Spicy Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 5 tablespoons plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 4 (6-inch) pitas, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber 
• 1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
• 1/4 cup prechopped red onion

Preparation

 

1. 1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently.
2. 2. While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita half; divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 1 tablespoon cucumber, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1 1/2 teaspoons onion.

 

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Middle Eastern Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients 

 
1 tablespoon ground coriander1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
1 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces each)
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup tahini
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
4 pitas

Preparation

Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to high.

In a bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, cardamom, chili powder, paprika and grill seasoning. And the juice of half a lemon, the garlic and about 3 tablespoons EVOO and stir until it is paste-like. Slather the mixture all over the chicken until it is well-coated.

Transfer to the grill and cook on each side for 6-7 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the grill and let the chicken rest before thinly slicing. Once the chicken is working, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Once you see the oil ripple, add the onions and peppers, and season with some salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until the veggies start to wilt. Once the onions are working make the sauce: In a bowl, combine the juice of the remaining half lemon, the tahini, yogurt, some salt and a small drizzle of EVOO. Mix to combine.

Place the pitas on the grill to warm them and give them a light char, about 1 minute on each side. To assemble, place some of the sliced chicken on each pita, top with some of the pepper and onion mixture, and a good dollop of the yogurt-tahini sauce.

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Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Ingredients
Chicken
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon allspice toasted and ground
1 tablespoon coriander seed toasted and ground
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped summer savory
1 onion, grated
2 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed, bones removed and pounded to even thickness
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Yogurt Dressing
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Assembly

6 thick pitas
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
6 leaves Boston lettuce

Preparation

Chicken
1. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, spices, garlic, summer savory and grated onion in a medium bowl.
2. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat.
3. Cover with plastic and marinate in the refrigerator for four hours.
4. Preheat the barbecue on medium.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.
6. Skewer the thighs on a long metal skewer, stacking them flat on top of each other.
7. Season the chicken thighs and put them on the grill.
8. Cover and cook the chicken, turning the skewer every few minutes for even cooking, 25 to 30 minutes or until charred on the outside and chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Yogurt Dressing
1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, yogurt, parsley and some salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate, covered in plastic until ready to use.

Assembly
1. Slice chicken off the skewer in thin shavings and serve it wrapped in pita bread along with the tomato slices, lettuce and Yogurt Dressing.

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Spicy Chicken Shawarma Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
7 Tablespoons plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, thinly sliced
1 bunch of lettuce, cleaned and chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato
Lemon vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions:

Combine the parsley, salt, red pepper flakes, ginger, cumin, and coriander in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Stir in the yogurt, lemon juice and garlic cloves.  Add the chicken to the bowl and stir to coat.  Let sit in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour, or overnight.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, add the marinated chicken pieces to the skillet.  You don't want to overcrowd the pan so the chicken can brown.  Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until browned and cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.  Put some more oil in the pan and repeat the process until all the chicken is cooked.    

In a salad bowl, mix the lemon vinaigrette.  Add the cleaned lettuce leaves, the cucumbers, tomatoes and chicken.  Mix to combine.

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Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients

• Chicken
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 16 (3-inch) strips 
• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt (such as Fage) 
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Remaining ingredients:
• Cooking spray
• 4 (6-inch) pitas
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce 
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. 2. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
3. 3. To prepare sauce, combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove), stirring with a whisk.
4. 4. Thread 2 chicken strips onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done.
5. 5. Place pitas on grill rack; grill 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Place 1 pita on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tomato slices. Top each serving with 4 chicken pieces; drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce.

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Chicken Shawarma with Green Beans and Zucchini

Ingredients

• 1 pound zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick 
• 1/2 pound green beans
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 6-inch pitas, split horizontally
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini and green beans with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt; spread on a baking sheet. In the same bowl, combine the allspice, black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, cumin and coriander with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Rub the spice paste all over the chicken and season with salt. Arrange the chicken on another baking sheet.
2. Roast the chicken on the lower rack and the vegetables on the upper rack of the oven for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is nearly cooked through. Remove the vegetables. Preheat the broiler and broil the chicken on the upper rack, turning once, until crisp and browned, 10 minutes; cut into strips.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in the yogurt and lemon juice; season with salt.
4. Arrange the pitas cut side up on a work surface and brush each round with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the yogurt sauce. Divide the chicken, roasted vegetables and red onion among the pitas and roll the bread around the filling into tight cylinders.
5. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat. Cook the rolls seam side down until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn and toast the other side. Cut each roll in half and serve with the remaining yogurt sauce.

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