God I love being back in NDG.
Went shopping the other day to my favorite Lebanese store: Akhavan. Picked up two weeks worth of supplies for only 35$! And that included four Tandoori marinated chicken breasts (the chicken cost 9$ - not bad for today's prices.) If you're not near any of their locations, try Adonis, I hear they're very similar.
This is an old tradition that comes from when I worked at Montreal West Pool. After swim team practice, the coaches and I used to do some laps, head to the gym for a bit and then hit up Akhavan on the way to my apartment. By lunch-time we were STARVING, so I'd grill up some veggies and some chicken and we'd make our own Shish Taouk.
Here's what you'll need:
2 chicken breasts (either Tandoori or the traditional Shish Taouk marinade)
Lots of green veggies and some onions, chopped
Hummus or garlic sauce (which I suspect is just mayonnaise and pressed garlic!)
Pita bread (I like the Abu Lafia - it's much thicker)
Olive Oil
Various spices
Chicken:
Chicken in general cooks best using INDIRECT HEAT. So, if you have multiple burners on your BBQ, turn one on MED-LOW and the other on LOW. Cook the chicken on the LOW side for a good 8-10 minutes or until it starts to look pretty much done. ONLY FLIP IT ONCE - this will ensure that your chicken stays nice and juicy. Continue to cook it on the LOW side for 2-4 minutes and make sure you cut a bit into the biggest part of the breast to make sure it's done through.
Just before you put your meal together, you'll have to slice up the Chicken. My Dad like's it mulched up as small as possible and he works at it for a good 5-10 minutes sometimes. I, on the other hand, get too hungry and can't be bothered!
Veggies:
Any assortment of veggies will do, this week I used Onions, Broccoli, Zucchini and Eggplant. Chop them all up and coat them with olive oil and whatever spices you choose (basic: Oregano, Thyme, Basil - or in my case, I had some Zataar on hand!) If you don't already have one, I suggest picking up a "Basket" for grilling veggies. Grill them on MED-LOW for a good 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
Pita:
For the last touch - grill your pita on LOW for a few minutes to get it warm and to give it flavour!
All done - Assemble your Shish Taouk and enjoy!
Happy Grilling,
TW
PS: LGW himself is in town this week visiting the grandchild - expect a lot more posts! And as usual - share this link PLEASE!!!Labels: Chicken, Lucnh
