How to Serve Chicken Shawarma :
There are two main ways to serve Chicken Shawarma.
Wraps – As Chicken Shawarma wraps (like Gyros and Doner kebabs), with tomato, lettuce, and a simple yoghurt sauce on the side. Other optional extras include: red onion, cheese (query authenticity? But that’s ok!!), hummus, hot sauce / chilli sauce.
Shawarma plate – With rice and salads on the side. Thought I usually do serve pita bread or another type of flatbread as well, with a big dollop of either Hummus or the Yogurt Sauce in this recipe, just because it’s very on theme. ☺️
Below, the Chicken Shawarma is pictured with Mejadra which is a Middle Eastern lentil rice (seriously so good you can / will want to eat it just by itself!) and a Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (I skip the spicing of chickpeas otherwise there’s just too much kapow spices going on).
INGREDIENTS ::
Pita bread
2 cups All purpose flour
1 tbs yeast
2-3 tbs oil
Chicken fillings
3 pounds boneless chicken
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt as per taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
DIRECTIONS ::
1. Combine all purpose flour,yeast,salt and oil together and knead it until the dough is formed
2. In a small bowl combine cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic, lemon juice, and yogurt to form a sauce.
3. Add chicken thighs and onion to the slow cooker. Add sauce to slow cooker and stir to coat the chicken and onions.
4. Slow cook for 7-8 hours on low OR 3-4 hours on high until chicken is tender.
5. When chicken is done turn your oven to broil. Transfer chicken and onions to a sheet pan, leaving the juice in the slow cooker. Shred the chicken and spread out to an even layer on the sheet tray. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and broil 3-5 minutes until the edges of the chicken start to crisp up and brown slightly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
6. Best served with pita, arugula/romaine lettuce, sliced red onion, diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and a tzatziki sauce or a quick Dill Yogurt Sauce.
7. To make a quick Dill Yogurt Sauce for serving combine 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon dried dill, and 1 teaspoon mined garlic.
8. Broiling the chicken at the end is optional but I think it is so worth the 5 extra minutes, it gives it more of a restaurant quality texture!