Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Chicken Shawarma-ish

Chicken Shawarma is a popular middle eastern dish that is seasoned with warm spices and cooked on a rotating spit. (“Shawarma” means “turning” or “rotating” in Arabic.) So grab your rotating spit everyone! I’ll wait. … No rotating spit you say? Me neither. So this recipe isn’t truly chicken shawarma. It’s chicken schwarma-ish.

Like traditional chicken shawarma, the chicken in this recipe is generously seasoned with a blend of warm spices, including cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika.

But we skip the rotating spit. Instead, you can cook the chicken in an air frye r, on the grill, or in the oven. My favorite is on the grill (love those grill marks and smokey flavor), but the air fryer is a close second. The oven works as well but it takes a few minutes longer.

Serve this chicken, thinly sliced, stuffed in a pita with your favorite accompaniments: hummus, b aba ganoush, toum, labne, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, or pickles. Or spread it over a bed of greens with lemon vinaigrette. Or put it in a Greek grain bowl along with olives, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion. Or alongside a lentils and side of rice! So many options. Enjoy!

Chicken Shawarma-ish

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional)
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For serving: finely chopped parsley, Greek yogurt or labneh

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Place chicken thighs in a Ziplock bag. Sprinkle seasonings all over the chicken and drizzle with olive oil. Move the chicken around in the bag so everything gets coated evenly. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 20 minutes or up to 48 hours.
Using the grill, air fryer, or oven, cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 175 F. Cook times are provided below but may vary depending on the size of each thigh. (If using chicken tenders or breasts, cook until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
GRILL: Heat grill to high. Lightly oil grates. Grill chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 175 F.

AIR FRYER: Arrange chicken, lying flat, in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 380 F for 7-10 minutes for smaller thighs, and 12-15 minutes for larger thighs, or until internal temperature reaches 175 F.

OVEN: Preheat oven to 415 F on the convection setting. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil on a sheet pan. Place oiled pan in oven for 3 minutes. (The heated pan and oil will help sear the chicken.) Use a potholder to remove the hot pan from the oven. Place chicken on the hot pan and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 175 F.
Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley if desired. Serve chicken, warm, with lightly salted labneh or Greek yogurt for dipping.

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