Chicken Shawarma
Craving street meat? You don’t need to take to the streets to find shawarma — you can make your own. Using 5 lb of chicken thighs, this recipe will feed 6 people, so it’s a stunning party platter or you can divide it and freeze the leftovers for future shawarma cravings.
You can either skip the pita, serving up the chicken thighs whole, or on a bed of greens, or you could also make your own pitas with cassava flour.
Have fun with the sides! Olives, cucumber, tomato all work great. If you do dairy, feta is the way to go.
Shawarma spread
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
For the shawarma
- 5 lb chicken thighs, skin removed
- 1 c extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large lemons, juice of
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tbsp. chili pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 large head garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. sea salt
- 2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large red onion, cut into wedges
For sides
- 1 c tahini paste
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 large cucumber, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 18 olives
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade: Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and spices in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to cover the chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- To cook: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Toss the marinated chicken together with the onion wedges in a large bowl. Spread the chicken and onion (still in the marinade) in a layer across a large cookie sheet ( or use 2 cookie sheets if needed). Place the cookie sheet(s) in the oven and roast 20 minutes. Stir, rotate the sheet(s), and roast another 20 minutes. Continue cooking until the chicken starts to brown and crisp at the edges and is cooked through.
- The chicken can be plated as whole thighs, or use 2 forks to pull the meat apart. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley and serve with the sides and a hot sauce such as Frank's. Mix the tahini paste with the olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt for a white sauce.
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