Shawarma, according to Wikipedia, is meat roasted on a spit like a Turkish doner kebab or a Greek gyro, but the origins are more Middle East. Did you know doner kebab is the number one street food in Berlin? Interesting, huh? Not brats, or pretzels, or currywurst, but doner kebabs, served in a pita, with fresh veggie salad and optional hot sauce. I don’t have a spit at home, but I found a recipe for Shawarma marinade and I always love a bowl meal, so here we are. The marinade could be used with any meat, but I like chicken thighs because they cook up tender and take on the flavors from the seasoning really well. Craving a Greek flavor instead? Try Chicken Souvlaki and a Greek Salad. But if you’re ready for a little more variety, let’s get back to this Chicken Shawarma Bowl.
Despite the long list of spices in the ingredient list, the resulting chicken isn’t spicy hot. If you prefer more heat, feel free to add a small amount of red pepper until you reach the heat level that works for you.
Rounding out the Shawarma bowl we have some yellow rice, a simple salad, and a yogurt sauce. The yogurt sauce is what really makes this delicious, adding a little zesty flavor. The original recipe called for equal parts yogurt and mayo. I’ve reduced the mayo in this version, and I’ll probably reduce it even more the next time. The sauce can be thinned with water and drizzled over the entire bowl, or served in a dollop and mixed in as you eat. But either way, it’s really the star of this bowl meal. I’ll be making this one again and again.
Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs. chicken thighs cubed into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Yellow Rice
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Yogurt White Sauce
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- optional: 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons water – or as needed to reach desired consistency
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and taste. Add additional salt or optional red pepper if needed.
- Add the cubed chicken to a large ziptop bag and pour in the marinade. Let the chicken rest for 30 minutes to overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat a large skillet to medium high. Pour the chicken into the pan and cook until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
- Put olive oil in a saucepan and cook over medium high heat to soften onion. Add add remaining yellow rice ingredients and cook according to rice directions. (Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender).
- In a small bowl, mix all yogurt white sauce ingredients together.
- Serve with simple salad of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, lettuce and/or cabbage. Dress the salad with a swirl of olive oil, a shake of vinegar and a little salt.
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