These Moroccan Chicken Pitas with Garlicky Honey Feta Sauce and a rainbow of vegetables are the perfect healthy, flavourful weeknight chicken pitas. Moroccan-spiced baked chicken, garlic honey feta sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, cabbage slaw, and crunchy raw veggies make the ultimate homemade chicken pita sandwiches that are 10 times better than takeout!
Happy Monday, everyone! As always, I hope that you had a great weekend! Mine went by way too fast, as is so often the case. Friday evening, I finally saw my best girlfriends for a picnic along the river, which was incredibly wonderful. We got takeout from The Green Door (including their famous vegan chocolate cake, which is almost too good for words- I’m still thinking about it) and spent several hours catching up. It was the most talking I have done at once in ages, which is somewhat embarrassing, yet also probably relatable given the circumstances we have all been living under for the past 16 months or so?! Anyways, it was a much needed get together; I feel so grateful to have them in my life. The rest of the weekend flew by, and now here we are at the beginning of a new week. Anyone else excited to watch The Bachelorette tonight? It’s something my mom and I have been watching together for years and years; it’s our Monday night tradition, so I always look forward to Mondays when a season is airing.
If you read my previous post, you know that I am shifting the focus of Up Beet Kitchen to flexitarian recipes rather than vegan and vegetarian only. You can more about this change in that post.
moroccan chicken pitas: the details
the moroccan chicken
I have always maintained that if I am going to eat meat, it had better have a delicious marinade or sauce on it. That is why I am so in love with the chicken in these Moroccan chicken pitas. Cubed chicken breasts are marinated in a flavourful mix of lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, chili, thyme, salt, and pepper. Once marinated, the chicken is baked to perfection. I do not like dry chicken; I prefer tender, juicy chicken that’s just perfectly cooked. The key to this, I have found, is to bake the chicken at a high temperature for a shorter amount of time. If you’re short on time, don’t worry about marinating the chicken for too long; 15 minutes is sufficient. But if you do have the time, I recommend marinating the chicken for 2 hours or more.
the garlicky feta honey sauce
And the sauce! Oh my goodness, we have to talk about the garlicky feta honey sauce. It’s at once salty, tangy, rich, and creamy, and I think it just might be one of my favourite sauces ever. Featuring pan-fried garlic, feta, honey, and yogurt, it’s blended in a food processor until smooth and creamy. It makes a fair amount, likely more than you’ll need for the pita sandwiches tonight, but stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it keeps for several days, and trust me when I say that you’ll be happy you have some on hand for a veggie dip, salad dressing, or sandwich flavour-booster this week!
everything else
The other components of these pitas are a bit superfluous. I had the time to make them, but do not, by any means, feel as though you have to if you’ve just gotten home from work and want dinner in 30 minutes and not an hour or more. The roasted sweet potatoes and minty cabbage slaw add another layer of colour, flavour, and volume to the pitas, but you could just as easily keep them simple with sliced cucumber, radishes, tomato, olives, baby kale, and/or any other seasonal veggies you’d like to use.
ingredients you’ll need
For the Moroccan-spiced chicken, you’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts, extra virgin olive oil, lemons, red wine vinegar, honey or maple syrup, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes or cayenne, thyme, sea salt, and pepper.
For the roasted sweet potatoes, you’ll need sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
For the garlicky feta honey sauce, you’ll need feta, honey, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and yogurt.
For the cabbage mint slaw, you’ll need red cabbage, green onions, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, sea salt, and mint.
For serving, you’ll need sliced radishes, cucumber, olives, spinach, and pitas.
the method
Prepare the chicken: In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon zest and juice, red wine vinegar, honey or maple syrup, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425 F and place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Switch oven to broil and broil the chicken for 1 minute, until the chicken chars slightly around the edges.
Meanwhile, prepare the roasted sweet potatoes: Place the cubed sweet potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until fork tender and browned around the edges.
Make the garlicky feta honey sauce: Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until browned. Remove from the heat and let cool. Once cool, add it to a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, along with the feta, honey, garlic, and yogurt. Process until smooth. Transfer into a glass jar or container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the cabbage mint slaw: Place the shredded cabbage and green onion in a bowl. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, and salt in a small dish. Add it to the cabbage along with the mint and toss.
Make the pita sandwiches: Slice pitas in half and carefully open the pockets. Stuff with spinach, chicken, sweet potato, slaw, cucumber, radishes, and olives. Drizzle with feta sauce. Eat!
Last but not least, I hope that you love these Moroccan chicken pitas! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I’d love to see it!
Enjoy!
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Moroccan Chicken Pitas with Garlicky Feta Honey Sauce
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These Moroccan Chicken Pitas with Garlicky Honey Feta Sauce and a rainbow of vegetables are the perfect healthy, flavourful weeknight chicken pitas. Moroccan-spiced baked chicken, garlic honey feta sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, cabbage slaw, and crunchy raw veggies make the ultimate homemade chicken pita sandwiches that are 10 times better than takeout!
Ingredients
Moroccan Chicken
- 600 grams organic boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (approx. 1-inch)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 organic lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon. thinly sliced (optional)
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch each sea salt and pepper
Garlicky Honey Feta Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup organic whole milk yogurt (I used Greek)
Cabbage Mint Slaw
- 1/2 of a medium head of purple cabbage, shredded
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
For Serving
- 6 pitas
- Sliced cucumber and radishes
- Olives
- Spinach
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon zest and juice, red wine vinegar, honey or maple syrup, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425 F and place the chicken on a baking sheet. Arrange the lemon slices amongst the chicken, if using. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Switch oven to broil and broil the chicken for 1 minute, until the chicken chars slightly around the edges.
- Meanwhile, prepare the roasted sweet potatoes: Place the cubed sweet potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast at 425 F for 30-40 minutes, until fork tender and browned around the edges.
- Make the garlicky feta honey sauce: Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until browned. Remove from the heat and let cool. Once cool, add it to a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, along with the feta, honey, garlic, and yogurt. Process until smooth. Transfer into a glass jar or container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the cabbage mint slaw: Place the shredded cabbage and green onion in a bowl. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, and salt in a small dish. Add it to the cabbage along with the mint and toss.
- Make the pita sandwiches: Slice pitas in half and carefully open the pockets. Stuff with spinach, chicken, sweet potato, slaw, cucumber, radishes, and olives. Drizzle with feta sauce. Eat!
Notes
The ingredient list looks long, but remember that the roasted sweet potato and cabbage slaw are not strictly essential! Feel free to skip them and just make the pita sandwiches with the Moroccan chicken, feta sauce, and sliced veggies. They’ll still be great!
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Keywords: Moroccan chicken pitas with garlic feta sauce
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