Roast Chicken Pita Panini with Cucumber-Olive Salad

Thumb_sfs_roast_chicken_pita_panini_004_275841

(from Bethany’s recipe box)

Serves 4

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To cut down on the cooking time for our Roast Chicken Pita Panini with Cucumber-Olive Salad, we used a whole, cooked rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken ourselves. Weighing down the sandwiches with a Dutch oven created a makeshift panini press. For easy cleanup, we covered the bottom of the Dutch oven with aluminum foil.

Source: Cook's Country October/November 2010 (CC and CI collection)

Categories: Greek, Poultry

Ingredients

  • 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
  • 4 (8-inch) pita breads

Directions

  1. Whisk olive brine, 1 1/2 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. 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. 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.

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