Easy Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma is a super popular street food and while some people might think it’s difficult to replicate at home, let me tell you that it couldn’t be further from the truth with this Easy Chicken Shawarma recipe. It’s an absolute gem.

Traditional shawarma calls for grilling marinated meat on a vertical rotating spit. Here, the chicken is oven-roasted at a high temperature which gives the chicken a crisp exterior while staying  incredibly moist and juicy inside. It’s so simple to make, you just marinade the chicken for a few hours (or the night before), then transfer it to a baking sheet and cook it for about 30 minutes and voilà! Who knew making Chicken Shawarma at home was this easy! It’s not only a great dish you can add to your weeknight meals repertoire (think about all the awsome leftovers for wrap sandwiches!)  but it is also my go-to recipe when I have to feed a larger group. And can we talk about these onions for two seconds? They’re so incredibly tasty, just make sure you have enough for your leftovers the next day, you won’t regret it (think chicken shawarma wrap sandwiches)!

Serve this Chicken Shawarma with some pita, hummus, a tomato, cucumber, olive and feta salad or my Fattoush Salad with Feta and my Lebanese Vermicelli Rice.

Enjoy!

FATTOUSH SALAD WITH FETA. A perfect salad to serve with this Chicken Shawarma.

LEBANESE VERMICELLI RICE. An ideal side for this Easy Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma.

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Easy Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serve with Lebanese Vermicelli Rice, a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta, hummus and some pitas. I sometimes use chicken breasts instead of thighs, when I do, I pour the marinade over the breasts, the sauce helps keep the breasts moist and juicy. You can also pour the marinaden over the thighs which will result in a less crispy chicken but just as good.

Author: Adapted from a recipe of Sam Sifton (NY Times Cooking)

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• Chicken Marinade
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• A pinch ground cinnamon
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Chicken
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• White Garlic Sauce (Optionnal)
• ½ cup plain grec yogurt
• 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or 2 if you like it really garlicky)
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt, one pinch

Instructions

1. Chicken Marinade
2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and all the rest of the marinade ingredients. Whisk well.
3. Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
4. Chicken
5. When ready, preheat oven to 425F.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Add onions to the chicken and toss well. Remove the chicken and onions from the marinade, and place on the baking sheet, spreading evenly.
8. Cook chicken until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, set aside to rest 2 minutes, then slice each thighs.
9. Garnish with the parsley over the top.
10. White Garlic Sauce
11. Combine all the ingredients in a small bown and mix well.

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SHISH TAOUK CHICKEN KEBABS. The chicken bursts with flavors in this garlicky lemon mayonnaise/yogurt marinade.