Chicken pittas with halloumi and spicy rice on the side – what’s not to like? It’s a quick and tasty weeknight meal that the whole family will enjoy.
When I asked my husband what he would like to eat recently, I was given this very specific request: “Chicken Pittas with Spicy Rice please”. This is what he eats whenever we visit a particular popular Portuguese chicken restaurant (UK readers will know which cheeky restaurant I mean!)
The chicken and halloumi pitta is something I love to order there too – the chicken and cheese work really well together in this dish, especially with a spicy sauce (I haven’t used one here, but if you happened to have a bottle of Nando’s piri piri sauce at home, that might work particularly well). The spicy rice can be ‘spiced up’ as much as you like too – simply add chilli powder to get some heat.
This is a great recipe to try when you want a healthier (and cheaper) version of this particular restaurant’s menu!
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Pittas – you could also use wraps or ciabatta rolls.
- Olive oil – or vegetable oil
- Chicken breast – dice your chicken breast into bite size chunks. You could also use skinless, boneless chicken thigh.
- Smoked paprika– adds smokiness and depth. Don’t switch for ordinary paprika.
- Halloumi – if you don’t fancy halloumi, you could use slices of cheddar instead.
- Cooked white rice – the microwavable pouches work well here.
- Tomato puree – adds richness and colour to the rice.
- Spring onions and red pepper – the veg for the spicy rice. You could add peas instead (or as well as).
Top Tips
- Cook the chicken all the way through
The bigger your chicken chunks, the longer they will take to cook. If you’re in any doubt about whether they’ve cooked, cut them in half. The centre should be white not pink if they have cooked through.
- Make ahead
You can prep the spicy rice ahead of serving. Make it then take it off the heat. Heat thoroughly before serving.
- Tasty additions
As mentioned above, some Nando’s piri piri sauce would work well here. A slice of pineapple would also be delicious in the pitta!
Chicken Pittas with Spicy Rice
Save This RecipeIngredients
For the pittas:
- 4 pittas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g diced chicken breast
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 100 g halloumi
- Lettuce to serve
For the spicy rice:
- 500 g cooked white rice
- 3 tbsps tomato puree
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 spring onions
- 1 red pepper
Instructions
- For the spicy rice, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sliced spring onions and chopped red peppers and soften for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, cook for a further minute then add the rice and enough water to loosen it – 200ml should do. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook until heated through – around 7-9 minutes (stir often so that the bottom doesn’t catch).
- For the chicken pittas, sprinkle the smoked paprika over the chicken along with some salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, then add the olive oil. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until cooked through.
- To serve, slice the pittas and stuff with chicken, finely sliced halloumi and salad. Serve with the rice on the side. Amazing!
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