Moroccan Marinated Grilled Chicken Flatbread Burgers with Red Pepper Hummus

Moroccan Marinated Grilled Chicken Flatbread Burgers with Red Pepper Hummus

The summer grilling season has finally come to my neck of the woods and though I'm sometimes wearing a heavy coat at the backyard grill, at least I'm not standing in snow to do it.

Simply marinated and grilled lean meats with big summer salads make up the bulk of our weekday dinners in the summertime and we are always looking for new ways to add flavor to the grill, especially for pork and chicken. A new marinated pork chop idea is coming for later in the week but today I decided to show how we served these delicious spiced chicken breasts. Some leftover red pepper hummus and some pizza dough on  hand were the inspiration for these terrific chicken burgers.  I particularly loved the chewy, substantial texture of the flatbread and the creamy hummus in these sandwiches. They really were full meals in themselves.

If making flatbreads for burger buns, you can make the dough or even buy pizza dough and follow the instructions found here. I'd make them about half the size though, using only 2 to 3 ounces of dough per flatbread.

You can find the Red Pepper Hummus recipe here

Moroccan Marinated Grilled Chicken Flatbread Burgers with Red Pepper Hummus

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Moroccan Marinated Grilled Chicken Flatbread Burgers with Red Pepper Hummus - a simple, spiced marinade flavors the chicken while the flatbreads are made on the grill right alongside it. Creamy red pepper hummus completes this delicious combination of flavors and textures.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes including marinating time.
Yield: 4 chicken burgers

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg ground nutmeg
• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together except the chicken breasts.
2. Pound the chicken breasts out to a uniform thickness.
3. Pour over the chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag.
4. Allow to marinate in the fridge for up to an hour.
5. Grill on a medium hot grill until fully cooked, about 4 -5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. I use a meat thermometer to get the center of the chicken up over 165 degrees F.
6. Remove from grill, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving on the flatbreads along with the red pepper hummus, sliced tomatoes and fresh lettuce. 

Souvlaki Steak with Lemon Chive Tzatziki

Souvlaki Steak

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Everyone in our family loves chicken or pork souvlaki and I love it with lamb too. It is a meal that is in regular rotation at our house especially with homemade flatbreads and lemon mint tzatziki. We usually serve a Greek salad with it so that it can all be tucked inside those flatbreads as delicious wraps.

I used the same marinade on a couple of prime rib steaks yesterday and grilled them to medium well before thinly slicing them and adding them to some very satisfying wraps. I substituted fresh chives for the mint in the tzatziki this time but fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary could also be used if you prefer.

The marinade was actually quite tasty on the steak all on its own, so, even if you don't want to make flatbreads or tzatziki for this dish, the marinade is still worth trying at your next back yard barbecue.

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds grilling steak, prime rib or strip loin are good choices

Souvlaki Marinade

• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 rounded tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the steak in a Ziploc bag. Toss the steak around well in the marinade to coat on all sides. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Cook on a preheated grill at medium high heat for about 4 minutes before turning over and grilling for an additional 4 minutes on the opposite side or until the steak is cooked to your desired doneness.

Serve with a Greek Salad, flatbread and tzatziki.
 

Lemon Chive Tzatziki

• 3 cups Greek yogurt, drained.

Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.

• 6 inch piece of English cucumber

Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of  1/8 inch or less.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour , stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki. Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with

• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper to season

Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving.

Chicken Souvlaki Wraps with Tomato Avocado Tzatziki

Chicken Souvlaki Wraps with Tomato Avocado Tzatziki

We are having a lovely summer here in Newfoundland, which is a welcome relief after the wettest, coldest summer in decades that we experienced last year. The great weather is providing plenty of warm evenings for grilling our evening meals and this one from late last week was a particularly delicious one.

We used our favorite souvlaki recipe to marinate thin cuts of chicken breast and served it on warm grilled flatbreads with creamy tzatziki. We added tomato and  avocado chunks to our tzatziki for extra flavor and texture. Some crumbled feta cheese and fresh salad completed these terrific wraps dor a delicious and very satisfying dinner.

Serves 4

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board and cut them in half horizontally to crate two think portions.

Souvlaki Marinade

• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 rounded tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a Ziploc bag. Toss the chicken around well in the marinade to coat on all sides. Marinate in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes. Cook on a preheated grill at medium high heat for about 3 minutes before turning over and grilling for an additional 3 minutes on the opposite side or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

.

Tzatziki

• 3 cups Greek yogurt, drained

Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.

• 6 inch piece of English cucumber

Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of  1/8 inch or less.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour , stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki. Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with

• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper to season

Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving.

Before serving, stir in:

• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 medium tomato with the pulp removed, diced

Get our recipe for grilled flatbreads here. We sometimes use store bought pizza dough to make flatbreads in a hurry.

Add some Greek salad on top of the flatbread before topping with the chicken and tzatziki. Some crumbled feta cheese makes a nice addition on top as well.

Turkey Club Wrap on BBQ Flatbread with Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

Turkey Club Wrap on BBQ Flatbread with Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

I like to use any of my pizza dough recipes to make flatbreads on a gas grill. I find dough that was made the previous day and stored in a covered bowl overnight to be best for this purpose. I have posted a couple of them previously on this blog. You can find the plain pizza dough recipe here:
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/grilled-chicken-pizza.html
My whole wheat and oatbran crust recipe can be found here:
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/steak-and-roasted-red-pepper-pizza.html

I use about 3 ounces of pizza dough per flatbread, forming it into balls and allowing it to rest for about 10 minutes before rolling out to a very thin round of about 9-10 inches in diameter. Lay the dough rounds on a preheated gas grill on medium flame. These cook very quickly, so don't walk away. They will take a minute or less per side. As soon as they are able to be flipped, do so and cook for a minute or less on the other side. It is important not to overcook them, don't allow them to become crispy or else they cannot be folded to use for wraps. We make them all the time during grilling season and use them as a base for quick pizzas, for breakfast wraps, just as an accompaniment for favorite BBQ fare or as shown here, as sandwich or salad wraps. This one is a particular favorite of mine which I often make with leftover rotisserie turkey and add some crisp cooked bacon, baby spinach leaves and sliced tomatoes. The fresh Lemon and Savoury Mayonnaise absolutely makes this sandwich.

Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

In a blender or food processor combine until thick and pale in color
2 large or extra large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tbsp dried summer savoury

Add oil alternately with lemon juice in three parts, adding the oil very slowly in a thin stream.
1 cup canola oil
Juice of one lemon
This will produce a thick mayonnaise, for a thinner mayo reduce the amount of oil.