Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Roast Chicken Pita Panini with Cucumber-Olive Salad


The night I made the lemon-pepper chicken with pasta, I used a family-pack size of chicken breasts and cooked the extra chicken in the slow cooker. That way, I had cooked chicken ready to use for this recipe. The cucumber-olive salad and feta cheese really give this meal a Greek flavor. We all absolutely loved it!

Roast Chicken Pita Panini with Cucumber-Olive Salad
Serves 4

3/4 cup pitted kalmata olives, halved lengthwise, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons olive brine
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Juice from one lemon (optional)
4 (8-inch) pita breads (I used the Soft Wrap Bread from King Arthur Flour--recipe posted below)

1. Whisk olive brine, 1½ teaspoons oregano, and mustard in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 4 tablespoons oil until emulsified. Add cucumbers, olives, and half of onion and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Combine chicken, feta, remaining onion, 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining oregano in large bowl. I also added some fresh lemon juice just because I felt like it. Cover half of each pita round with one-quarter of chicken mixture and fold over. Brush both sides of pita with remaining oil.

3. Heat grill pan or large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute (I used a panini press). Place 2 sandwiches in pan and weight with Dutch oven. Cook sandwiches until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Serve with cucumber-olive salad.

Recipe Source: Cook's Country

Soft Wrap Bread (from King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion)
3 to 3 ¼ cups (12 ¾ to 13 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (12 ounces) boiling water
¼ cup (1 ½ ounces) potato flour OR ½ cup (5/8 ounce) potato flakes
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast

Place 2 cups of the flour in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir until smooth. Cover the bowl and set aside to cool the mixture for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil, and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour-water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand or mixer) to form a soft dough. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Place the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise, covered, for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into eight pieces (each about the size of a handball, about 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

2 comments:

  1. I really like the flavor of Greek cuisine. I'm going to have to try this recipe.

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  2. I am going over my Mom's posts again... Such amazing food AND photography! Photography took awhile, but now I clearly see that it was worth any wait time! You are truly amazing Mom!

    ReplyDelete