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Chicken Pita Rolls with Hummus & Tabbouleh

I had no idea what a hit these pita rolls would be. They seemed so easy to make and with such a familiar taste to them, I didn’t even think they would be very interesting to other people. When I instagrammed making these several months ago, so many people were intrigued and wanted the recipe. I totally understand why now- they’re so so easy to make and don’t take too many ingredients to put them together. For people who don’t like tabbouleh or hummus (if they exist), you don’t even really have to put them in the rolls, but they definitely taste better with the two, in my opinion. 

Here’s how it goes:

Start with the best quality ingredients you can find, as with all recipes. 

Crescent chicken

The same goes for olive oil and vinegar (i.e. date vinegar or apple cider vinegar). Don’t skimp on the good stuff if you can afford it. There truly is no replacement for real olive oil and the flavor you get with a dark vinegar like date vinegar is unique so if you choose to de-glaze this dish with another type of vinegar (i.e white), it will vary a bit. 

You may have questions on the vinegar issue as it relates to halal, I know. So, please visit the vinegar page for what I understand and go by with regards to how I select it. I know 

Get a good quality tabbouleh or make it yourself, of course! Here’s a link to my Tabbouleh recipe if you decide to spend a lot of time chopping. It’s quite therapeutic, really. 

chicken and tabbouleh

A few more ingredients include hummus (here’s my recipe for creamy hummus), 4 pieces of large pita bread, and of course, high quality halal chicken, which you can get from Crescent Foods.

Ingredients

The perfect cut for these pita rolls are Crescent’s new boneless skinless breast cubes. How much easier could it be? 

If you absolutely can’t find the boneless cubes, you can also just get their boneless skinless breast tenders and cut them up, which takes all about 2 minutes for a pound of meat

fresh chicken

Start with a large saute pan and add salt if you’re using a non-stick or a non-cast iron pan. This helps prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan during cooking, which often happens with skinless meats. Add just enough for the recipe to avoid over-salting.

You’re welcome.

salt the pan

Add the oil to pan now gently heat. 

add oil

When the oil is hot (not burning), add the chicken, freshly ground pepper and any additional salt you think. Cook over medium high heat.

.over medium heat

Let the chicken brown on one side then flip. 

keep browningFlip again until they’re really nicely browned on all sides. You may need to stay right in front of the pan to do this, in order to avoid burning or pulling apart of any meatlet it brown

Now add the vinegar.

add the vinegar

All at once. It will start to steam and evaporate just as soon as it hits the pan. Stay right in front of the pan to deglaze the oil and any scraps at the bottom of the pan with your spoon or spatula. 

add vinegarKeep doing this until all of the vinegar is ‘gone’- it’s really attaching itself to the meat.let it steam

It should look this beautiful by then, the deep dark color is due to the vinegar. Don’t worry if there’s a little oil left in the pan. That’s actually good because if you’re not eating this right away, you can store the chicken with this oil and re-heat in it so that it doesn’t dry out.

let it cook and brown

It’ll also give it a bit of a nice sheen.

brown well

This is not a greasy sandwich, but that extra oil is kind of nice if you want to add in the pita roll. We love it like that. 

drain the chicken

Those bite-size pieces are just wonderful, but you can always cut larger pieces if you prefer.

up close of chicken

Here’s a video where I show how the same technique is done, although these chicken pieces are uncut (using boneless chicken tenders):

 

Now get out the hummus. This is a pre-made one, I know. That’s what makes it extra quick when you need things to be fast.

hummus

Take a heaping spoonful and spread it across the underside of one whole pita bread laid flat on a plate. 

start to add hummus

Now do one more heaping spoonful. It makes the sandwich more moist.

spread the hummus

Next is the tabbouleh. Another ready-made version. I said I needed it done fast. But truth be told, I have at times made one thing homemade and store-bought the other. Whatever works for you.

tabbouleh

Spread the tabbouleh on top of the hummus.

add tabbouleh

Then, add as much chicken as you’ll like per sandwich. I like to divide the final mixture of chicken into fours so that I know I’ll have four evenly-made sandwiches.

add chicken to pita

Wanna roll? Or eat it open face? Well, you could do either one, really.

ready to roll

Let’s say we roll this time. Take one side of the bread and fold it completely over the ingredients lengthwise. 

roll the pita

And, roll again.

roll it again 

Cut them in half, if you like, or just because you want to take photos. Everyone’s doing that these days…. 

sandwiches up close
I think we may find one day that there are more pictures of sandwiches and said pita rolls than there are of children in our families.

