Peri Peri Chicken Pitas

pitas stacked on each other on wooden board garnished with spinach leaves

5 from 4 votes

Juicy Peri Peri chicken stuffed inside pitas with all your favourite fillings. This truly is the best Nando's style chicken pita!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Portuguese, South African

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2 / $2.50

Equipment

Griddle Pan or Frying Pan
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Cling Film & Rolling Pin or Mallet (to pound chicken)
Paper Towels
Tongs
Small Pot and Brush (for basting sauce)

Ingredients

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, bring close to room temp
1/2 cup / 120ml Peri Peri Sauce, or as needed (spice level of choice)
2 tbsp Peri Peri Seasoning
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 Pita Breads, sliced into pockets (see notes)
14oz / 400g block of Halloumi
4 heaped tbsp Hummus
2 Roasted Red Peppers, sliced (see notes)
Spinach, as needed (or greens of choice)

Instructions

Lay chicken thighs on a board and cover with cling film (pinch around the edges so no juices escape). Pound the chicken until level thickness, but not so much they start to break apart. Coat the thighs in seasoning and oil.
Heat up a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat, then add your thighs (you may need to do this in two batches). Leave to fry until they start to char, then flip and liberally brush the cooked side with peri peri sauce. Continue frying until the other side chars and the thighs are piping hot through the centre.
Timings will depend on thickness of the thighs. If your thighs are fairly thick then consider lowering heat to a medium after flipping, just to ensure they cook right through without charring too much. Once cooked, remove from pan and place sauce side down, then brush again with peri peri sauce. Allow to rest, then just before needed slice into thin strips.
Meanwhile, slice your halloumi into 12-16 strips (3-4 per pita) then use paper towel to soak up any excess moisture. Lower pan heat to a medium heat and remove any chunks of char with your tongs. Leave chicken fat.
Add your halloumi strips and fry both sides until soft and grill marks appear (again, work in batches if you need).
Spread hummus inside your pita pockets, top with spinach, then halloumi, followed by roasted red peppers and finish with your chicken strips. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Pita Bread - Depending on the brand of pita bread pitas can be quite thin, so just go careful when you're slicing the pocket. I find it sometimes helps to warm them slightly in the microwave first.

Can I sub the pitas for anything else?

Sure! I've used both flat breads and wraps for this recipe and both work great. Could even turn it into a salad or serve with rice.

b) Chicken Thighs - It's about 1.2lbs/600g in total (6 thighs at 3.5oz/100g each) so 1.5 thighs per pita.

Can I sub chicken breast?

Chicken thighs are fattier/more flavoursome and char a lot easier, but you could use breast if that's all you have. In which case I recommend using the above weight (approx 3 breasts) and butterfly them to make 6 thinner even sized breasts.

c) Roasted Red Peppers - I usually use jarred ones. Just squeeze out as much brine as you can and remove any hidden seeds

Can I make my own roasted red peppers?

Absolutely! The easiest way to do this is to rest your peppers on a flame on the stove and rotate every minute or so until completely charred. Pop them in a bowl and cover with cling film. Once cool, peel off most of the char, then slice 'em up! You can also char under the grill.

d) Calories - based per pita:

Nutrition