An authentic greek salad doesn't use any lettuce which makes this recipe the perfect make ahead. I like to toss it in the Italian dressing or white wine vinegar the day I make it so it marinates throughout the week. If I'm using hummus or tzatziki I like to drizzle that on the day of.
You can play around with it however you'd like!
For tzatziki you can buy this at the store- usually located with the hummus- or you can make your own. For our homemade recipe click here.
I used Joseph's pita pockets for these because I like that they're pretty thin and they open up to fill with the salad. We also frequent Kontos card smart pita's in this house. They don't open up but are pillowy soft and high in protein.
I made these two ways. One more filling option with olives and chickpeas tossed with Italian dressing for the boys and a lighter options sans olives (not my fav) and chickpeas and sub dressing for tzatziki for me! Then I served mine over spinach for extra volume. Both options got rave reviews.
Greek Pita Pockets
8 Servings | Prep time: 20 minutes
Notes: I made this two ways. In one I included chickpeas and olives and dressed it with Italian dressing. In the other I omitted both and dressed it with tzatziki for a lighter option.
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs chicken breast
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz fat free feta
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion, diced (~250g)
2 cucumbers diced (~250g)
1 bell pepper, diced (~160g)
1 cup acini di pepe or orzo
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
8 pitas, halved and opened
Optional: 1 cup pitted olives
Optional: 1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas (can also sub chicken for these for a vegetarian version)
Dressing options:
1/2 cup homemade or store bought tzatziki, see below
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup hummus
Directions:
Grill chicken according to preference. I like to season liberally with salt, pepper, and mediterranean seasoning blend and sear on an oiled cast iron skillet about 3 minutes per side. Then transfer to a preheated 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165F.
Cook orzo or acini di pepe according to box directions.
Dice onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and chicken into uniform pieces.
Toss together with garlic, feta, chickpeas, olives, pasta, salt, pepper and oregano.
Toss with white wine vinegar and (if using) Italian dressing. If adding hummus or tzatziki I prefer to add when ready to eat throughout the week but you can add it here if you’d like I just like to preserve the original consistency of the hummus/tzatziki.
When ready to serve, scoop into opened pitas, I used Joseph’s pitas. Enjoy! I like to serve with a bed of spinach for extra greens to make into a partial salad with the pita droppings!
For tzatziki recipe, click here!
Screenshot/Printer Friendly Version:
Tzatziki recipe: here!
Nutrition Facts are provided as a guideline only. Exact nutrition will depend on quantity, brand and ingredients used. Nutrition facts provided for recipe with and without chickpeas and olives for conveinence. Nutrition facts do not include dressings as they will vary depending on choice: tzatziki, Italian or hummus.