up close of sandwich
 

Chicken Pita Rolls with Hummus & Tabbouleh
Yields 4
Quick and easy wraps that can be made ahead of time for weekday lunches or a relaxing weekend meal. Light yet filling, too!
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoons olive oil1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  2. 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cubes (I used Crescent Foods chicken)
  3. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  4. 1/8 cup date vinegar or another type of dark vinegar
  5. 1 cup tabbouleh
  6. 1 cup hummus
  7. 4 pieces large, thin pita bread
Instructions
  1. In a large sauté pan, gently heat the oil over low-medium flame then add the salt. Add the chicken and cook for about five minutes over medium heat without turning it. Once browned on the bottom, gently turn each piece.
  2. Cook for an additional five minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly browned. Next, add the vinegar. Let the vinegar bubble a bit then evaporate slightly. De-glaze the pan with a spatula. Toss the meat around so that every piece is touched by the vinegar.
  3. Turn off heat and let the chicken rest and cool slightly before preparing the pita rolls. Once cooled, divide it into four equal parts to make the pita rolls.
  4. *At this point, you can save the cooked chicken to be added to the pita rolls later- just let cool then chill in the refrigerator. If making ahead of time for the next morning’s lunch, proceed to finish making the rolls. As long as they’re tightly wrapped and the tabbouleh is not very juicy, the pita roll should stay nice and firm in the refrigerator for the next day’s lunchbox.*
  5. To make the pita rolls, place one piece of bread on a plate with the ‘wrong side’ facing upwards. Spread two heaping tablespoons full of hummus down the middle. Next, do the same with the tabbouleh directly on top. Add 1/4 of the divided chicken to one pita directly on top of the tabbouleh.
  6. Roll one edge of the pita bread completely over the ingredients then fold in with your hands slightly to keep the contents firmly inside. Roll one more time and secure it closed. Cut in half, if desired. Wrap in parchment paper or foil for your lunchbox.
Yvonne Maffei https://myhalalkitchen.com/

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  1. Salaam, with Crescents boneless skinless breast cubes I would love to try this recipe of chicken pita rolls! My mouth is salivating as I write this, I cannot wait to try it!

  2. I can’t wait to try Crescent’s new boneless skinless chicken breast cubes as a Parmesan Pepper stir-fry atop romaine lettuce in a wrap inshaAllah!

  3. I would like to try this recipe with baba ghanoush or an oiled olive mixture with feta cheese (instead of hummus or tsbouleh) and just a tiny bit of arugula on each with a spritz of fresh lemon juice
    .

  4. I would love to make variety of dishes like chicken.fajita sandwich , chicken shashlik, sesame chicken and gor sure the recipe you shared chicken pita roll with tabouleh …

  5. My husband only eats white meat of the chicken so I’d use the Crescent chicken cubes for almost all my dishes – especially some spicy juicy tacos:-)

  6. my husband and I made Alfredo pasta with cubed chicken breast . it was so delish that my 2 year started crying for more when he finished his plate hhhhh. so i saute chicken with garlic, onions, parsley salt pepper , we also made our own homemade Alfredo sauce using milk butter cheese, mixed pasta Alfredo sauce chicken and garnish with spinach ! and in sha Allah definitely trying this recipe

  7. As Salamualaikum

    Insha Allaha i want to make this recipe with Crescent’s new boneless skinless breast cubes

    Ingredients:

    Canola Oil for frying-4tablespoons

    Crescent’s new boneless skinless breast cubes- 1pound

    Red chiili powder-1tsp

    Tumeric-1/4tsp

    Ginger Garlic paste-1tsp

    Salt to taste

    corn flour-1tsp

    Black pepper -1/4tsp

    Garam Masalam powder(Mixed spices powder)-1tsp

    Green chillies- 3

    coriander leaves–10- 15

    Method:

    Mix Crescent’s new boneless skinless breast cubes with red chiili powder,tumeric,Salt,Ginger Garlic Paste,Black pepper,Garam Masala powder,Corn flour and marinate for 1 hour with little water.Keep it in the refrigerator.

    Take a Large Saute pan add oil ,heat the pan on medium heat add the marinated chicken to the pan,allow it to cook till the chicken is done.

    Garnish with green chilles and coriander leaves.

    Serve this with pita bread,Roti or par boiled rice.

    Hope everyone trys this recipe!!!

    Jazakallaha khair!!

  8. Wow, looks delicious! and I am sure it tastes no less! I love Middle Eastern food! I looooove Humus! Will try this one day inshallah. Thank you sister!

  9. “I think we may find one day that there are more pictures of sandwiches and said pita rolls than there are of children in our families.” Lol, love your humour, mashaAllah 🙂

  10. Thank you for your detailed explanations (I love it) and the pictures. I think I am a BIG fan now.
    if that is you in the picture, you are gorgeous Mashallah.

    as I mentioned, I have just found your site, and am grateful.

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