SLOW COOKED ASIAN CHICKEN PITTAS, easy-peasy, healthy'ish, wallet-friendly

This easy-peasy picnic meal of shredded exotically flavoured slow-cooked chicken, stuffed into fluffy round pitta is different and fun.

Multi-cultural food pockets: Asian slow-cooked chicken, salad of Chinese leaves & peanuts and fluffy sturdy MidEast pitta bread

Tender succulent Asian flavoured chicken is an excellent filling for the fluffy round Middle Eastern pitta called Taboon.  Mixing foods from many cultures is a great way of keeping meals interesting.  If you're planning, however, to offer these food pockets as a starter, bao buns would continue the exotic Asian theme.  

This week's other post, Crunchy Asian Leaf Salad, adds crunch to the filling and can also be served as a side. 

Delicious, colourful and easy to eat, the pitta pockets are full of protein and fibre without too much fat, salt or or sugar.  

It's pretty wallet-friendly -- a small or medium chicken once shredded, provides more meat than expected. 

The preferred method of cooking the chicken is by slow cooker but 67's slow cooker is too small and used the stovetop instead. Both methods produce very tender meat. 

Planning is required but the steps are simple.  Serve the meat warm if you can or at room temperature but not cold. 

Cost: £10'ish, including bread but not salad

Serves: 6-8'ish but recipe halves nicely

Ingredients: 

Taboon Pitta
comes in wholemeal, too

1 whole small/med chicken or 750'ish grams thighs or legs

min 6 Taboon, round fluffy pitta

Aromatic Braising Sauce 

   1 star anise
   1 tsp 5-spice powder
   4 spring onions (if using greens only, add 2 more)
   1 large thumb-size knob fresh grated ginger (or 1/3 tsp dried)

   4-6 tbsp dry Sherry or Chinese Rice Wine
   2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
   3-4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
   3 cups chicken or other stock (granules & cubes are fine) 

   2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar 

(opt) Garnish: sesame seeds, oyster or hoisin sauce

  

Method:

1. Remove skin from chicken; set aside for chicken scratchings
2. Whisk marinade ingredients; pour into a slow cooker or a lidded pot big enough to easily hold the chicken & braising liquid; add chicken top side up (it won't completely cover the chicken)
3. Slow cooker:  Cook on low 4 hours or until meat is tender and easily shredded, turning once 2/3 of the way through 
4. Stovetop: bring liquid  to boil, reduce heat to very low, simmer 1.5-2 hours hours, turning once half way through, until very tender and easily shredded
5. Meanwhile fry or air fry the chicken skin until all fat has dripped away and the skin is crisp and golden brown; set scratchings aside on paper towels or a cooling rack; when cool break into bite size pieces; pack into a container
6. When chicken is fully cooked carefully remove from pot, cool a little; shred; taste; add sesame seeds if using, also oyster or hoisin sauce if needed
7. Pour juices through a strainer into a bowl, discarding solids & bones left behind.  Pour some of the juices into the shredded meat to keep it moist; and  some of the rest into a jar with a tight fitting lid to take to the picnic.  (See Tip for freezing any remaining juices.)
8. Double wrap meat & juices in foil or place in a container with a well-fitting lid 
9. At the picnic: be generous with fillings; slice a  half inch/2cm piece off the top of the pitta and poke it into the bottom to prevent sogginess; add a light layer of salad, cover with a layer of chicken; repeat
10. Break chicken scratchings into bite-sized pieces; serve separately  

Comments:

'A really tasty, interesting combo;this well-stuffed hand-held treat is very very good.  It has crunchy salad with a punchy dressing, doesn't stint on protein and teams beautifully with the sturdy fluffiness of taboon pitta.  First class but hold the radish and spring onion for the kids.'  Retired journalist

Tips:

1. Not interested in stuffed pitta?  The shredded chicken can go into savoury pies, stir fried noodles or rice, noodle/ramen bowls or fresh/toasted sandwiches (your choice of bread) with a little  sweet pickle like piccalilli 
2. Strain leftover stock through a sieve lined with muslin or unused j-cloth; discard bits left behind. Freeze in ice cube trays; transfer to a freezer bag and use for stir-fried dishes or to intensify flavours in noodle soups & 'ramen'

 

                                                                                                    Plenty more Oriental recipes on Nav Bar: Recipes I & II

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.