Falafel and chicken in one pita
Feta goes into the falafel mix, not on top, and it changes the whole thing.
At a Glance
Story
Crumble the feta into the falafel mixture rather than over the finished pita. It seasons the patty from the inside, where a dry chickpea mix badly needs it, and the pockets of cheese stay soft while the outside crusts, so you get a moist middle without any of the usual tricks. Feta scattered on top just falls off into your lap.
Ingredients
- 10 oz chicken breastcut into bite-size pieces
- 4 oz boxed falafel mix
- 1 ½ oz fetacrumbled
- 2 pocketless pitas or flatbreads
- 12 oz carrotshalved crosswise then quartered lengthwise
- 1 ½ tbsp harissa paste
- 1 Persian cucumberhalved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlicgrated to a paste
- ½ cup tzatzikishop-bought is fine here
- 1 lemonquartered
- neutral oil for fryingolive oil, salt, pepper
Method
Carrots roast while everything else happens on the hob. The falafel mix wants its ten minutes, so start that early and forget about it.
- Oven to 450°F, sheet pan lined with foil. Carrots tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and half the harissa. Spread out and roast 17 to 19 minutes, until browned and tender.
- Stir the falafel mix with ½ cup water and leave it strictly alone.
- Cucumber with the juice of two lemon wedges, a little olive oil and as much garlic paste as you want. Season and leave to marinate.
- Pat the chicken dry, season. Large nonstick pan, oil, medium-high. In one layer, undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes, then stirring 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through. Onto a plate under foil. Rinse and wipe the pan.
- Crumble the feta into the rested falafel mix and stir. Form 6 patties. Thin layer of oil in the same pan on medium. When a pinch sizzles instantly, in they go, 3 to 4 minutes a side to deep gold. Paper towel, salt at once.
- Warm the pitas wrapped in a damp paper towel, 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave.
- Tzatziki spread on the pitas, then falafel, chicken, the marinated cucumber and the remaining harissa streaked over. Carrots alongside.
Patties, not balls. They cook through faster and sit flat in a pita instead of rolling out of it.
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