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Pan Roasted Ginger Ale Chicken Pita

This pita is chock full of flavour and healthy ingredients like black beans, quinoa and mango and combined with a unique pan roasted chicken in a ginger ale sauce. Prepare the quinoa salad the night before to fully combine the flavours.
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min

Ingredients

Quinoa, Mango, Black Bean Salad

15 oz can black beans, no salt added, rinsed and drained
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 cup corn, frozen
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mango, fresh, chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground turmeric


Pan Roasted Ginger Ale Chicken

4-6 chicken thighs
1 can ginger ale
½ cup flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp cream
1 tsp cayenne pepper sauce.
salt and pepper, to taste


Food Safety

Before you start, wash all surfaces and your hands with soap and warm water, and remember to wash your hands, utensils and cutting boards after they touch raw meat or eggs. Avoid cross-contamination by using a different cutting board for your meat and other ingredients. Make sure you’re cooking to safe temperatures and chilling any leftovers within two hours. For more food safety tips, visit our Food Safety at Home Section.

Steps

  1. Mix together the beans, quinoa, corn, bell pepper, mango and onion in a mixing bowl.

  2. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and turmeric in a small bowl.
 Drizzle over the mixture and toss.

  3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

  4. Mix together the flour, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Place in zip lock bag, add chicken and shake to coat.

  5. Heat oil in frying pan and add chicken. Cover and cook for 7–10 minutes until chicken is golden brown and meat thermometer reaches 165°F (74°C).
 Remove chicken and let cool.

  6. Add the ginger ale to skillet and whisk to deglaze the skillet. Turn heat to high and boil until mixture is reduced in half. Add in remaining ingredients, whisking constantly. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

  7. Slice chicken off the bone and cut into thin bite size pieces.

  8. Using a slotted spoon, fill pita half full with the Quinoa Salad. Add Ginger Ale Chicken and drizzle pan sauce on top.

Helpful Tip

The salad can be made a day before to make assembly of this meal less time consuming.