Chicken Shawarma
Chicken Shawarma
Shawarma’s origins can be traced back to Turkey. In Arabic, shawarma translates to “it turns,” referencing how the meat is traditionally cooked; upright on a spit. Shawarma is marinated chicken, lamb, turkey, or beef that is slowly roasted, then sliced and eaten on a sandwich made out of pita or laffish bread and topped with tomato, cucumber, onions, and a yogurt sauce. The concept of Shawarma has many variations not only in Middle Eastern cuisines like Syrian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Jordanian, but also in Mediterranean cuisine such as gyros; al pastor in Mexican cuisine; and many other countries around the world involving marinated meat being roasted on an upright spit.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- juice of 2 lemons
Marinade
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 2 shallots
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 3 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tsp salt
Shawarma
- pita
- tomatoes finely diced
- Persian cucumber finely diced
- red onion thinly sliced
- garlic mint yogurt sauce
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the chicken thighs overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken thighs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Brush with lemon juice. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Brush with another layer of lemon juice and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Let rest before chopping.
Pita Bread
Pita bread can trace it’s roots over 14000 years ago to the Stoned Age in the Middle East. Today, pita bread is a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. The yeast leavened flatbread dough is rolled flat. The edges are then tucked up underneath itself into a ball. This allows air to be trapped, creating steam to puff up the flatbread and make a pocket once the dough is baked. There is also pita that is just rolled flat and use more as a wrap, such as is Greek cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough fo 7-8 minutes.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Keep in a warm place.
- Let dough rise for 2 hours. It will double in volume.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
- Flatten the dough into a circle.
- Tuck the edges up under into itself to form a ball. This helps trap air inside, making the pita light and airy.
- Roll out the dough ball into 1/4” thick discs.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Cook the pita for 4 minutes a side.
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