What's For Dinner? BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas

Ommomnom... Who could say no to such yumminess?

Everyone ends up with leftover chicken. I don't care if your household has two people or a dozen, eventually you're going to end up with leftover chicken, whether it's from a formal Sunday dinner or from that rotisserie birdie you picked up at Costco because it smelled so good when you went by.

FYI? This is particularly excellent for that second scenario!

Leftovers can be boring, but this particular use for leftover chicken is never, ever boring. My husband loves it, and will request it even when there are no leftovers in the offing. (In that case, those frozen bags of grilled chicken breast strips can be a great substitute, or even the occasional can of cooked chicken!)  What's most important is to use a sauce that you really love, because it plays a big part in this dish.  I'd recommend more of a hickory type sauce rather than the sweeter barbecues, as it plays off of the pizza angle of the dish a bit better.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
Whole wheat pitas
Your favourite BBQ sauce
Shredded, cooked chicken
Red or purple onions
Zucchini
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Dried parsley
Dried chives
Salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 425.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Or just spray the cookie sheet, but be aware that non-stick spray can create a nasty residue on your cookware.  It's safer with foil.

Lay out your pitas and drizzle with BBQ sauce.  Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce evenly across each pita.

Quarter and thinly slice the zucchini, and thinly slice the onion before separating into rings. These don't spend a long time in the oven, so very thin slicing is essential to create tender-crisp veggies in your pita pizzas.

Top your pitas with zucchini and onion.  Be generous.  Add other veggies if you like, but this is a perfect combination as far as I'm concerned.

 Follow up with chicken, and shredded cheese.  It doesn't get any easier than that!

 Sprinkle each pita with a teaspoon each of dried chives and dried parsley.  Use about twice the volume if you're using fresh herbs instead of dried.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Depending on your BBQ sauce, you likely don't need very much!

 MMMMmmmmm.... ready for the oven.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.  The cheese will turn everything into a delicious, melty and creamy goodness and the pita will crisp nicely on the bottom.

The whole dish can be completed in under 30 minutes, which makes it excellent for weeknights or even lunchtime!