Chicken Shawarma – The kids still think they had ‘Tacos.’

The notable French author of Maxims, Francois De La Rochefoucauld, wrote that, “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” For those familiar with the countless hours of meal planning and execution – we tip our hats to the wisdom of this honorable Frenchman!

Whether we accept them or not, life has its limitations, and there is no lack of obstacles when it comes to putting an agreeable dinner on the table. Time, resources, and the insufferable ‘picky eaters’ make the job an intricate dance indeed. For my household of 7, it is a juggling act to create mealtime variety and provide nutritious nourishment, all while ensuring the pleased pallets of four children and three adults.

Two nights ago, I stumbled upon a recipe for Chicken Shawarma. Versatility is the beauty of a meal like this one. Marinated chicken breast served in a toasted pita is the foundation (and truth be told, the whole meal for three of the kids). The toppings were served ‘buffet’ style; so the kids didn’t have to suffer the ‘green stuff’, and the adults didn’t have to settle for less.

I served the Shawarma with Artichoke Hummus, Yogurt Garlic Sauce & Israeli Chopped Salad. Sriracha Hot Sauce was not in the list of ingredients; but in this house, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it eaten with cereal. So, of course, that topped things off, and it was an excellent addition to the myriad of flavours in this dish.

There’s some prep time, no doubt; but I’ll be making this a million times over again. The results are more than worth the effort.

The recipe comes from Slenderkitchen.com (use the search box to search for ‘Chicken Shawarma’) and gives great instruction for making the chicken in the Instant Pot, the Slow Cooker, or on the grill. The blog post also includes links to the recipes for the Hummus, the Yogurt Sauce, and the Chopped Salad.

So healthy, so fresh, so versatile, and SO worth it.

I’m fairly sure the kids still think they had ‘Tacos’. If I am lucky again tonight, they won’t recognize the hidden veggies in their homemade Sloppy Joes.

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Chicken Shawarma Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric

Chicken Shawarma Instructions:

• Combine the chicken with all the ingredients. Marinate for at least one hour, ideally overnight.
(It’s a busy life. I chose to marinate for the hour!)
• Note – If you are using the Slow Cooker method, you might begin the chicken cooking
process before the rest of the prep! (After the marinating; of course!)

Israeli Chopped Salad Ingredients:

1 lb Persian cucumbers, diced
1 lb cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Israeli Chopped Salad Instructions:

• Toss together the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, mint, and dill.
• Stir together the lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the vegetables and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Refrigerate (if desired!)

Yogurt Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt (preferably whole-milk)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Yogurt Garlic Sauce Instructions:

• Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy
knife). Stir together garlic paste, yogurt, and lemon juice.
• Personal Experience Tip: I wasn’t able to find whole-milk plain yogurt at my grocery store. I
used a 5oz container of non-fat plain greek yogurt and substituted the remainder with sour
cream.
• Recipe Tip: This Sauce CAN be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Artichoke Hummus Ingredients:

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)
15 oz. canned artichoke hearts (or frozen)
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/16 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Artichoke Hummus Instructions:

• Place everything into a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape it
down a few times to make sure everything blends well. If you are worried about it blending, or
using a blender, add the chick peas in batches.
• Refrigerate (if desired!)
• Personal Experience Tip: My hummus didn’t turn out as thick as I preferred. To fix that, I added
a spoonful or two of the Yogurt Garlic Sauce to the Hummus and blended it for a couple minutes in my food processor!

For the Slow Cooker:
Add the chicken and marinade to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Shred or slice.

For the Instant Pot:
Add the chicken and marinade to the Instant Pot. Cook for manual for 8 minutes and let
natural release. Shred or slice.

For the Grill:
Remove from marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill for 4-6 minutes per side until cooked
through.

I heated a skillet to just below medium heat. Once heated, I sprayed a little olive oil into the pan and warmed/slightly crisped the pita on both sides. To keep warm while heating the others, I placed the ‘cooked’ pitas on some foil in the oven at about 225-250º. (Of course, you can prepare your pita any number of ways; this was just a personal preference!)

I chose to cut my chicken into rough chunks, rather than shred. I placed the chicken onto the pitas and served. The Hummus, Yogurt Sauce, and Chopped Salad were served ‘buffet’ style so each person could top their pita as they wished.

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Full Ingredient List:

Shawarma:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
(Pita Bread)

Chopped Salad:

1 lb Persian cucumbers, diced
1 lb cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Garlic Sauce:

1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt (preferably whole-milk)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Hummus:

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)
15 oz. canned artichoke hearts (or frozen)
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/16 tsp. Worcestershire sauce