Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma may sound like an exotic dish, but it’s actually quite easy to prepare, and it’s extremely delicious. The only thing you need to know up front is that the chicken should marinate in the fridge for about 24 hours before grilling.

Feel free to meal-prep by freezing uncooked chicken thighs in the marinade, then thaw for a day in the fridge before grilling. This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd.

The marinade (recipe below) is very easy to make. Just combine fresh lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, and a touch of brown sugar.

After marinading for 24 hours, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Ok, it’s time to grill the chicken. I can’t wait!!

Grill the chicken over hight heat for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160F, then remove the chicken, cover and rest until the internal temperature reaches 165F.

Slice the chicken into thin strips, being careful not to eat it all in the process.

Now it’s time to assemble our delicious chicken shawarma sandwiches. You can use a variety of pitas or flatbreads, either prepared or homemade. Today I made delicious, warm, flatbreads in less than an hour - you can check out the recipe with how-to pics here.

I like to start with a layer of crisp lettuce, then add thinly sliced cucumbers and bell peppers. Just about anything goes so use any fresh veggies you like.

Now add the thinly sliced chicken and drizzle liberally with tzatziki sauce. Yum!

Wrap it up and enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• My favorite razor-sharp knife https://amzn.to/2QHBsfO

• grilling tongs https://amzn.to/3Jnkj4G

• ground turmeric https://amzn.to/3gCixxK

• instant read thermometer https://amzn.to/2Z7laSr

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Chicken Shawarma

makes 3 pounds

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic

• 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Additional Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• fresh vegetables (I used lettuce, cucumbers, red bell peppers)

• Tzatziki sauce

• pitas or flatbreads (my easy flatbread recipe)

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade together and place in a gallon-size freezer bag.

2. Place the chicken thighs in the freezer bag and seal, removing as much air as possible from the bag; massage the bag to evenly distribute the marinade.

3. Place the sealed bag on a tray (to catch any drips) and refrigerate, turning the bag several times over the next 24 hours.

4. After 24 hours, remove chicken from bag and discard remaining marinade.

5. Grill chicken over high heat for 5-7 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 160F is reached.

6. Remove chicken from grill and rest until internal temperature reaches 165F; slice thinly before serving.

Notes

• Recipe doubles well to feed a crowd.

• You can meal-prep by freezing uncooked thighs in the marinade, then thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before grilling.

adapted from The Queen’s Cabinet

Instant Pot BBQ Shredded Chicken

Do you have your food game plan ready for the super bowl? One of the things I’ll be serving are these BBQ Shredded Chicken Sandwiches. It’s such a quick recipe using an Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker or multi pot). Just stir the bbq sauce together and pour it over boneless, skinless chicken thighs and sliced onions. The whole thing cooks for just 15 minutes, then shred the chicken and serve. Easy-peasy!

Start with some bbq sauce (I used homemade) and add a few flavorful additions.

Place boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot, multi-pot, or electric pressure cooker. Pour the bbq sauce mixture over the chicken.

Add sliced onions.

Stir everything together well and place the lid on the cooker, being sure the vent is sealed closed.

Set the cooker on high pressure for 15 minutes. When the time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the chicken. Set the cooker on “saute” or “sear” and reduce the remaining liquid by half (or transfer liquid to a saucepan and reduce it on the stovetop).

Shred the chicken with two forks or shredding claws and stir back into the reduced bbq sauce. Serve on rolls.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 6-quart electric pressure cooker https://amzn.to/2Be5pNg

• bbq shredding claws https://amzn.to/33gB3v0

• chipotle powder https://amzn.to/2Gck4fd

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Instant Pot BBQ Shredded Chicken

makes 3 pounds, about 12 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1 large onion, sliced (about 9 ounces by weight)

• 1 cup barbecue sauce (try my homemade from this post)

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder (optional, but recommended)

• 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 9 ounce onion, sliced

Directions

1. Place chicken thighs and sliced onions in a large bowl.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken and onions and stir well to combine.

3. Transfer mixture to a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot (aka multi-pot or electric pressure cooker).

4. Cook on “manual” or “pressure cook” for 15 minutes; allow pressure to release naturally.

5. Remove chicken from pot; set aside.

6. Using saute function on Instant Pot (or in a saucepan over medium-high heat), reduce the remaining liquid by half, stirring frequently, until a nice bbq sauce forms.

7. Shred the cooked chicken with two forks and add back to the bbq sauce; stir well and reheat gently if needed before serving.

adapted from Ree Drummond