Savory and Refreshing Chicken Shawarma Salad

Tired of the boring everyday chicken and salad dinner? Well, this exotic blend of middle eastern spices, aromatic herbs and fresh vegetables will surely stimulate your taste buds and satisfy your palate.

Step 1: Chicken Preparation

What You'll Need:

- 1 lb of halved chicken breast (7 pieces)

- 1 tsp of ground allspice

- 1 tsp of ground red pepper

- 1/4 tsp of ground ginger

- 1 tsp of ground cumin

-2 cloves of minced garlic

- 1/2 tsp of onion powder

- 1 tsp of salt

- 2 tbsp of lemon juice

- 4 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

-2 tbsp of fresh finely chopped parsley

-1 tbsp of plain yogurt

Directions

1.) On a medium size plate, drizzle some EVOO onto your raw chicken to lubricate

2.) Combine spices, oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and yogurt into a bowl; mix thoroughly

3.) Pour the contents of the bowl into a large plastic ziploc bag and put the chicken into the bag

4.) Squeeze out the air before closing the bag. Move the marinate around to fully saturate the chicken

5.) Place into the refrigerator and allow the chicken to marinate for 3-7 hours.

Step 2: Savory Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing Preparation

What You'll Need:

- 1/4 a cup of lemon juice

- 1/4 a cup of EVOO

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

- 2 cloves of garlic mashed into paste

- 1 handful of finely chopped fresh mint

How to Make It:

1.) Cut about three lemons in half and squeeze into a measuring cup until the juice reaches the 1/4 mark

2.) With as much precision as possible, finely chop fresh mint leaves using quick motions with a butchers knife

3.) Peel two cloves of garlic

4.) Put the blade of the knife on its side on top of the garlic; using a pounding motion hit the knife to crush the garlic

5.) Place smashed garlic cloves, a drizzle of EVOO, and a dash of salt into mortar and pestle (if you dont have a mortar and pestle then skip this step; just mince the garlic)

6.) Beat the garlic into a paste and scoop up into the lemon juice

7.) Add the chopped mint, salt and pepper, and 1/4 a cup of EVOO

8.) Thoroughly mix and stir the dressing

Step 3: Fresh Garden Salad Preparation

What You'll Need:

- 3 hearts of romaine lettuce

- 1 yellow pepper; medium diced

- 2 mini cucumbers; medium diced

- 1 cup of kalamata olives

- 2 tomatoes diced

- 1/2 cup of castelvetrano olives

Directions for Making Salad:

1.) Rinse the leaves of the Romaine lettuce and pat dry with paper towel

2.) Cut off the end of the lettuce, as well as the white part

3.) Chop the lettuce into about inch wide pieces

4.) Dice the tomatoes by cutting in half, thinly slicing the halves , and then turning onto the opposite direction to cut pieces

5.) Cut the cucumbers in half the long way and then cut each half once again. From there you will dice into about 1/2 medium sized pieces

6.) Slice the peppers in half and rip off the stem; run the pepper under cool water to rinse away seeds

7.) Cut the peppers into thin slices and the turn the horizontally and dice into medium sized pieces

8.) Place chopped vegetables and olives into a large salad bowl and mix in the dressing

9.) Line the side of the bowl with warmed and buttered pita pockets

Step 4: Oven Baking the Chicken

What You'll Need:

- Large stainless steel pan

- Cooking spray

- Aluminum Foil

- Marinated Chicken

How to Bake It:

1.) Turn your oven onto the broil setting

2.) Cover your stainless steel pan with aluminum foil making sure to shape the foil around the edges of the pan

3.) Spread the Chicken out onto the pan, and place on the top shelf of the oven

4.) Broil the chicken on high for five minutes

5.) Using oven mittens, remove the chicken from the oven, turn to the baking setting at 350 degrees, and cover the chicken with a layer of aluminum foil

6.) Bake the chicken for ten minutes. After ten minutes, remove the chicken and cut one in half to see if it is cooked through (the chicken should be completely white)

7.) If the chicken is cooked, take off the top foil layer and place the chicken back into the oven and broil it once again for 3 minutes

8.) After baking, allow the chicken to cool down and absorb the juices for about 5 minutes

9.) Slice the chicken into thin pieces, put on top of or next to the salad and enjoy!!