Chicken Shawarma Bowls

This recipe starts with marinated, roasted
chicken and gives them a Levantine twist
with a delicious shawarma spice blend! Pair
the chicken with hearty, fiber-rich brown
rice, fresh cucumber and cherry tomatoes
and Tzatziki (a tangy yogurt sauce) for a
perfect end of summer meal. Feel free to add
additional vegetables such as sweet peppers,
zucchini, mushrooms or your family favorites.
For every 2 cups of chopped vegetables, add
an additional tablespoon of spices, oil, and
lemon juice and toss with the chicken before
roasting.  This recipe is gluten-free.

Cooking Terms

  • Marinate

    Coat or cover a food in a flavorful liquid, usually with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice.

  • Roast

    Cook with dry heat in an oven or over a fire.

  • Garnish

    Add decorative or savory touches to food.

Ingredients

  • 14 oz Jasmine rice
  • 2 oz Tahini
  • 1.5 tbsp Shawarma spices
  • 1 each Cucumber
  • 8 oz Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 each Lemon
  • 4 each Garlic cloves
  • 15 sprig Parsley
  • 6 each Chicken thighs
  • 12 oz Greek yogurt

From Your Home

Salt
Black pepper
Olive or canola oil

What You Need

Oven-safe baking dish
Small pot with lid
Small mixing bowl

Per Serving

Calories: 610

Carbs: 68

Fat: 11

Protein: 23

Tips

  • Substitute Tofu for Chicken in a Shawarma Bowl

    The Chicken Shawarma Bowl recipe can easily be made with tofu instead of chicken.  Choose extra firm tofu, remembering to drain and press between two plates to squeeze out the extra liquid.  You may need to add more oil to your pan since tofu has no fat.

  • Make Flavored Water with Leftovers

    Cucumber seeds can be removed with a spoon and placed with water and mint in your fridge to make a refreshing beverage.  Or add fruit that is bruised or about to go bad to water and leave overnight for delicious flavored water.

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Steps

Mise en Place

Read through the entire recipe before getting
started. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Wash and
dry all produce. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Remove and discard ends from cucumber
and cut in half; then, small dice one half and
thinly slice the other half. Remove parsley
stems and discard; rough chop leaves. Halve
lemon then juice. Mince or finely grate garlic.
Remove chicken breasts from package; rinse
and pat dry. Slice into ½” pieces.

Cook Rice

Place jasmine rice, 3 cups water and a pinch
of salt and pepper in small pot over medium
heat. Bring to boil; cover and reduce heat to
low. Cook 15-20 min until tender. Fluff with
fork. While rice is cooking, begin marinating
the chicken (Step #3).
Note: If the rice has absorbed the water but
isn’t fully cooked after 15-20 min; add ¼ cup
water, cover and cook for 8-10 min longer.

Marinate Chicken

Place chicken in an oven-safe baking dish
and add shawarma spices, 1 Tbsp. lemon
juice, 1 Tbsp. oil, half of the garlic and a
pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to incorporate
and allow 5-7 min to marinate.

Roast Chicken

Place chicken in the oven and roast for 18-20
min rotating pan halfway through. Remove
from oven. While chicken is roasting, begin
making the tzatziki sauce (Step #5).
USDA recommends cooking chicken to an internal
temperature 165ºF.

Make Tzatziki

Combine greek yogurt, diced cucumbers,
tahini, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. water,
half parsley, the remainder of the garlic,
and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small
mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

Plate Your Dish

Divide rice between two bowls, top with
chicken shawarma, sliced cucumbers,
cherry tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. Garnish
with remaining parsley. Enjoy!