Chicken Shawarma ~ Serves 6
Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
3 to 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the larger amount if pan-searing the chicken)
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 Tablespoon Shawarma Spice Blend or store-bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Assembly
6 Easy Peasy Pitas or store-bought
1 cup Garlicky Tahini
Green Zhug
Mango Amba Sauce
2 cups Chopped Salad
Quick-Pickled Red Onion
Chopped fresh parsley
Make the chicken: In a large bowl, combine the chicken, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, and the shawarma spice blend. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Let the chicken come to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Remove the chicken from the bowl, discarding the marinade, and season well with salt and pepper.
Preheat a grill until hot. (Or to pan-sear, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.) Grill or pan-sear the chicken until cooked through and just crisp or lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Slice each piece into strips.
There is a proper method to stuffing a pita, and here it is: Lay the pita on its side so that when you layer the ingredients they are getting spread evenly ~ ensuring you get a taste of everything in each bite. Smear one side of the inside of the pita with tahini, followed by zhug, a little amba, some of the salad, then the sliced chicken. Place pickled red onion on top plus a little more salad to fill in any empty space in the pita. Finish with more tahini, zhug, amba, and some parsley.
Making the recipes of the ingredients that are included in the chicken shawarma is definitely a labour intensive process. My love of making everything from scratch is well worth the effort especially once you've sunk your teeth into your first homemade chicken shawarma.
Original recipe: 'Eating Out Loud' by Eden Grinshpan
Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
3 to 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the larger amount if pan-searing the chicken)
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 Tablespoon Shawarma Spice Blend or store-bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Assembly
6 Easy Peasy Pitas or store-bought
1 cup Garlicky Tahini
Green Zhug
Mango Amba Sauce
2 cups Chopped Salad
Quick-Pickled Red Onion
Chopped fresh parsley
Make the chicken: In a large bowl, combine the chicken, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, and the shawarma spice blend. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Let the chicken come to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Remove the chicken from the bowl, discarding the marinade, and season well with salt and pepper.
Preheat a grill until hot. (Or to pan-sear, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.) Grill or pan-sear the chicken until cooked through and just crisp or lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Slice each piece into strips.
There is a proper method to stuffing a pita, and here it is: Lay the pita on its side so that when you layer the ingredients they are getting spread evenly ~ ensuring you get a taste of everything in each bite. Smear one side of the inside of the pita with tahini, followed by zhug, a little amba, some of the salad, then the sliced chicken. Place pickled red onion on top plus a little more salad to fill in any empty space in the pita. Finish with more tahini, zhug, amba, and some parsley.
Making the recipes of the ingredients that are included in the chicken shawarma is definitely a labour intensive process. My love of making everything from scratch is well worth the effort especially once you've sunk your teeth into your first homemade chicken shawarma.
Original recipe: 'Eating Out Loud' by Eden Grinshpan
