Homemade chicken shawarma bowls
Who needs CAVA or any other take out when you can make this?
Ingredients
For the chicken shawarma:
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each: cardamom, turmeric, paprika, cumin, sumac, garlic powder, onion powder, allspice, coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Neutral oil for cooking
For the yellow rice:
- 2 cups basmati rice rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the simple salad:
- 2 Persian cucumbers finely diced
- 2 tomatoes finely diced
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 2 bell peppers any color, finely diced
- 5 radishes finely diced
- ½ bunch parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon
- Handful of dried mint crushed finely
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the cucumber mint yogurt:
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1 Persian cucumber finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic grated
- Small handful fresh or dried mint crushed or finely chopped
Additional optional toppings:
- Shatta Arab hot sauce
- Hummus
- Toum garlic sauce
- Feta cheese
- Lettuce chopped
- Pita chips
- Thinly sliced red onions sprinkled with sumac
- Pickles
Instructions
- Start by adding the chicken to a bowl, along with the rest of the chicken ingredients. Mix well, let this marinade for at least an hour or up to overnight.
- Prepare the salad by combining all ingredients together. If making this salad a day in advance, don’t add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper until you’re ready to serve.
- Combine the ingredients for the cucumber mint yogurt. Set aside – this can be made a day in advance.
- Make the rice. Add the oil or ghee to a pot over medium high heat. Add the rinsed rice to the pot and mix to coat the grains with the warm oil. Add in the spices, mix again and toast for another 30 seconds before adding in just enough water to cover the rice by ½ inch. Bring this to a boil, then down to a simmer, cover and let it cook for 20 minutes or until soft and fluffy.
- Add the neutral oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches 3-4 minutes per side, flipping halfway through – you want it to be golden with a slightly crisp exterior and still juicy on the inside. Remove to a plate and continue cooking the remainder of the chicken. Slice the chicken into strips before serving.
- Assemble your bowls! The best part of the meal. I start with a bed of rice and some chopped lettuce. Add some of the sliced chicken shawarma, a couple spoonful’s of the simple salad and a generous dollop of the cucumber mint yogurt sauce. Add as many of the toppings listed as I want/have on hand and enjoy!