Chicken & Feta Arayes (Meat-Stuffed Crispy Pita)

Ingredients

• 3 pitas (5-6 inches in diameter), halved
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 small-medium red onion, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Zest from one lemon
• 4 tbsp minced fresh mint
• 2 tbsp minced fresh basil
• 1 jalapeno (seeds removed), minced
• To serve: tzatziki, lemon wedges, extra herbs

Directions

• Make the meat filling: combine the feta, ground chicken, grated onion, pressed garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon zest, mint, basil, and jalapeno in a bowl and mix well with your hands or a spatula.
• Divide the filling into 6 portions. Shape each into a semi-circle just a bit smaller than half a pita. Carefully open each pita half and press a flattened portion of meat inside. Close and gently press flat.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the stuffed pitas, pressing down, until deeply golden and crisp on both sides and the chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side (or grill them).
• Cut into wedges and serve hot with tzatziki, lemon, and extra herbs.

Cooking step reconstructed from the video; the creator's written instructions continue in the post comments. Get her tzatziki recipe on her website. From Maria Koutsogiannis on Instagram.