Tabbouleh/Tabouli With Grilled Cumin Chicken And Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Tabbouleh is a popular Middle Eastern salad and it's an excellent side dish to any grilled meat. The salad is made from soaked bulgur (or burghul) wheat and it's mixed with the usual ingredients like fresh tomatoes, onion, mint, plenty of parsley, and olive oil. So, I made this Tabbouleh With Grilled Cumin Chicken And Yogurt-Tahini Sauce earlier this week. Served it as a sandwich with some warm pita bread. Healthy and just delicious.


Tabbouleh recipe adapted from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros & Grilled Cumin Chicken from Dean & Deluca Cookbook

Tabbouleh/Tabouli With Grilled Cumin Chicken And Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Tabbouleh/Tabouli
200 g (7 oz) Burghul/Bulgar Wheat
1-Cup (250 ml) Cold Water
½ Red Onion, finely chopped
½ tsp Sea Salt
50 to 60 g Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
Juice of 2 Lemons
125 ml (1/2 Cup) Olive Oil
2 Small Ripe Tomatoes, diced

Grilled Cumin Chicken And Yogurt Tahini Sauce
5 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
2-½ tsp Ground Cumin
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
½ Cup Plain Yogurt
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp Tahini
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Pita Breads
2 ½ Cups Tabbouleh

Method

Note: You will need to start this salad a few hours, or even a day, before you are going to serve it, as burghul needs soaking, and chicken needs to marinate for at least 6 hours.

Tabbouleh: Put the burghul in a bowl and cover it with cold water. Stir through, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight so that the burghul absorbs the water.

Put the onion in a small bowl, cover with some cold water, sprinkle with the salt and leave it for 20 minutes or so before draining away the water and rinsing again.

Drain the burghul through fine sieve, pushing it gently with a wooden spoon to extract any water. Tip it into a bowl and add the parsley, mint, onion, lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix together well. Keep the salad in the fridge and mix the tomatoes through just before serving.

For the chicken: Rub the chicken thighs with the ground cumin, garlic, and olive oil. Season well with sea salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 10 hours.

Mix together well the yogurt, tahini paste, and lemon juice. Thin out with a bit of water to make a smooth, medium-thick sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to make the sandwiches, prepare a hot grill. Grill the chicken thighs on both sides until just past pink, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can cook the chicken thighs under a preheated broiler, turning once, until just past pink.) Let the cooked thighs rest for 10 minutes, and then cut into slices about ¼ inch thick.

Steam the pita breads until warm, this will make them softer in texture and easier to stuff or fill.

Makes 4 Pita Sandwiches