Chicken Shawarma
Middle Eastern flavors of cumin, garlic, and cardamom marinade into chicken thighs, creating a delicious meal.
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a garlic press
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, hot or mild
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground tumeric
- 1/2 teaspooon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspooon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 - 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper, optional
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Chicken:
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, see Notes
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, (avocado, vegetable, etc.)
Serving Suggestions:
- Tahini Sauce, my recipe here
- Pita bread
- Red onion, raw or pickled
- Tomato slices
- Tzatziki Sauce, my recipe here
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Hummus
- Greek Rice, my recipe here
- Hummus, my recipe here
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Combine all the marinade spices, lemon juice, and oil in a medium bowl. A whisk works really well for this.
- Add the chicken thighs and massage the marinade into the meat, making sure all pieces are thoroughly covered with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours; overnight (8 to 12 hours) is even better.
- Cook the chicken: Add the onion slices to the bowl of the marinated chicken and mix.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken and onion, a few pieces at time; do not overcrowd the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, getting some good charring on each side, and cook through (internal temperature should read 165 degrees in the thickest parts of the thighs.) Set the cooked pieces on a plate, loosely covered, as each batch is cooked. Your onions will cook along with the chicken; remove them to the plate as well.
- Continue to cook in batches until all the chicken pieces and onions have been cooked.
- Serve warm with pita bread and any desired toppings.
Notes
I highly suggest you use boneless, skinless thighs, and not chicken breasts or tenderloins. This recipe works best with the thigh meat. Trim as much of the fat off the thighs as you’d like. I generally trim off the largest pieces. Using a very sharp knife for trimming will make it go a lot quicker.
Every spice in this recipe is there intentionally. I’m not trying to clean out my spice pantry. If you don’t use them all, this Chicken Shawarma will not taste the same. Even if you purchase a “Shawarma spice blend,” it may not be as good as it could be. *Recipe developers don’t just pull ideas out of thin air; if you alter a recipe’s ingredients too much, you’ve not really made the recipe.
Cooking the chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet will allow you to get some good charring, which is what you want for this dish. You can bake the thighs in the oven on 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees in the thickest parts of the thighs. You should have some nice browning on the thighs in the oven.
Nutritional chart has been calculated with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, and no spices. There would only be trace amounts of the olive oil in the marinade that actually gets cooked and consumed, so that is my best guesstimate. It is not accurate. Should you need accuracy of nutrients, please, do your own research and calculating.
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Shawarma
Amount per Serving
Calories
319.05
% Daily Value*
Fat
26.76
g
41
%
Saturated Fat
5.94
g
37
%
Trans Fat
0.09
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4.76
g
Monounsaturated Fat
13.96
g
Cholesterol
103.27
mg
34
%
Sodium
705.86
mg
31
%
Potassium
245.22
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
1.02
g
0
%
Fiber
0.17
g
1
%
Sugar
0.5
g
1
%
Protein
17.57
g
35
%
Vitamin C
0.74
mg
1
%
Calcium
12.39
mg
1
%
Iron
0.82
mg
5
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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