Approximately 600 calories per person – Serves 2
- Prep time: about 35 minutes and at least 3 hours marinating in refrigerator
- Cook time: about 30 minutes
- Total time: around 4 hours
Ingredients
- Chicken
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces.
- 3 ounces (85 grams) onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (Tbsp) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (tsp) cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- Tzatziki Sauce
- 3 ounces (85 grams) English cucumber, (about 1/5 of the cucumber) partially peeled and diced
- ¼ teaspoon (tsp) salt, divided
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled, minced
- ¼ teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon (tsp) olive oil
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) ground white pepper (or black pepper)
- ¼ teaspoon (tsp) dried dill
- Mediterranean Salad
- 12 ounces (340 grams) tomatoes, diced
- 12 ounces (340 grams) English cucumber which should be what is left (about 4/5 of the cucumber) after the Tzatziki sauce, partially peeled and diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 10 arugula leaves, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) black pepper
- 2 teaspoons (tsp) olive oil
- ½ teaspoon (tsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ teaspoon (tsp) Freshly made Lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar
Steps
- Preparation
- Prep the cucumber by cutting off the ends, partially peeling and the dicing. Set 1/5 in one bowl and 4/5 in another bowl.
- Prep the onions, tomatoes, arugula, parsley, and garlic
- Juice one lemon into a bowl.
- Zest the lemon into a different bowl.
- Chicken Prep
- In a small bowl, create the Shawarma spices by mixing the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Set aside the shawarma spice mix for now.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt to taste on both sides, then thinly slice into small bite-sized pieces.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl.
- Add the Shawarma spices and toss to coat, with your hands or spoons.
- Add the onions, 1 tablespoon (Tbsp) of the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) olive oil.
- Toss everything together again.
- Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. (if you don’t have time, you can cut or skip marinating time)
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Use a small food processor to finely chop 1/5 of the cucumber.
- Toss the cucumber with ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) salt.
- Spoon the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or a double thickness napkin and squeeze dry. (There will be lots of liquid).
- In a bowl, place the minced garlic with ⅛ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon (tsp) olive oil.
- Mix to combine.
- Add the squeezed/dried cucumber to the bowl with the garlic mixture.
- Stir in ½ cup of the yogurt, and ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) of white or black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon (tsp) dried dill.
- Stir to combine well.
- Cover and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the dinner. This will help thicken the sauce and the flavors to meld.
- Chicken Cooking
- When chicken is ready, preheat the oven to 425° degrees.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for a few minutes.
- Spread the marinated chicken/onions in one layer on a large lightly-oiled baking sheet pan.
- Roast for 30 minutes in the 425° degrees pre-heated-oven.
- At 20 minutes, check the internal temperature of the chicken. You want it to be 165° degrees.
- Take it out when done.
- Mediterranean Salad
- While chicken is cooking, make the salad.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the diced tomatoes, remaining 4/5 diced cucumber, arugula, and parsley.
- Season with salt to taste and toss.
- Set aside for 5 minutes or so.
- In a small bow, mix the lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar, 2 teaspoons (tsp) olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon (tsp) black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon (tsp) lemon juice.
- Mix well and toss into the salad
- Set the salad aside.
- Serve
- Remove chicken from the oven when internal temp of chicken is 165° degrees.
- Stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh.
- Give the salad a gentle toss.
- Split the chicken/onions on two plates.
- Pour tzatziki sauce over chicken, or on the side (your preference)
- Spilt the salad on the side of the two plates.
- Serve immediately!
All of Living in Beauty Recipes
We are working on a series of recipes that are easy to fix in an RV and are approximately 600 calories per person for two people. Ultimately, they will be compiled into “The Bean Counter Cookbook.”