Chicken Shawarma

Some day I'll have a shawarma that is like the one we had in Saudi. Though that one had a cold French fry in it and Mom's had a pickle no French fry. <shrugs>. 

This recipe was NOT it. I felt like this recipe had all the good things to it, but something went terribly wrong, somewhere. 

The chicken had a weird texture, I blame it being marinated for too long. The recipe says 8-24 hours, but that is way too long for an acid like lemon and chicken for me. So I only marinaded it for 4 hours and I think that made the chicken mushy. 

It was also WAY too salty. That was my fault though. I halved the recipe for everything but the salt. Don't ask. I'm not sure why I thought 2 tsp salt for 6 is also 2 tsp salt for 3. Again <shrug>.

I won't likely make this recipe again. I have a dozen more shawarma recipes to try. Maybe the next one will remind of me the one from Saudi.

Chicken Shawarma

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 6

CHICKEN MARINADE

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs pounded to an even thickness
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T EACH ground cumin, ground coriander
• 2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, ground cardamom, salt
• 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp EACH cayenne pepper, allspice, pepper

CILANTRO YOGURT SAUCE

• 1 c Greek yogurt
• 1/3 c packed cilantro
• 1/3 c packed parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

FOR WRAPS

• 6-8 pitas
• Romaine lettuce chopped
• Roma tomatoes sliced
• cucumbers thinly sliced
• red onions thinly sliced
• 1 recipe hummus (or store-bought, optional)

MARINATE CHICKEN

Whisk all of the Marinade ingredients together in a large bowl or freezer size plastic bag. Add chicken and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours. Let chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking.

YOGURT SAUCE

Make the yogurt sauce and prep your toppings while the chicken is marinating. Add all of the Sauce Ingredients to a blender and blend until the herbs are chopped, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. If you would like a thicker sauce stir (don’t blend) in additional yogurt. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN ON THE STOVE

Heat one tablespoon vegetable oil a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, add chicken in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook approximately 3-5 additional minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN ON THE GRILL

Grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F. Grill chicken, covered for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN IN THE OVEN

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken to baking sheet in a single layer so they aren’t touching. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

ASSEMBLE WRAPS

Top warmed pitas with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, chicken and Cilantro Yogurt Sauce.