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Harissa Chicken Arayes

Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword chicken, sandwich
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Christine Ma

Ingredients

Lemon feta dip

  • 4 ounces feta
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Fresh tomato salsa

  • 2 medium tomatoes halved
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Harissa chicken arayes

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • cup grated onion
  • 2-3 tablespoons harissa
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 8- inch pita bread

Instructions

  • Make lemon feta sauce. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients including feta, yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Use a box grater to grate the tomatoes, discarding the skin. Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  • Prepare the harissa chicken arayes. In a large bowl combine chicken with grated onion, harissa, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dill, salt, cumin, black pepper, and coriander. Adjust amount of harissa depending on how spicy you want your arayes (2 tablespoons will yield a medium spice level). Mix until well combined.
  • Divide the filling into 4 equal portions. Carefully open the pita bread and spread chicken mixture to fill each pita half. Brush both sides of the pita with oil.
  • Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Lay the stuffed pita in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat.
  • Cut harissa chicken arayes in half if desired. Serve with lemon feta sauce and fresh tomato salsa.

Notes

The lemon feta sauce, fresh tomato salsa, and chicken filling can be prepared the day before.