I may not be en route to the Greek Isles or pledging for a sorority, but my kitchen has been Greek-inspired over the last week. Why? Well, I’m not sure other than I have an abundance of lemons and fresh thyme to get creative with, and I do love the flavors of their cuisine. I decided to adapt my own take on a classic ‘Greek plate.’ You know the ones, with skewers of lemon & herb marinated chicken, saffron rice, fresh salad with beets & feta, and creamy tzatziki sauce. That’s a lot of goodness right there, so I opted to combine all of these componets into one, deliciously Greek pita.
We’re going to make lemon thyme marinated chicken breasts, saffron rice and zesty Greek slaw, as I like to call it. We will tie it all together with some creamy, yogurt-based Tzatziki sauce boasting the cool, summer flavors of cucumber & dill. Stuff all that into a whole wheat pita and we’re good to go! This is an awesome dinner, healthy, really simple, and perfect for a lighter summertime meal. It was so good, I had it again the next afternoon!
Let’s get our Greek on…

- Fresh tzatziki sauce (prepared Greek yogurt-based with cucumber and dill).
- Whole wheat Greek Pita bread
- 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine had 2), cut into medium tenders
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 T lemon-infused EVOO (from WeOlive)
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 T white wine (and extra for cooking chicken in pan)
- S&P, to taste
- 1 lemon for slicing.
- 1 package saffron rice mix
- butter
- water
- *cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped finely
- 3 baby beets chopped, baby beets pre-cooked and chilled
- ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
- 2 T grated feta cheese
- 3 T Golden Greek Peperoncini, chopped finely
- 1 tsp prepared Italian dressing (with olive oil)
- S&P, to taste
- Chop fresh spinach, beets, red onion and peperoncinis and add into mixing bowl. Season with S&P, feta and dressing (don't add too much, but enough to coat) to taste. Combine, chill & set aside.
- According to package directions, in small pot on stove, combine dry saffron rice (yellow), with water and butter. I use chicken stock in lieu of the water!
- When rice is done, mix in 2 T of the tzatziki sauce, set aside.
- In mixing bowl, add oil, wine, thyme, red pepper flakes, S&P, garlic, lemon zest and combine with chicken breast tenders you have already rinsed and patted dry.
- Coat raw chicken in mixture well, cover and allow to marinate 35 min-an hour.
- On stove, in large skillet cook chicken & all marinade juices over medium-low, flipping.
- As chicken begins to brown and juices thin, add white wine to deglaze pan (2 T-1/4 cup depending).
- Allow chicken to finish cooking on low and add slices of lemon on top.
- When cooked through (about 25 mins), remove from heat and cool slightly, then chop into bite sized pieces.
- Warm whole wheat pitas in oven till slightly warm/toasted, but not crunchy!
- To warm pita coat both insides with about 1-2 T tzatziki sauce.
- Add generous portion of chopped marinated chicken, some rice mix, & chilled slaw mixture.
- Top with additional tzatziki as desired.
- Serve with a wedge of lemon!
I made enough for leftovers, though they didn’t end up lasting long! This one will be making a comeback very soon at my house. The Greek fun isn’t over yet though, we’re going to keep in line with these flavor profiles with a couple of more posts to follow. Stand by… and enjoy a pita in the meantime!
[…] my protein of choice is chicken—enchiladas, stew, tacos, casserole, salad, soup, strips, pitas, giant roasted birds (I really need to get out more)—because it’s lighter and easy to work […]