Chicken, peppers, tzatziki a light springtime meal
Warm spring days
— Happy Spring everybody! — call for light, fast meals that let us take advantage of the lengthening daylight after work.
This is one such meal. Slicing the chicken and peppers into thin strips means both cook quickly with just a little stirring in a hot skillet.
My husband and I ate the mixture over rice, which I set to cook before slicing the chicken and peppers. To make the meal even faster, tuck the chicken and peppers into pita or folded flat breads. For a low carb option, serve it over riced cauliflower — look for heat-and-serve bags in the freezer section.
Mediterranean-ish Chicken and Peppers With Tzatziki
1 ½ cups full-fat plain Greek yogurt (2 5.3-ounce cartons)
2 mini seedless cucumbers, shredded
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided use
Juice of 1 lemon, divided use
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into very thin strips (I used kitchen shears)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon oregano
2 red bell peppers, sliced
Rice or pitas, for serving
Crumbled feta, pitted kalamata olives, for serving, optional
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, shredded cucumber, a quarter of the garlic, half of the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, remaining garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining lemon juice, the cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix well to coat chicken.
In a very large skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently until it loses its raw look. Add the peppers and season them with a sprinkle of salt and continue cooking and stirring until peppers are crisp-tender and chicken is cooked through.
Serve chicken, peppers, tzatziki over rice or stuffed into pitas and top with crumbled feta and olives, if desired.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.