Chicken Shawarma
SKU:
Adapted from Epicurious, Ottolenghi, advice an Israeli co-worker, and AllRecipes. Full-flavored chicken with just the right balance of spicy, sweet, and sour, and with spices that aren't often used in Hawaii or Asian cooking.
Grilling recommended, but can be done by oven roasting.
Grilling recommended, but can be done by oven roasting.
Ingredients
|
2t Hawaiian salt
2t ground coriander 1t ground cumin Black pepper, enough that you can see it 1t ground white pepper 1t cayenne pepper 4-5T olive oil 2 packages of boneless/skinless chicken thighs 1 red or yellow onion cut into rounds |
Shawarma Sauce
¼ cup tahini ¼ cup plain yogurt 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Juice of half a lemon Water, to thin sauce to your drizzling preference Pita bread Optional but Recommended Condiments Lemon wedges or slices Za'atar Sriracha or Zhoug |
What To Do
Whisk together all the dry spices. Press chicken into the spice mixture. Add onion rounds. Add just enough olive oil to keep the mixture moist, but it should not 'swim' in olive oil.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for an afternoon or all day in the fridge.
Mix ingredients for sauce. Drizzle in water and stir smooth until you get the consistency of sauce you like. I prefer a thinner sauce. Set aside to let the flavors get acquainted with each other.
Grill chicken. Grill onions separately from the chicken and make sure they are well cooked and sweet. Toast pita on the grill last (this is optional, but I do love warm bread)
Eat chicken with grilled onions and lemons with pita and drizzle on Sriracha and/or Zhough. Sprinkle Za'atar to your taste.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for an afternoon or all day in the fridge.
Mix ingredients for sauce. Drizzle in water and stir smooth until you get the consistency of sauce you like. I prefer a thinner sauce. Set aside to let the flavors get acquainted with each other.
Grill chicken. Grill onions separately from the chicken and make sure they are well cooked and sweet. Toast pita on the grill last (this is optional, but I do love warm bread)
Eat chicken with grilled onions and lemons with pita and drizzle on Sriracha and/or Zhough. Sprinkle Za'atar to your taste.
Notes and Talking Story
- Shawarma is a huge part in the conclusion of the Avengers. Hint: If you are not one of the approximately 82 million people who have have seen the movie or just don't get this reference, see the movie and stay until the VERY end of the credits.
- Shawarma is down-home Middle Eastern street food. I suppose it is analogous to hot-dog stands in New York. The rabble-rouser conspiracy theorist in me likes the idea that the all-American Avengers opt for Middle Eastern shawarma after ridding the world of Loki and those funky Transformer lookalikes.
- In any case, I set out to make shawarma mostly from Epicurious and AllRecipes that
1) Did not require the purchase of a spit roaster
2) Did not require small amounts of many spices or food coloring. I just don't use cardamom and mace enough to justify a purchase.
3) Had more guidance than the mysterious "mixed spice" ingredient I also came across.
