chicken kebabs in lettuce cups

Our second choice recipe from Everyday Food May 2012 was Chicken Kebabs in Lettuce Cups. Through complete coincidence, and fortune, this was a barbecued meal that fell on the very first warm evening of this year. The kebabs are a mixture of ground chicken and Greek-inspired ingredients including mint, garlic, red onion and feta. The patties are formed onto skewers and barbecued. From there the toppings are sliced grape tomatoes, mint and red onions dressed in oil & vinegar. All served on Boston lettuce leaves. These were just so delicious and perfect for the season. Owen loved the patties, he successfully ate them in the lettuce cups, which is no easy feat for a three year old since I had tomatoes rolling out. Tzatziki on top would be very nice to make these just a little richer and add creaminess.

We opted for a side Greek salad, which was great but I was missing some sort of starch to round out this meal. If we make this again (and we certainly will) I think a side of lemon orzo with pine nuts would be delicious with this. Nuno was going crazy over how great this dinner was. I kept insisting it’s the first barbeque of the season, so of course his feeling about this meal would be amped up. But he maintains that it’s something he’d love to eat all summer. He accurately described these as a cross between chicken souvlaki and naan kebabs. 

So, what I’d tell ya? May arrived and with it, some outstanding weather. Just perfect temperatures. Our windows are open, I took Owen to the park, there are a ton of people out for walks along the canal path and we had frozen yogurt for dessert. It honestly feels like a different life living days like this!