While we were in Sofia, I had one of the best donners I have ever had. Donners are my guilty pleasure food in Europe. The first one I ever had was in the Latin Quarter in Paris with my sister and cousins, I was hooked! Donners come in various shapes and sizes, but there are a few things that they all have in common. The meat comes from the big, rotating gyro meat on a stick in front of a broiler. So fatty and awful for you, yet so, so delicious. The meat is put in a pita and topped with tzatziki, onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. In a perfect, guilty pleasure world, they are also topped with fries and occasionally ketchup. I have also tried them spicy, seen them with shredded cabbage and in Brasov, Romania, we even got corn and shredded carrots on them.
The best one I have ever had was in Sofia, Bulgaria. Unlike any donner I have ever had, it was spicy and had a hint of sweetness that we identified as curry. They were absolutely delicious and no donner I have had on this trip has been even close to as good. While in Malta I have been working furiously to re-create the exquisite flavor of the Sofia donner, but, of course, making it just a little bit healthier. Also, I don’t have access to pressed chicken on a spit in front of a broiler. I just don’t. So thinly sliced and flash cooked in a hot pan will have to do. This was also a good recipe for Malta as most of the prep was done the day before, all we had to do to throw them together was to pan fry the potatoes and slice the veggies. It took about 15 minutes to throw it all together.
- Chicken Marinade:
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Curry powder
- ½ tsp Chili Powder
- ¼ cup Yogurt
- 1 5oz Chicken Breast, sliced very thin (see notes)
- Delicious Donner Sauce:
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ¼ cup Yogurt
- 1 tbsp Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Curry powder
- ½ tsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Cucumber, shredded
- 1 tsp Harissa
- ½ tsp Lime Juice
- Other Ingredients/Garnish:
- Tortillas or Pita Bread
- 1 small Potato
- Tomato slices
- Cucumber slices
- Shredded Cabbage (optional)
- Sliced Onions (optional)
- Combine all ingredients for marinade. Refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours, tossing occasionally.
- Combine all ingredients for donner sauce. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator, but should be done at least 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.
- Slice potato into very thin matchsticks. For best results, soak in water to reduce starch for about 20 minutes first, then drain and thoroughly dry potato sticks. This is optional, but not necessary.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium low heat, add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes.
- When potatoes are soft, turn the heat up to medium high and allow potatoes to brown, stirring only occasionally to allow them to brown evenly on all sides.
- When potatoes are brown, remove from pan to tortillas.
- Add marinated chicken to pan and cook until no longer pink. It should only take about 1-2 minutes if the chicken is thinly sliced.
- Add chicken to the tortillas and top with cucumber and tomato slices, any other garnishes desired and sauce.
- Roll up and serve
*Tahini would be a better, more authentic alternative to peanut butter. I use peanut butter because it is something I always have on hand, whereas tahini is something that I may or may not have. It is up to you.
That looks fantastic!
Yum! This makes me want to go back to Greece!!