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    Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

    Chicken Shawarma Bowls

    Published: Mar 5, 2021 · Modified: Jun 20, 2022 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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    Middle Eastern chicken shawarma will be your favorite way to cook chicken on a weeknight, flavored with bold spices of turmeric and cumin, lots of bright lemon juice and savory garlic. Serve chicken shawarma bowls with quinoa, hummus and creamy tahini.

    Middle Eastern chicken shawarma recipe will be your favorite way to cook chicken. Serve chicken shawarma bowls with quinoa, hummus and creamy tahini.

    Chicken Shawarma Bowls

    Oh do I have a treat for you! One of the most popular recipes from my First cookbook is finally making an appearance on the site. Everyday chicken shawarma is the recipe you'll find in The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen and it's a major keeper!

    I've done so many variations, roasted and grilled, served chicken shawarma on a salad and wrapped in a pita. There is no wrong you can do.

    Here's what's in the chicken shawarma bowls:

    • Sliced chicken shawarma
    • Cooked quinoa
    • Beet hummus or your favorite hummus
    • Yogurt Tahini Sauce
    • Turkish sumac onions, gives a bright pop and sharpness to all the earthy flavors
    • Pita bread
    • Chopped tomatoes or cucumber or roasted vegetables would be fantastic
    • Very quick pickled cabbage

    Chicken Shawarma Marinade Ingredients

    Once you have the homemade shawarma sauce down, you can use it in all sorts of variations, such as salmon shawarma or beef shawarma. I also have an idea to try this with hearty cauliflower.

    • Olive oil
    • Lots of chopped garlic cloves
    • 2 whole lemons, zested and juiced
    • Sumac: it's ok if you don't have any, its bright like lemon and you can omit this in a pinch.
    • Aleppo pepper flakes or red pepper flakes
    • Spices: allspice, cumin, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon
    Middle Eastern chicken shawarma recipe will be your favorite way to cook chicken. Serve chicken shawarma bowls with quinoa, hummus and creamy tahini.

    Other Tips When Making Shawarma

    • Add to a platter for a chicken shawarma plate with fries or roasted potatoes.
    • Add chicken to a Greek salad or Fattoush salad
    • You can cook chicken shawarma on the grill, roast in the oven or pan fry on the stove top.
    • If using chicken breasts, either pound a bit to tenderize the meat or cut into tenders.
    Chicken Shawarma Wrap with sumac onions and creamy tahini sauce.

    Chicken Shawarma Bowls

    Samantha Ferraro

    LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Middle Eastern chicken shawarma will be your favorite way to cook chicken on a weeknight, flavored with bold spices of turmeric and cumin, lots of bright lemon juice and savory garlic. Serve chicken shawarma bowls with quinoa, hummus and creamy tahini.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Marinating 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 580 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    Chicken Shawarma

    • 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3-4 garlic cloves chopped finely
    • 2 lemons zested and juiced
    • 2 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ½ teaspoon sumac
    • ½ teaspoon allspice optional, ok to omit
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    Yogurt Tahini Sauce

    • ¼ cup full fat yogurt
    • ¼ cup tahini
    • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 garlic clove grated or finely chopped
    • ¼ cup water for thinning out consistency
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Quick Pickled Cabbage

    • ½ of a small red cabbage shredded or sliced thin
    • Juice of ½ lemon
    • Chopped parsley
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Bowls

    • Cooked quinoa
    • Beet hummus or your favorite hummus
    • Sumac onions
    • Pickled cabbage recipe below
    • Pita bread cut into wedges
    • Cherry tomatoes cut in half
    • Chopped fresh parsley
    • Olive oil for garnish
    • Zaatar for garnish
    • Lemon wedges

    Instructions
     

    • Start with the chicken marinade and pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels. Use scissors or shears to remove any excess fat and add chicken to a large bowl.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, garlic and spices together and pour mixture over chicken, turning it so everything is coated evenly. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to overnight.
    • Once you're ready to cook, remove chicken from the fridge for at least 20 minutes and pre-heat a skillet or grill pan to medium-high heat.
    • Remove chicken from marinade, letting any excess drop off and cook chicken on the first side for about 5 minutes or until deeply charred, then flip over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes until cooked through.
    • Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it, then slice chicken on a diagonal.
    • To make the tahini yogurt sauce, add all ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add more water for desired consistency, similar to honey that you can drizzle.
    • For the pickled cabbage, add cabbage, lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper to a bowl and mix to combine.
    • For serving, add quinoa and hummus to a shallow bowl along with pickled cabbage, cherry tomatoes and sliced chicken shawarma. Garnish hummus with olive oil and za'atar and bowls with chopped parsley. Serve with pita bread and lemon wedges and a good drizzle of yogurt tahini sauce.

    Notes

    If you have the time, marinate for at least 8 hours but even an hour while you prep will work great. 
    If you don't have sumac, don't worry as its bright and citrusy like lemon.
    For baking the chicken shawarma in the oven: bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes until cooked through and for crispier edges, crank the heat up to to 450 for a few more minutes. 
    If using chicken breasts, either pound a bit to tenderize the meat or cut into tenders.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 580kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 57gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 739mgPotassium: 1343mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1715IUVitamin C: 92mgCalcium: 134mgIron: 4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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    • One pot Dutch oven chicken thighs are cooked with rice and chickpeas and seasoned with lemon and cumin.
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    • Sticky Hawaiian shoyu chicken thighs with rice and mac salad.
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    Comments

    1. Laurel says

      March 19, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      5 stars
      This was absolutely delicious! I was a little nervous it would be too heavy on the lemon, but it was perfect! Thanks for a yummy recipe!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        March 20, 2022 at 10:01 am

        Thank you so much! I can go a bit heavy on lemon but I am so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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