Microwave spicy chicken pitta
A fast way to cook chicken for a colourful kebab-like salad, served with warm pitta bread. Feel free to top with any of your favourite sauces and dressings.
This recipe is part of a budget microwave meal plan for one. In March 2023, it was costed at an average total of £2.29 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 100–150g/3½–5½oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into roughly 2.5–3cm/1–1¼in chunks
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 2 pitta bread
- mayonnaise, garlic or chilli sauce, to serve (optional)
For the salad
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, trimmed and separated into leaves
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 6–8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- ½ lemon, cut into wedges
- 1–2 tsp olive oil
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
Put the chicken in a bowl and toss with the cumin, paprika, oil, a little salt and lots of ground black pepper. Arrange in a circle on a large microwaveable plate, spaced apart in a single layer.
Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH for 40 seconds (1000W) or 50 seconds (800W). Turn over and cook on HIGH for 40 seconds (1000W) or 50 seconds (800W), or until thoroughly cooked (see tip below). Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving. The pieces should be hot throughout and completely white inside with no pinkness remaining. The times provided may seem short but they have been thoroughly tested. If unsure, return to the microwave and continue to cook in short bursts until done.
Place the pitta breads on a microwavable plate and warm through on HIGH for 20–30 seconds. Don’t allow to overheat or they could toughen.
Top the breads with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Drizzle with the oil and squeeze over 1–2 lemon wedges. Season with more black pepper.
Top with the chicken and serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing.
Recipe Tips
This recipe has been costed as part of the Budget microwave meal plan for one. If following this plan, you will need to buy two chicken breasts to use across three recipes. Two chicken breasts should weigh a minimum of 300g/10½oz, leaving you 100g/3½oz chicken for each recipe. Wrap what you don’t use on the first day in kitchen foil and freeze until required. Defrost in the fridge. If you are not following the plan, you can use up to 150g/5½oz chicken for this recipe without needing to adjust the timings.
Choose small whole chicken breast fillets rather than larger breasts for the best results.