Falafel Crusted Chicken Pitas with Hummus Slaw

Ever since I tried falafel for the first time at L'As du Fallafel in Paris (see here), I've been OBSESSED. Though I really have never tried to make it myself, I've tried it in Madison once or twice. It never matched up to the falafel I had in Paris, but it was still falafel-fantastic. If you haven't ever tried it, I'd encourage you to do so cause you're missing out.

So...this was the first recipe that intrigued me to try to make; probably because it's the easier version of the recipe since it uses chicken and doesn't involve a food processor (I'm food processor lazy). Or it could have something to do with the fact that it takes about 30 minutes to make (no hangry here).

I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, but made a few modifications. I will DEFINITELY be making this again. I hope you'll all give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients: 

• Cooking spray
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. falafel mix (*Note: My grocery store didn't stock this mix, so I just used regular chicken strip bread crumbs and added 1 tbsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and some salt and pepper.)
• 6 tbsp. hummus
• 2 tbsp. tahini (*Note: Optional; I just added this to add a bit more flavor and creamy texture.)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. harissa
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
• 6 radishes, halved and sliced thinly
• 4 pita pocket halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut chicken in 1/4 inch strips, place in bowl, and coat with olive oil. Dump falafel mix in bowl and evenly coat. Place strips on prepared baking pan. Spray with cooking spray (helps chicken to get crispy) and bake for about 10 minutes.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare hummus: mix humus, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, harissa, and minced garlic.
4. Wrap pita pocket halves in tin foil and place in oven for the last 5 minutes while chicken continues to cook.
5. Mix hummus mixture with shredded coleslaw and sliced radishes. (*Note: I chose to mix PER meal, i.e. don't mix it all at once, as coleslaw tends to get SO soggy SO quick. This way, your leftovers won't taste like a mess.)
6. Take warmed pita and fill with slaw and chicken strips. Top with sriracha and be happy.