Chicken Shawarma Bowl Recipe
If you’re wondering how to eat chicken shawarma beyond the usual pita, this versatile grain bowl is the answer. Meal prep-friendly and easy to customize, this chicken shawarma and rice recipe transforms a classic shawarma plate into a hearty rice bowl with all the authentic Middle Eastern toppings like tzatziki sauce, hummus, and pickled red onions.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For The Marinade:
- 1 ½ lbs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons shawarma seasoning
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For The Rice:
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed and drained
For The Bowls:
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 English cucumber cut into small pieces, or 3 Persian cucumbers
- 1 ½ cup curly salad greens rinsed and sliced thinly (or any other salad greens)
- ½ cup pickled cucumber sliced (aka dill pickles)
- ½ cup pickled red onions
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce or yogurt tahini sauce
- 1 cup hummus optional
- 4 wedges of a lemon
Instructions
- Pat dry 1 ½ pounds of chicken thighs with paper towels and season with 1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt on both sides. Transfer them to a large bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of shawarma seasoning, ¼ cup of lemon juice, ¼ cup of olive oil, and 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic. Mix well using kitchen tongs to coat the chicken with the marinade. Cover the chicken with stretch film and marinate it in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (218 degrees F.).
- Arrange the marinated chicken on the baking sheet on a single layer and place it on the middle rack. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chicken registers 165 degrees F. If you prefer your chicken shawarma to be on the browned side, move the sheet pan to the top rack and broil for 2-3 minutes (while watching it closely).
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice it into ½ inch strips (or you can cut it into cubes as well).
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice. Into a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of water (or stock), 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rinsed rice, reduce the heat down to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes (do not remove the lid); right before serving, fluff it with a fork and season with black pepper.
- To assemble the chicken shawarma bowls, divide the rice among four bowls. Top it off with sliced shawarma chicken, a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, salad greens, pickled cucumbers, pickled red onions, and a generous dollop of hummus and tzatziki.
- Serve right away.
Video
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes four adult servings of chicken shawarma bowls. The nutrition values below include optional toppings like hummus and tzatziki.
- Meal prep: If preferred, you can assemble it in airtight meal prep containers. If you go in that direction, I recommend storing cooked chicken and rice together and adding the toppings right before serving the most fresh shawarma rice bowls.
- Storing: Bring leftovers to room temperature, place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for upto 3 days.
- Marinading: The one-hour (or overnight) marinading is optional. If you are short on time, you can cook chicken right away.
Nutrition
Calories: 747kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 2615mg | Potassium: 896mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 948IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 4mg
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