These chicken shawarma bowls are what happens when you love shawarma but you don’t have one of those vertical broilers (aka shawarma machines) at home. And really, why would you? It’s not exactly a common home appliance!
If you’ve never had shawarma, though, let’s backtrack for a sec. It’s meat (typically chicken, beef, or lamb) that’s cooked slowly on this vertical cooking device (almost like a rotisserie) for an incredibly flavorful result. The meat is shaved off and then typically rolled up in a pita with various veggies, maybe some feta cheese or hummus, and/or perhaps a garlicky tahini sauce.
Don’t have one of one of those vertical broilers, aka shawarma machines? Yeah, I don’t either. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make amazing shawarma at home!
This chicken shawarma bowl recipe is a take on the popular shawarma served wrapped in a pita. Sometimes, if it’s a food truck, they’ll take more liberties and add fries, too.
Ready to try it?
The main elements in this meal are grilled marinated chicken thigh pieces, pickled red cabbage, lettuce, tomato, hummus, pita, and baked fries. There are, admittedly, a lot of elements and as usual, you can customize all of them–or skip some of them altogether.
The only thing I wouldn’t play with too much is the marinade for the meat.
How to adapt this chicken shawarma bowl
Swap the protein
Chicken thighs are so juicy and delicious in this recipe. But if you want to use chicken breast, go for it! Beef strips would also work instead of chicken if you’re looking for variety. If you have a grill, ideally you’d grill the meat. But you can do it on the stove in a regular pan or grill pan (here’s the one I have).
Marinating tips: You can marinate the meat for 20 minutes (it won’t be as flavorful but still good) or for up to 8 hours/overnight. If you have the time/forethought, I think one hour of marinating is typically enough. Sometimes longer isn’t always better.
Quick hummus recipe
I made my own hummus for this chicken shawarma bowl, but you don’t have to. Here’s a quick recipe. Add all of this to a food processor fitted with the blade, and process until smooth:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 2/3 cup water (plus more to thin if needed)
Yup. Until I went to Israel, I didn’t know that traditional hummus is typically made with those four ingredients. No lemon, garlic, cumin, etc. Honestly? It tastes SO GOOD. I hope you try it. But if you’re not feeling it, use storebought hummus. Or you can certainly add lemon, a little bit of garlic, and cumin if you like, especially if you are using canned chickpeas, which sometimes aren’t as flavorful as the ones you cook from dried.
Related: Try this recipe if you want something a little different: The Easiest Hummus Recipe
And if you can’t eat hummus, I recommend straight-up tahini (sesame seed paste) on the side, or you can make this hummus with white beans instead of chickpeas. This chicken shawarma bowl will still be delicious!
You can also do something a little untraditional such as skip the hummus entirely and add roasted chickpeas instead.
How to assemble chicken shawarma bowls
Keep the hot and cold separate
Fresh elements (lettuce, tomato, pickled cabbage) should be separated. I added the lettuce, tomato, and cabbage to the bowl for the ~aesthetic~. Really, it’s best to keep the ingredients you’ll want to reheat (chicken, hummus, and potato) in the bowl and the fresh elements (lettuce, tomato, pickled cabbage) on the side to add on top.
All of these elements are optional. You can swap lettuce for other greens, like arugula or baby kale if you want, but those other greens might not hold up as well.
You can leave out tomatoes if you’re not into them, and swap them for red bell pepper (raw or roasted).
Cabbage (or a cabbage-based slaw) is a pretty common shawarma ingredient. I chose red cabbage because of the color, but green cabbage works, too.
Red onions would work, but they are especially pungent, unless you slice them and soak them in a little lemon or lime juice first. That’s why I went with cabbage instead.
What kind of potatoes to use in this chicken shawarma bowl
You don’t have to use sweet potato! I use them so often because my partner loves sweet potatoes. You can use any kind that you like, but we like Yukon golds. You can also skip making them from scratch and opt for a good quality frozen French fry–sweet potato or otherwise!
Also, you can skip the potatoes if you want as it’s one more thing to cook. I love the texture of potatoes in this chicken shawarma bowl, but it’s up to you!
Storage & reheating notes
This chicken shawarma bowl can last in the fridge for up to four days. It’s not freezer-friendly.
I recommend reheating the chicken, hummus, pita and potatoes in the microwave all together. If you don’t have a microwave, reheat the chicken and potatoes on the stove or in the oven. Place the fresh elements (tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage) on top of the bowl after the other ingredients have been reheated.
Happy prepping!
Related Dishes
- Moroccan Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes
- Chickpea Pita Pocket with Tahni Sauce
- Budget-Friendly Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Wraps with Chickpeas, Sweet Potato and Avocado
Chicken Shawarma Bowls With Hummus & Veggies
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 16 oz chicken thighs sub breast or steak, chopped into small strips
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 clove garlic mashed and minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil sub coconut oil or avocado oil
For the pickled cabbage
- 1/4 head small red cabbage chopped into strips (about 1-1/2 or 2 cups)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2-1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic minced and mashed
Everything else
- 2 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes whole or halved
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped, for garnish (optional)
- 3/4 cup hummus storebought or homemade
For baked “fries”
- 1 large russet potato chopped into wedges, peeling is optional, sub sweet potato
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Taste the marinade and adjust flavors if desired. Add the chopped chicken pieces to the bowl and toss gently to coat. You can marinate in the fridge overnight (cover the bowl) or leave the chicken on the counter for 20 minutes to marinate. Chicken cooks best when it’s not super cold!
- Preheat your oven to 425 F. in a bowl, toss the potato wedges with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, flipping once halfway.
- Quick pickle the cabbage: To a glass jar or glass container/bowl, add the chopped cabbage, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt and garlic. Shake/stir it up, cover and let the cabbage sit in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
- If you’re making hummus (see notes) make it at this point!
- Cook the chicken: heat up a cast-iron skillet, grill pan or regular skillet over a medium flame for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable oil (or high smoke point oil such as coconut or avocado oil) and heat it up for 2-3 minutes. Using a fork or tongs, transfer the chicken thigh pieces to the pan, avoiding pouring too much liquid in the pan. You may need to cook in batches to give the chicken some space! Cook on each side for 6-8 minutes, until you start to see some golden color on the pieces. If using chicken breast, cook for 4-6 minutes on each side.
- Assemble! Add 1/4 cup of hummus to each container, followed by the baked fries and chicken. Sprinkle parsley on top if using. You can add the lettuce, tomato and pickled red cabbage at this point too, but if you want to keep those on the side for fresh toppings (as opposed to reheating them in the container with the chicken), pack them together in a separate smaller container.
Notes
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 2/3 cup water (plus more to thin if needed)