Fattoush Salad with Lemon Chicken, Dates, and Almonds
This grilled pita bread salad is one of my favorites! I spiced up the dressing with ground sumac, which has a lovely tart flavor and a citrus aroma. Make the Mediterranean chicken kebabs to go along with for a complete dinner.
Make chicken skewers: In a medium bowl mix lemon juice, honey, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes and the ¼ cup olive oil. Cut chicken into large pieces (1 to 1½-inch) and add to the lemon mixture. Chill 1 hr.
After chicken is marinated, heat grill to medium-high heat. Brush pitas with extra oil and grill, toasting well on both sides. Tear into pieces; set aside.
Thread chicken onto skewers and grill over medium-high heat until just cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Chicken should be cooked to 165ºF internal temperature (you can use this meat thermometer).
Make dressing: Whisk together the ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, honey, dates, almonds, sumac, red pepper flakes, cumin, sesame seeds and salt; set aside until ready to serve salad.
Combine spinach, red onion and grilled pita and toss with some of the date and almond dressing. Serve with chicken skewers and serve remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
The Middle Eastern version of bread salad is called Fattoush. Instead of using a crusty Italian loaf, pitas take that place and create another type of filling salad. I added tangy chicken kabobs to this recipe so you'll have an entire summer meal.Use this meat thermometer to get the best internal temperature reading on the chicken!