Grilled Chicken, Arugula, and Red Pepper Pitas by Lisa A. Grober from Lexington, KY.

Here’s the second place winner to our picnic recipe contest! We got a ton of great recipes — so thank you to all who entered. Erica, Mary and I really enjoyed testing them out, and our families benefited from all your kitchen inventiveness. Lisa wins a Whim! from Cynthia Rowley picnic blanket! Come back tomorrow to see the First Place Winner, and then on Thursday for the Grand Prize.

Why we like this recipe: The chicken was super-easy to make. Just chicken breasts, lemon juice and the spices and not a lot of measuring. Chicken alone turned out very tasty. The sauce for the sandwiches took a bit longer but all the ingredients were easy to find and basically you can make it even if you don’t have a mixer — just stir it up. The sauce was so good we used the leftovers for chips! The combo of the sauce, chicken and the arugula really makes it amazing. Be sure to use arugula, even if it’s hard to find. The pita makes it easy for outdoor eating, and it’s yummy enough to make people think you are a super gourmet, when you really aren’t!

Click through to the next page for Lisa’s recipe!

Grilled Chicken, Arugula, and Red Pepper Pitas by Lisa A. Grober

8 boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp dried thyme
4 tsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 c. of mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1 c. garlic greens, white and green parts minced
(substitute 1/2 c. scallions plus 4 tsp of crushed garlic if the greens are out of season)
1 c. red pepper minced
1/2 cup red onion minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of arugla rinsed and destemmed
2 packages of pita pockets

Combine chicken, thyme, lemon juice and pepper in a bowl. Let stand in refrigerator while preparing filling.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whip with electric mixture until a smooth consistency is reached. Fold in garlic greens, red pepper, and red onion. Refrigerate while grilling chicken.

Grill chicken while thoroughly done. Chicken can be sauteed or broiled if grill is not available. Follow appropriate cooking process if using an alternative method. Once cool enough to touch, slice into 1/4″ sections. Spread approx. 2 tbsp. filling into pita half equally distributing inside top and bottom. Add thin layer of chicken and 4-5 arugula leaves. Refrigerate until serving.

Note: Chicken can be grilled and filling prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Cut chicken into sections prior to refrigerating. Refrigerate chicken and filling in separate lidded containers.