Not your typical lunchtime sandwich! This chicken pita sandwich is topped off with a fresh, flavorful chimichurri dressing.
Sandwiches take me right back to my childhood. Growing up in Vancouver, sunny days were not as plentiful as we may have wished. When the sun broke through the clouds, Vancouverites streamed outdoors like ants headed towards the first summer picnic. On days when the sun glistened off the whitecaps of the Pacific Ocean, my mum pulled out the picnic gear and all of us set to work pulling together an oceanside feast. Sandwiches (chicken, salmon or turkey), hard-boiled eggs with packages of salt and pepper, sweet pickles, dill pickles, slices of Havarti cheese, carrot sticks and my mum’s chocolate chip cookies. It was the same every time. We would have been disappointed if it wasn’t. There is comfort in tradition.
If the day was a little stormy and cloudy, we would hunker down in the car to eat our picnic, watching the Great Blue Herons (or GBHs as we call them in my family) standing stoically against the waves and the wind. As soon as the weather cleared, my dad and I scrambled for our baseball gloves and ball, and played catch on the grassy patch separating the parking lot and beach while my mum watched us from her perch on a nearby log. Years later, when my husband and I drove across the country from New York to Utah, we broke up the long days in the car by playing catch at the rest stops after eating our Subway sandwiches. I was always reminded of those days at the beach with my parents.
While we never used pita bread for our beachside picnics when I was young, I think this sandwich would have fit nicely into the mix. The leftover rotisserie chicken from the previous night’s dinner was sitting in the fridge when it was time to make lunch. I chopped what was left of it and mixed the chicken with sliced hearts of palm (sold in cans in the vegetable aisle), chunks of cucumber and slightly spicy and garlicky Chimichurri dressing.
All I needed was a GBH sighting and one of my mum’s chocolate chip cookies to complete the scene.
(Reminder: Don’t forget to head to Whole Grain Penne with Cauliflower and Capers for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.)
The recipe:
The dressing:
In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, combine pulse parsley, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and chile flakes. Pulse until combined, but not smooth.
With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil.
The sandwich:
In a medium bowl, stir together cucumber, hearts of palm and chicken.
Gently stir in the dressing.
Scoop the mixture into the four pita halves. Serve.
Other recipes with hearts of palm:
Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Heart of Palm & Avocado Salad with Lime, Green Onion & Cilantro
Foodiecrush’s Hearts of Palm & Tomato Salad
Sprout & Pea’s Honey Tangerine & Hearts of Palm Salad
We Heart Food’s Crab, Apple & Hearts of Palm Salad
Pita Sandwich with Chicken, Hearts of Palm & Chimichurri Dressing
Ingredients
The Dressing:
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tablespoon red chile flakes
- 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
The Sandwich:
- 1 cup roughly chopped English cucumber
- 1 cup halved and sliced hearts of palm
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
- 2 whole wheat pitas cut in half
Instructions
The Dressing:
- In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, combine pulse parsley, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and chile flakes. Pulse until combined, but not smooth.
- With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil.
The Sandwich:
- In a medium bowl, stir together cucumber, hearts of palm and chicken.
- Gently stir in the dressing.
- Scoop the mixture into the four pita halves. Serve.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables says
love that cute whisk with the heart on top!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Thanks, Emilie. It makes me smile every time I use it.
Jen at The Three Little Piglets says
You have such a way of making eating look incredibly delicious! I love that!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Aww, thanks so much, Jen. That’s really sweet.
KalynsKitchen says
I love the idea of adding hearts of palm to this; one of my very favorite ingredients!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
You have so many great recipes on your site using hearts of palm. I’m looking forward to adding more in the future.
Maria says
Great lunch and I love your little whisk!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Thanks, Maria. This was great for lunch the other day and held up really well for leftovers the next day.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
In my meat eating days, I would have been all over this. Love the flavors!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Thanks, Brian. Cannellini beans would be a great substitute for the chicken in this one.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
This is right up my alley! You make everything look so good!!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Thanks so much, Alison. These colorful ingredients made it easy!
Rachel says
I’ll be printing this recipe and search for hearts of palm. I’ve never had them but I’ve heard of them. Thanks! The herons sound so beautiful 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Thanks, Rachel. I typically find hearts of palm right beside the canned artichokes in our supermarket.
Elena says
You painted your family picnics with such detail and love. Memories are what we have to hold on to and cherish.
Love your recipes too 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
You said, Elena! I hope my kids will look back at their childhood memories with the same fondness.
Becky at VintageMixer says
I must say I have never cooked with hearts of palm! I will have to check it out now!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
You would love them, Becky!
Maureen says
Eating healthy is beautifully done at your house 🙂
Paula- bell'alimento says
Dara that looks amazing. I adore chimichurri (plus it’s totally fun to say ; )
Mom Foodie says
Looks yummy. I never think of hearts of palm.
Deena @ stay at home FOODIE says
Love this sandwich, I’m obsessed with hearts of palm and never thought of using them in a pita. Yum!
Jersey girl cooks says
This is my kind of sandwich. I love to incorporate leftovers into lunch.
Cindy @ Once Upon a Loaf says
This looks fantastic – and with hearts of palm. You’re feeding my spring fever, as this definitely says “lunch al fresco.” I’ll make this for lunch one day next week!
Joshua @ Beyond The Peel says
I LOVE Chimichurri! I travelled around southern Argentina a few years back and could not get enough of that delicious sauce. We make it regularly now. Thanks for the great idea to put it in a pita with chicken. Sounds yum!
Marla says
I have never actually made a chimichurri sauce & always mean to. Love everything about this healthy pita sandwich!
Jeanette says
My kids love chimichurri sauce on just about anything – your sandwich looks yum!
Deborah says
I love hearts of palm – and I know I’d love this sandwich!
love cooking says
Sometimes, sandwiches are too dry. This sandwich with dressing seems really good for me, and the sauce added extra flavor. I love it. 🙂
Alexis {Diva on a Diet} says
I love hearts of palm, and don’t have any recipes other than salads, so thank you for this! It’s going in my collection now! (And P.S. I love your weight loss story! I love to see people’s journeys! Congrats!)
AngieA says
Delicious recipe!! We made this tonight. I accidentally bought cilantro instead if parsley. We used the cilantro in place of the parsley and it was excellent. Great recipe!!! Thank u so much!
2015 deals says
Thanks for your personal marvelous posting! I certainly
enjoyed reading it, you could be a great author. I will make sure to bookmark
your blog and definitely will come back in the
future. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great writing, have
a nice day!