You may be wondering: “What exactly are arayes?” Arayes are Lebanese meat stuffed pitas. Sounds delicious right?? I have this one Lebanese restaurant, I absolutely love love going to. Everything from the cozy middle eastern decor, to the outdoor seating, to the lively ambiance is just perfect. Oh and they serve the tastiest most flavorful Lebanese dishes. One of my favorite dishes on their menu?? Yup, you guessed it arayes!
That is how the inspiration behind this recipe came about. I combined some of the traditional flavors of a Chicken Keema dish and then stuffed it inside of a pita and then grilled it to perfection!
I used cardamom pods in this recipe. If you do not have any on hand I would say omit from the recipe, however, I find using cardamom in minced chicken recipes gives it a fragrant aroma and a flavorful kick!!! This recipe (like most of my recipes) is quick, simple & healthy! I listed 2 tbsps of oil in the recipe because I find that ground chicken needs a bit more oil to cook. But what I prefer to do is use an oil spray for any additional oil I may need. So feel free to adjust accordingly if you are watching your fat intake.
To grill the stuffed pitas you can use a grill pan, grilling machine such as a George Foreman Grill or even a panini press will do! Make sure to cut your pitas and cheese slices in quarters for quicker assembly!
The juiciness of the chicken combined with the saltiness of the buttery amul cheese, mixed in with the spicy kick of the Nirav Garlic Chutney is just TOO DARN GOOD!! See for yourself! Flavorful can be healthy too!
Spicy Chicken Arayes (Stuffed Pitas)
Ingredients
For Spicy Chicken Mixture:
- 2 tbsps oil
- 3 green Cardamom pods
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Serrano Green chili
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 Roma Tomatoes finely diced
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup light cream
- 1 16 oz package lean ground chicken 1lb
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Squeeze of lemon wedge optional
For assembly of Pitas:
- 3 pitas cut in quarters, lightly brushed with oil
- 3 slices Amul cheese or white American cheese cut into quarters
- Nirav Garlic Chutney optional
Instructions
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In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add in cardamom pods, garlic cloves and serrano chili. Wait until oil begins to sizzle and then add in onions, tomatoes and spices. Mix well. Let sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until onions start to soften. Next add in light cream and stir. Allow cream and spices to become fragrant, about 1 minute. At this point taste test the mixture, to make sure spice level is according to preference.
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Add in ground chicken and fold all ingredients together using a rubber spatula. You may need to break apart and mince some of the ground chicken with the spatula. Continue to mix together. Allow chicken to cook, about 5 minutes. Add in chopped cilantro once chicken is cooked, and mix in. At this point you can squeeze a lemon wedge on top of the mixture, if desired!
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Spray pita quarters with an oil spray, or brush oil onto the outsides of the pita. Spread 1 tsp or more of Nirav Garlic Chutney onto each pita quarter. Then scoop a spoonful of the ground chicken mixture into each pita quarter and place a quarter of the amul cheese slice into each pita quarter. Place stuffed pitas onto a grill pan. Press down on the pita with a spatula and allow to toast for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese melts & pitas brown slightly.
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Eat immediately & enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Instead of using a grill pan, I used my George Foreman grill. If you have a panini press, or a grill , feel free to use instead of a grill pan!
- If you do not have Nirav Garlic Chutney on hand, or do not have access to it, feel free to use any type of spread! This works well with hummus, tzatziki, siracha sauce etc.
- You may have some chicken mixture left over to fill another half a pita!
