicken registers 165F internal temperature. Remove from griddle pan and slice or chop into cubes. 

Carefully open each pita half and place equal amounts of vegetables and grilled barbecue chicken in each. Serve immediately with extra Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce for dipping.

Roasted Chicken with Fennel and Peppers

Here’s an easy recipe that makes use of Summer peppers. Most of these chicken dinners that I make follow the same basic method: Season chicken overnight, sear in a little olive oil, remove chicken while preparing other ingredients in the same skillet, add chicken back into the skillet and roast until tender. Serve this dish with some crusty bread, polenta or cauliflower rice. Fennel is a great low carb vegetable, 1/2 Cup of sliced raw fennel contains 2g net carbs and is only 14 calories. Source: www.verywellfit.com

Ingredients:

2 chicken marylands or 4 bone-in chicken pieces (1lb - dark meat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds saved for garnish
1 teaspoon tomato ‘nduja (or 1 teaspoon tomato paste + 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1 cup canned crushed roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock (or 1 cup chicken stock + 1/2 cup dry white wine)

Method:

1. Season chicken evenly with salt and sweet smoked paprika. Cover and refrigerate minimum 1 hour, preferably overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking so that it gets closer to room temperature. This will make a difference, your chicken will be more tender.

2. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat, sear chicken for 2-4 minutes per side or until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate, tent loosley with foil.

3. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, garlic, peppers and fennel. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until fennel is soft, add ‘nduja, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 more minutes so that flavors meld, add chicken back to the skillet and roast at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Remove from oven, garnish with fennel fronds and serve. If you crisp up some garlic slices on the side and scatter it over the final dish, it’s even better!

If you’d like to reduce the sauce you could place it back on the stovetop and simmer until desired thickness, the vegetables will continue to break down. Personally I love it as is. If you make this dish, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Keto Friendly Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Hi! I have just finished licking my plate after eating these delicious chicken piccata meatballs, cauliflower mash and steamed green beans. No shame in my game, they are delicous. I had bookmarked the original recipe by Little Spice Jar months ago and finally decided to give it a go. You should too! Marzia’s recipe was used as a guide here, because I’m currently following a ketogenic way of eating and wanted to reduce the amount of carbs. Making a few swaps didn’t take too much effort and allowed us to enjoy a keto-friendly meal with all the flavor of the original.

A few notes:
When cooking with herbs, always opt for fresh instead of dried. the flavor just carries through so much better.

In her blog post on this recipe, Marzia mentions combining seasonings in the mixing bowl prior to adding the ground chicken. This way the spices are already combined and you will not have to overwork the chicken, which sometimes causes the meatballs to be dense.

I have found that sour cream is a great ingredient to use instead of eggs or bread crumbs when trying to combine ground chicken. It works well if your meat is very cold and you work quickly.

You’ll notice that I use cornstarch in this recipe, not necessarily keto-friendly. One tablespoon of cornstarch = 9g of carbs, and I use one teaspoon which is 4.5g carbs. Divided between four people this shouldn’t affect your daily carb limit too drastically. If you prefer, use 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum instead.

Keto Friendly Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Prep time: 5-10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4

Meatballs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
zest of 1 medium lemon + set the juice aside for sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (Trust me on this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sour cream
1 lb package ground chicken

Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (reserved from earlier)
2 tablespoons capers
To serve: chopped parsley

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

For the meatballs, combine all ingredients except sour cream and ground chicken in a medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine. Add sour cream, followed by ground chicken and use a fork to mix until just combined. Roll chicken mixture into balls that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, then add to skillet. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes to ensure an even color. I like to gently shake the pan so that they roll around instead of me having to flip with a fork. Transfer meatballs from skillet to a plate and tent with foil while finishing the sauce.

With the same skillet still over medium heat, add butter and garlic. Sauté until fragrant (1 minute), using a wooden spoon or whisk to scrape the golden chicken bits from the bottom of the skillet.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1-2 tablespons of the chicken stock until smooth. This is to prevent any lumps from forming since cornstarch reacts differently than flour. Add this to the skillet first and whisk, followed by remaining stock, lemon juice and capers. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add meatballs and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, tossing meatballs to coat with sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Preserved Lemon Chicken Skewers

This back pocket recipe was one I came up with while staring into the abyss that is my fridge one day. So many condiments, so many! A jar of preserved lemon paste, some chicken and a few spices later we were enjoying one of the most flavorful meals that I’ve been cooking over and over again. I’ve posted these preserved lemon chicken skewers on Instagram in my caption but I wanted to give a bit more detail and recommend a few brands that I love using. Although they are pretty straightforward, one can only say so much in an Instagram caption. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person who is going to give you a drawn out explanation! Here we go:

As far as preserved lemon paste goes, I always use NY Shuk preserved lemon paste. They have preserved lemon slices that I use in other recipes like rice pilaf or braised chicken, but this paste is especially great to use as a spread or marinade. Of course you can make your own preserved lemons (Meyer lemons are wonderful because of their thin skin) - I recommend Paula Wolfert’s recipe that can be found on the New York Times Cooking website here. You would make them and then purée into a paste using an immersion blender or food processor. Because they take some time to make it’s much easier to purchase online.

I serve the skewers with anything from vegetable mash, salad or placed on a platter with whatever is in the fridge for everyone to graze on. Some butter lettuce on the side to make wraps if you are following a ketogenic way of eating, or wrap these preserved lemon chicken skewers in a soft Greek-style pita bread if you’re a less carb-conscious eater.

Preserved Lemon Chicken Skewers with Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce
Serves: 2-4

1.5lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons preserved lemon paste
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 2 teaspoons fresh garlic paste)
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (Or sour cream)
4 tablespoons avocado oil mayonnaise
2 teaspoons garlic power
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives

Method:

Place chicken and all remaining ingredients for the skewers in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat a griddle pan to medium-high heat. Skewer chicken (about 4 -oz per skewer) and sear in griddle pan for 4-5 minutes per side. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment papper and broil at 375F in an oven for 4-5 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from oven, squeeze over some fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped dill. Serve with dipping sauce and fresh vegetables, olives, feta cheese and tomatoes.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken Patties

I have received some great feedback from people who have tried this recipe after seeing it on Instagram. It’s so easy and it should probably be on my website too, so here goes :)

Ingredients:

1lb ground chicken (white or dark, but darker meat will take slightly longer)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 heaped teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fresh garlic paste (Or mince 2 large cloves very finely)
Zest of 1 medium sized lemon
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Optional: 1 teaspoon preserved lemon paste like this one from New York Shuk.

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and gently mix until everything is evenly distributed. Do not overwork to promote a better texture.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and divide chicken mixture into four equal parts. Flatten gently to form patties, then sear for 5-8 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160F.

Serves 4 - Serve Immediately with your favorite side dish. My preferred sides are green vegetables like collards and this Double Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower.