Spelt Pita Bread with Grilled Chicken Kebab (just like your local takeaway)
This spelt pita bread with grilled chicken will give your local kebab house a real run for its money.
We love a good takeaway in our house. Although we enjoy eating them, the biggest incentive to get one is that there is very little cleaning up. The actual cooking doesn’t bother me but the mess left after? Oh, if I could somehow arrange for someone to clean up all my cooking paraphernalia, I would be the happiest woman alive. And also the fattest because I would bake constantly.
This spelt pita bread and grilled chicken kebab, stuffed with crispy salad along with spicy chilli and creamy garlic sauces is my idea of food heaven. I’ve been recreating the elements for this dish for a while now and have to say, it is better than any takeaway. My kids agree, too.
Although it takes a bit of time to prepare everything it is not difficult. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time, though, because the longer you leave the chicken marinating and the sauces to develop their flavours, the better. The chicken kebabs are melt in the mouth soft, with the yoghurt marinade working wonderful magic. The pita, made in my bread machine (here are more bread machine recipes), finishes off the meal perfectly.
It’s virtually impossible to describe the taste sensations going on eating this spelt pita bread with grilled chicken kebab. The hit of chilli, the creamy garlic, the gently spiced meat. So, so good. If you like a chicken kebab from your local kebab shop this will not disappoint. Pinkie promise.
Spelt Pita Bread with Grilled Chicken Kebab
Ingredients
Pita breads (makes 6):
- 250ml milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 350g spelt flour
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- ½ tablespoon salt
Grilled chicken:
- 200ml Greek yoghurt
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- salt & pepper (to personal taste)
- 800g chicken (chopped into large chunks)
- olive oil (for cooking, if required)
Garlic sauce (see note 1):
- 250g Greek yoghurt
- 150g mayonnaise
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Chilli sauce:
- See instruction 6 (below)
Instructions
- Prepare the pita bread first: add all bread ingredients to your bread machine and set it to make dough. When ready, line one or two large baking trays with paper. Pre-heat the oven to 225ºC (the oven needs to be very hot to ensure the pitas puff, so give the oven plenty of time to warm).
- Divide into 6-8 balls (depending on how large you want them) and roll out (using a little flour if necessary) into oval shapes. You will need them to be very thin otherwise you will not get pita pockets, so it might be a good idea to roll out then transfer to your baking tray. If the dough springs back, roll several times until it is thin. If the pitas are too thick, they will be more like naan bread.
- Sprinkle (or brush over) a little cold water and bake for around 3-4 minutes. They are ready when they have completely puffed up. They will be very pale and soft but don't over-bake or your pitas will be dry and the pockets will be harder to open. Place pitas on a tea-towel and cover completely until ready to serve. Eat them warm (you can make them in advance and warm them in the oven for a few minutes before using).
- For the chicken: mix all the chicken kebab ingredients together then add the chicken. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour but several hours is better.
- When ready to cook either place the chicken on skewers and grill (if it is summer, you can BBQ them), grill them in the oven or use a frying/griddle pan.
- For the garlic sauce: mix all ingredients together until well combined. Place in the fridge and let rest for as long as you can (this way, the flavour really intensifies).The chilli sauce comes from Fuss Free Flavours. Please pop over to find the recipe and ingredients.
Notes
- The measurements for the garlic sauce make a lot. We love it. However, you don't need this much - simple halve or quarter the ingredients if you don't need as much.
- The pita bread recipe has been devised for a bread machine. You could make the dough by hand although results cannot be guaranteed.
- I use grams in my recipes as weighing ingredients is the most accurate method. However, if cups are your thing, you can convert my measurements at Cook it Simply.