Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Herb Tahini Sauce + ZipList

Chicken Shawarma topped with a garlic herb tangy tahini sauce.

Sometimes I just want a simple sandwich that’s not loaded down with cheese.

Don’t get me wrong.  I have nothing against a gooey cheese-laden sandwich.  Absolutely nothing.

So to fulfill that simple sandwich craving I made chicken shawarma.

What’s shawarma?  Glad you asked.

It’s one of the most popular street foods you’ll find in the Middle East.  It’s right up there with falafel.  Traditionally made with lamb but chicken is popular as well.

The chicken or lamb is marinated in the lovely warm spices then stacked on a spindle and cooked on a vertical rotating spit.  And you know what?  That meat.

That meat forms a succulent crust as it’s spinning in the heat.  My tastebuds are dancing just thinking about it.

Then juicy succulent layers of meat are shaved off as they cook.  They’re wrapped in soft  flatbread and topped with cucumber, tomato and yogurt or tahini.  Yup, the tastebuds are still dancin’!

I kicked it up a notch and made a garlic herb tahini sauce to top it off.  Easy to make, easy to eat.  Win-win!

You can totally use boneless skinless chicken breast for this, but I used chicken thighs.

I roasted the thighs in the oven after they had marinated in the spice mix.

You could pan roast them but the result it produces doesn’t come as close to the rotating spit as oven roasting does.  These are the spices I used for the chicken: cinnamon, allspice, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, paprika, salt, garlic powder.

The tahini sauce is a combination of tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, salt, vinegar, parsley.  Whip it up in the blender.  5 minutes.  You’re done.

Oh yeah.

Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Herb Tahini Sauce + ZipList

Recipe by Allspice and NutmegCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• Chicken

• 2 chicken thighs

• 1/4 teaspoon of each – cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Garlic Herb Tahini Sauce

• 2 tablespoons tahini paste

• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley (you can adjust to your taste)

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup water

• (all of these seasonings can be adjusted to your taste)

Directions

• Chicken
• Slice the chicken thighs into 1 inch slices
• Coat the chicken with the olive oil
• Combine the spices and coat the chicken with the spices. Marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Or overnight if you have time.
• Lay out on a foil lined, rimmed pan and roast in the oven at 350 until done. About 20 minutes.
• Make the sauce
• In a blender combine the ingredients for the tahini sauce. Whip until it’s all blended. If it’s too thick add a little water and blend more.
• Make your sandwich and enjoy!