RECIPE: CHICKEN PITAS

AN EASY FRESH SUMMER-ISH DINNER

As my good friend Emily has told me (and I agree), I am a 'semi-homemade' cook. This is for many reasons, namely I don't want to bother with piles of ingredients if someone else has made a perfectly good boxed mix, but, I do like to add little touches to make it my own. That is the case with these chicken pitas. I found the original recipe in Better Homes And Gardens last summer and my (fairly picky) family enjoyed the meal so I've added it to our regular rotation. Here it is:

CHICKEN PITAS

You'll Need:
4 boneless chicken breasts cut up into "frying" bite-sized pieces
1 box bread crumbs (I like the Paxo brand from Sainsburys)
2 packs of pitas any kind you prefer
3 regular sized carrots grated
half a lettuce or cabbage head depending on your preference
1 bottle Balsamic Vinagrette dressing (you can also use a creamy dressing if preferred)
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 gallon resealable bag
1 flat pan

1. Turn on oven to a normal heat (laugh if you know my oven which has no numbers)

2. Cut chicken into pieces and place in gallon bag with 1/4 cup of milk and squish around to coat

3. Add salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and pour mixture into the gallon bag with the chicken and toss around till coated fully.

4. Put chicken on flat pan and bake until golden brown

5. While the chicken is in the oven, grate lettuce (or cabbage) and carrots and toss in a bowl with viniagrette dressing.

6. Cut pitas in half and zap them in the microwave for 10 seconds (to apparently help them open)

You're ready to eat. Put chicken and salad mixture in the pita and add an extra dollop of viniagrette to finish it off. Serve with Greek salad or cottage cheese, and/or carrot sticks for the kids. It's a nice light meal with not a lot of prep. The best part is the kids can eat the chicken and the pitas separately and I don't have to cook a second meal for the pickies.

Bon Appetite!