If you feel like trying out some new recipe this summer, then this just might be the one: chicken shawarma. It is an easy and delicious way to surprise your family in the hot summer nights or even for a lazy noon snack.
Before you start, you need to consider that skinless, boneless chicken breasts work best for this recipe. They cook well and hardly require much oven cleaning afterwards. The sauce you are going to prepare can also be used on fish dishes or vegetables, which makes it a great thing to learn to cook.
Let’s see what ingredients you will need for the chicken:
- A quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil;
- 2tsp. curry powder;
- 2tsp. garam masala;
- 2lb. boneless, skinless chicken thigh/breast meat;
- Salt and pepper according to your personal taste.
For the Tahini sauce:
- 6 tbsp. lemon juice (freshly squeezed preferably);
- A quarter cup water;
- 6 tbsp. tahini;
- A quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil;
- A little smoked paprika;
- Minced garlic;
- Salt and pepper according to your personal taste.
For the salad and sandwiches:
- 1 large cucumber sliced in half;
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half;
- 2 cups of flat-leaf parsley leaves;
- 2 green onions; only the green part, sliced;
- 1tbsp. lemon juice;
- 2tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil;
- Pocket pitas.
Here’s how to cook all of this into a delicious shawarma meal:
Marinate the chicken – whisk curry powder, garam masala and oil into a bowl. Add the chicken meat, salt and pepper. Mix all of this thoroughly. Transfer the meat along with the marinade to an airtight container and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Prepare the tahini sauce – place tahini in a bowl and whisk in the other ingredients until you get a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to an airtight container. You can refrigerate the mix up to 5 days.
Sandwich time – when you get to making the shawarma sandwiches, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. place the chicken meat along with marinade in roasting pan in a single layer. Bake it till it is cooked through for at least 25-30 minutes and remove it from the oven. To make the salad – combine tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and onion in a bowl. Drizzle lemon juice and oil and season with pepper and salt.
You are ready to serve – after slicing the chicken meat, it will be ready to serve along with the salad and tahini sauce along with the pitas. Everyone can then build their own Shawarma sandwich just the way they like it! Now that you know this very simple Shawarma sandwich recipe, you can enjoy it all summer long.
