Chicken Sausage Yogurt Salad in Pita Pockets

24. August 2009 Chicken, Vegetables + Salads 0

I discovered chicken sausages by accident. When we invited a few of our friends to our summer rental in Ulster Park upstate, I bought them for the lone vegetarian guest. I honestly thought they were vegetable sausages because the typeface of the packaging focused on the herbs and spices. Artichoke sausages it said; cilantro and garlic sausages, even. I just didn’t notice the smaller “chicken” word underneath. I blame bad design!

They came out of the grill and the meat eaters ate them all anyway. I liked them for the spices and adding them to a salad required less salt and pepper because of the flavor they already had.

I bought a few more during this week’s heat wave to pack a light and summery lunch to work. I used English cucumbers here which are not waxed and can be eaten with the peel–they’re the ones you see wrapped in clear plastic. When I ran out of pitas, I ended up just eating the leftover as a simple salad. You can use any plain yogurt for the dressing, but I found that the Greek kind was best because it’s less sour. Wrap the pitas tightly in foil and they make great picnic lunches for your group of friends–as long as they eat chicken.

Ingredients:
spiced chicken sausage with cilantro, sliced
whole wheat pita pockets, lightly toasted
1 small tub plain Greek yogurt
1 small English cucumber, diced
1 tomato, chopped
a handful of mixed greens
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
lemon juice
mint leaves, finely chopped
salt, pepper

1. Using a small skillet, fry chicken sausage over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.
2. While cooking the sausages, combine all the vegetables and mint in a bowl as if making a salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with a dollop of Greek yogurt and mix well. Drizzle with lemon juice. Add chicken sausage and toss again.
3. Slice off the top edge of the pita bread to open. Don’t waste that piece; put it inside the pita, too. Spoon in the yogurt salad with chicken sausage.