Greek Pita

If you ever come to Greece it is a must to try at least one of the many different types of Pita bread. Pita is a soft, slightly leavened flatbread baked from wheat flour. It is a component of pita-souvlaki.

These types of sandwiches involve the wrapping of souvlaki or gyros with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, french fries, hamburgers, and condiments into a pita bread. But you can find several pitas all over Greece (as a home meal or as appetizers, snacks or desserts), such as Kolokythopita, Mizithropita (Crete), Melintzanopita, Tsouknidopita, Kremydopita, Kreatopita (meat pie), Galatopita, Marathopita, Tyropita, Spanakopita, Malathropita (Chios) or Ladopita.

I really like the pita-souvlaki, so here is the recept:

Ingredients

Souvlaki Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds split chicken breast, bone and skin removed, sliced into 1-inch pieces

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill leaves
• 1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Pita Bread:

• 1 (1-pound bag) refrigerator pizza dough, at room temperature
• Flour

Directions
Chicken:

Whisk together all the souvlaki ingredients in a large bowl, except the chicken. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons for Round 2 Recipe Greek Flat Bread. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Tzatziki Sauce:

Combine all the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Grilled Pita Bread:

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll out each portion into 6 to 7 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick on a floured work surface.
Preheat a grill pan or grill over medium heat.
Grill the dough for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The pitas should be cooked through but still pliable and not too crispy.

To Assemble:

Put a grilled pita onto a plate, top with some cooked chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and some tzatziki sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients and arrange on a serving platter.
Cook's Note: Reserve the leftover tzatziki sauce, chicken, tomatoes and onion for Greek Flat Bread.