Greek Chicken

 This is other great find and addition to our dinner rotation. Came across this recipe from Lively Table during the CV19-2021 lockdown when we were doing our International nights with the girls.

Side note: This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken - which i've always used but yesterday we had a BBQ lunch at home and I didn't have boneless chicken so used chicken thighs & drumsticks (as pictured above). It still tastes delicious but I I think i much prefer the boneless chicken option.

SEASONING

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

6 tsp dried Italian seasoning

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried rosemary, minced

MARINADE

Juice of 2 large lemons 

1 cup Plain Yoghurt

2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp seasoning

6 large boneless, skinless chicken supreme pieces

TZATZIKI

1/4 cucumber

1 cup plain Greek yogurt 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill 

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Steps

1. Miix all spices together (I often multiply the measurements by 5 to save time for the next time i make this dish). Set aside.
2. Butterfly chicken breasts into 2 even pieces and rub the seasoning evenly in the chicken. I usually chuck the seasoning into the plastic bag the chicken came in and rub and massage it through the bag.
3. Add your marinade to the chicken and rub it in till it’s all evenly quoted. Let marinate for 30 minutes (the longer you leave this marinating the better).
4. While chicken is marinating, prepare the Tzatziki Sauce. Grate the cucumber (you can peel it but I don’t) onto a mesh strainer or paper towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Add to a bowl with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (we prefer to cook this on the open fire outside especially on Fiji winter nights). Grill chicken for 8-10 minutes per side Remove from grill and slice. Serve with Tzatziki Sauce, Salad, Hummus and Pita Bread

The salad I made for our lunch was chopped up tomatoes, raw cauliflower rice, chopped parsley, cucumber and seasoned with salt, pepper, moli (lemon), baby local spinach leaves and crushed garlic. 

notes and local shopping tip:

• As mentioned - the chicken tastes better if left marinating for longer than 30min - but if you are pressed for time - try to at least let it infuse for the 30min. It really does make a world of difference.
• The Chicken Supreme cut is expensive but this recipe makes quite a lot and there will be enough leftover meat for salad to next days dinner or lunch especially with the leftover Tzatziki sauce. Chicken Supreme cuts are available at most local Supermarkets and pretty much around the same price.  
• When I add this to our weekly meal plan, I usually plan to have the Chicken Biryani on the same week so that I can buy a big tub of yoghurt (cheaper and less plastic than buying smaller containers).
• I love this recipe with Garden Salad (tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce) and the rest of the family prefer to have it with salad and Pita Bread and Hummus (I make our own). You can buy Pita Bread from the Hot Bread Kitchen at Damodar or you can preorder them at any of your local Hot Bread Kitchen. Might as well order more than one meals worth as you can freeze the Pita Bread for your next meal.