Easy Chicken Shawarma Bowl That's As Good As Takeout
If you love street food, chances are you’ve enjoyed a Chicken Shawarma bowl, pita or dinner. The mixture of flavors and textures is second to none and pretty much addictive. I decided to try and replicate it. No, we don’t have a spit to layer meat and fat on for that delicious flavor, however, with pre-sliced chicken, all you need is a quick spice rub and a few minutes in a hot skillet. The result is a Chicken Shawarma Bowl that's as Good as Takeout and quicker than waiting for Doordash.
What is Chicken Shawarma?
Chicken is layered with fat on a spit and rubbed with a mixture of Mediterranean spices to make a juicy shaved meat. It is served on a soft pita with lettuce, pickled veggies and tahini sauce and/or tzatziki sauce. This easy version is made in a skillet and serving it in a bowl with all the typical toppings.
What to Serve in Your Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Serve it in a bowl with roasted potatoes, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled veggies, olives and lemon tahini dressing for those doing Whole30. If you’re not doing a Whole30, serve the Shawarma dinner-style with rice and a mixed salad of cucumbers, olives, onions, tomatoes and feta. Make it into a bowl with hummus (if you're not doing Whole30), salad (like above) and tzatziki. The options are endless and with a bowl of this Chicken Shawarma prepped in your fridge you can have several happy meals!
What kind of Chicken to use
Buy presliced chicken for convenience, look for pre-sliced chicken or chicken fajita meat that has no seasoning. You can also slice chicken thighs or breasts. Pro tip: freeze the chicken for 15-20 minutes until it’s partially frozen to make it easier to slice. Slice about 1/4” thick.
How to Make Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Marinate the chicken with the dry rub for 30 minutes (a little flavor) or up to overnight (a lot of flavor).
Lay the chicken in a very hot skillet for only a few minutes on each side to brown.
Have all your other ingredients ready because it only takes 7-8 minutes if the chicken is thinly sliced.
Create bowls, pitas or dinners however you like. This also is great for meal prep.
Other Mediterranean Recipes You Might Like:
Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs chicken
- 2 tsp Magic Salt or use 3 parts salt, 2 parts granulated garlic and 1 part pepper
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp coriander
- 1 ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp granulated onion
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup Yogurt
- 2-3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter) to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each oregano and dill weed
- ½ tsp each sea salt and black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Tahini, hummus, tzatziki, kalamata olives, tomato, onion, cucumber, etc. for serving (If doing Whole30, use zucchini hummus or skip and use dairy and soy-free yogurt for tzaziki)
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients together and let stand in fridge until ready to serve.
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
- Rub the chicken with the spice mixture and let it stand at room temp for as long as possible while prepping everything else or if more than 30 minutes, place it in the fridge. You can let it hang out for up to 12 hours without a problem as long as it’s refrigerated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high and add enough avocado oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.
- Using tongs or your hands, add the chicken a little at a time, leaving behind as much of the marinade as possible. Spread it out over the bottom of the skillet in a single layer so it will brown.
- When it begins to turn opaque, flip all the chicken over and cook the other side, using the end of a metal spatula to break apart the pieces of chicken. Add ½ cup water to the skillet to gather up any spices that stuck to the bottom of the skillet and create a thick coating of the spice rub on the finished chicken.
- Serve the chicken in bowls with other ingredients or as suggested above if you are not doing a Whole30 currently.