When I began my search, I realized that I have never used a majority of the ingredients before. I wasn't familiar with balsami vinegar, basil, and asiago cheese. The two ingredients I have never heard of were the sun-dried tomato oil and the drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. This was unfortunate considering the two ingredients I have never heard of, nor knew how to get, were the ingredients that seemed the most important (other than the chicken and pitas). The recipe was called, "Chicken Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, which probably meant that the sun-dried tomato oil and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes determined a considerable amount of flavor to the dish. After going from store to store, my parents and I finally gave up and decided to omit these two unique ingredients.
I admit to wandering off track and disregarding the recipe a number of times. The con about me cooking is that I'm a really picky eater (at times), and this factor might've intervened when attempting to cook this recipe.
First off, I didn't add as much balsamic vinegar as needed. Instead of 2 tbsp, I added 1 1/2, which was a mistake (the dish ended up a bit dry). I omitted the sun-dried tomato oil and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Since I started off with the wrong amount of vinegar, I tried to adjust the rest of the measurements in order to comply with the first inaccurate measurement. I ended up adding 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 minced garlic clove, around 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken breast, 3/4 cup chopped tomato, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (which I substituted Asiago cheese with), and 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil.
My end result ended up being dry, because I decided to wander off track. Because of my strong dislike for smelly cheese, such as Parmesan cheese, I ended up adding half the amount I was supposed to. At the end, my mom had to add a little canola oil to moisten the mixture.
I ended up trying the recipe out again. Only this time, I completely followed the recipe. The second time around, the product had more flavor, and the chicken was more moist.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil- 1 tbsp chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 cup chopped tomato (about 1 medium)
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 6 (6 - inch) pitas, cut in half
- 3 cups mixed baby greens
This recipe is fairly simple.
1) Mix balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomato oil, sun dried tomatoes, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the designated amount of chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil.
3. Cut pitas in half and line each pita half with 1/4 cup baby greens.
4. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.
The first step for me was not mixing the different oils and spices in the bowl. My first step was shredding chicken - something I have never done before.
How to Shred Chicken (For those of you who are as novice as a cook as I am):
Stovetop method:Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Once it starts boiling, place boneless skinless chicken breasts in the pot of boiling water. No need to add olive oil or seasoning. You may pound the chicken first of you wish. Boil until chicken is fully cooked (about 20 minutes). Make sure there is no pink.
*Do not overcook or it will be a rubbery texture.
Shredding Method:
Let chicken cool for about 5-10 minutes. Place chicken on a plate and hold chicken breast with one fork. Use a second fork or use your fingers to pull the chicken and shred into small pieces.
If you are not cooking it immediately, you must refrigerate it to prevent spoilage.
Or... you could do it like me and just buy rotisserie chicken from Costco or Sam's Club, cut it up into small pieces, and use fork and fingers to shred into small pieces. :)
How to Mince Garlic Cloves:
1. Select a bulb of fresh garlic whose cloves are held tightly together and are not discolored.
2. Separate cloves quickly by placing garlic bulb root-side down on cutting board and press and down firmly with the heel of your hand until separate.
3. To peel cloves, arrange on cutting board and press on them firmly with heavy object, such as the flat side of a chef's knife.
4. Cut away woody end of garlic clove where it was attached to the bulb.
5. Discard skins and clean cutting board before mincing.
6. Chop garlic roughly. Use same theory as cutting an onion: Make a series of horizontal cuts on the clove (separating it into thin slices), then a series of vertical cuts (Separating it into thin sticks). Then dice sticks
7. Mince chopped garlic by chopping it in rocking motion: Keep tip of the knife on the cutting board and move handle up and down.
8. Stop every few strokes and use blade of knife to draw garlic pieces back into neat pile before continuing. Scrape off garlic that has been stuck to the side of the knife blade, too.
How to cut basil:
1. Rinse off leaves and ring out until damp.
2. Cut basil leaves until appropriate lengths.
I decided to make these chicken pitas because 1) I love any type of bread (including pitas). 2) I love all types of chicken (including shredded). 3) I wanted to work with unfamiliar types of ingredients, such as balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese (my substitute for asiago cheese), basil, and pitas.
1) I learned how to shred chicken (not the biggest accomplishment ever, but still a good start!)
2) I learned how to mince different ingredients, such as a garlic clove (I know all of these sound pretty basic, but we all have to start somewhere, right?)
3) I learned how to cut basil.
Overall, my parents and I really enjoyed this dish. But at the end, we have concluded that Chicken Pitas is more of a lunch instead of a dinner. Nonetheless, we don't regret trying it out, even though the ingredients were a bit difficult to get.
No comments:
Post a Comment