This grilled chicken pita starts with spicy grilled chicken breasts and a warm pita, and it ends with crunchy vegetables and a creamy jalapeño yogurt sauce. It’s cool, spicy, and fresh.
There used to be a Wendy’s pita sandwich that I was obsessed with as a kid. I loved the warm pita bread, the crunchy shredded vegetables, and the creamy sauce that always dripped out the bottom. It was all I ever wanted from a fast food restaurant (I know, I was… different), and I was devastated when it was discontinued. I still dream about that pita.
So after two decades of mourning, I made my own grilled chicken pita. They both have pita bread, sliced chicken and a creamy sauce— but that’s where the similarities end.
My favorite things about this grilled chicken pita boil down to texture. The charred juicy chicken, the chewy pita, the creamy avocado smashed inside with the crunchy vegetables. It’s all slathered in a cool yogurt sauce that drips everywhere and makes the experience messy and so delicious.
Use a fork, don’t use a fork, stuff it in your mouth— do what you’ve got to do to eat this pita sandwich. But heads up… you probably shouldn’t give it to your kid in the backseat of the car.
how to make this grilled chicken pita
- Marinate the chicken breasts for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- Make jalapeño yogurt sauce (below).
- Slice avocado, cucumbers, radishes and jalapeños.
- Warm the pita bread.
- Grill the chicken, let it rest, then slice.
- Assemble: layer one pita with a butter lettuce leaf, grilled chicken, avocado, cucumber, radish and jalapeño
- Drizzle with jalapeño yogurt sauce (and pickled jalapeños for extra kick!) and serve.
how to make jalapeño yogurt sauce
- Combine jalapeño, cilantro, yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
make-ahead options for the grilled chicken pita
- Jalapeño yogurt sauce can be made one day in advance.
- Vegetables can be prepped and refrigerated up to 12 hours in advance (except for the avocado— save that for the last minute).
- The chicken can be marinated up to 4 hours in advance.
- You can keep the grilled chicken warm in the oven for up to 20 minutes at 200°F.
how to cook the chicken without a grill:
One of my favorite grill substitutes is the broiler. The intense heat is similar to what you achieve on a grill, minus the pretty grill marks. Place your rack 4 to 8 inches away from the heating element to get caramelized, charred edges to your chicken.
The next best grill substitute is a grill pan for the stove. This will give you those gorgeous marks on the surface of your chicken. Just make sure to preheat it really well and don’t disturb the chicken until the marks are well defined.
Tip: if the chicken breasts are especially thick, it’s helpful to slice them in half so they cook more quickly and evenly.
more chicken recipes to try:
spicy fried chicken sandwich with jalapeño slaw
harissa grilled chicken skewers
braised chicken pappardelle in lemony parmesan cream sauce
grilled tamarind ginger chicken legs
chicken pot pie with puff pastry
Printspicy grilled chicken pita with jalapeño yogurt
This grilled chicken pita starts with spicy grilled chicken breasts and a warm pita, and it ends with crunchy vegetables and a creamy jalapeño yogurt sauce. It’s cool, spicy, and fresh.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
spicy grilled chicken pita
- 2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 fresh pitas or naan, warmed
- jalapeño yogurt (recipe below)
- 4 leaves butter lettuce
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- fresh mint, for serving
jalapeño yogurt
- ⅔ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 jalapeño, chopped (seeds removed if desired)
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 bunch cilantro, tough stems removed
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
spicy grilled chicken pita
- Combine chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice in a large reusable zip top bag. Add chicken, seal bag and toss to coat well. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat grill on high, covered, for 10 minutes then reduce heat to medium. Oil grates and grill chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10- 15 minutes total. Transfer to a platter, let rest 5 minutes, then slice.
- To assemble, spread a thin layer of jalapeño yogurt on a warm pita. Top with a lettuce leaf, sliced chicken, avocado, cucumber, radishes, jalapeño and mint. Drizzle with more jalapeño yogurt and serve.
jalapeño yogurt
- Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend or pulse until you get a smooth dressing, about 30-45 seconds.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken pita (no sauce)
- Calories: 676
- Sugar: 2.5g
- Sodium: 749mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 21.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 8.5g
- Protein: 61g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
Anita says
Hello, your recipe for the jalapeno yogurt states to use a 1/3 cup mayo but in the sauce instructions, it says to combine the yogurt and sour cream (and remaining ingredients) to make the sauce. So does the recipe need mayo or sour cream for the sauce?
Indi Hampton says
Whoops! Sorry about that! It's supposed to be mayonnaise. Thank you!!