Chicken Parmesan Pita Sammies

I love chicken parmesan. I remember having it once in a sandwich and well...it wasn't the best thing I ever ate. And I'm saying that nicely. This had occured many years ago and I haven't had it since. Now I'm replacing that "not-so-great" memory with a good, better and tastier one with my version of the chicken parmesan pita sammie.

Baked the chicken in the oven with melted mozzarella and made a simple marinara sauce. Placed it in a warm pita bread with a bed of red leaf lettuce inside.

This will make 4 sammies.



Chicken Parmesan Pita Sammies

2 pita rounds (cut in half)
1 large chicken breast (cut into chunks) or 4 chicken tenders
1 large egg
3 Tbsp milk
2 c panko crumbs
salt
pepper
1 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 c shredded mozzarella
pieces of red leaf lettuce

Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Pat the chicken dry of any water. Season all sides with some salt and pepper.

In two separate dishes 1-beat egg and combine with milk 2-panko crumbs mixed with 1 c of the parmesan cheese.. Coat the chicken pieces with the egg mix. Wiggle off any excess, then coat with the panko crumbs and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 min. Flip after about 10 min for an even browning. 2-3 min before removing from the oven, top the chicken with the shredded mozzarella and the remain half of the parmesan.

Remove from the oven and let it rest.

Note: you may also pan fry the chicken strips for 3-5 min on a medium flame.


Quick Marinara Sauce:
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 small sweet onion (diced)
salt
pepper
1 large garlic clove (minced)
1 Tbsp dry thyme
1 Tbsp dry basil
1 Tbsp dry oregano
Olive oil
1 fresh tomato diced (optional)

In a sauce pan, heat a small drizzle of oil and saute the garlic and onions until they are tender and slightly translucent.

Add the tomato sauce and optional diced tomato. Season with some salt and pepper, then add in the thyme, basil and oregano. Stir well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.


Putting it all together:
Wrap the pita bread in foil and warm in the oven for a few minutes.

Take one of the halves of the pita bread and open it. Layer some of the lettuce pieces at the bottom. This will be like a bedding for the sauce and chicken. Take some of the sauce them place a piece of the chicken on top. Do the same with the other three.

Enjoy!