Shawarma is a Levantine Arab meat preparation using the technique of grilling a vertical stack of spice-marinated meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks. The meats that are usually used are lamb or mutton, but nowadays chicken, turkey and beef can be used. Traditionally, shawarma takes hours to cook to produce juicy and tender meat. However, due to its popularity, there is an easy way to create this amazing dish at home.
Chicken shawarma is usually wrapped in pita bread and garnished with vegetables and sauce. Some of the vegetables used for garnish are diced tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuce, pickles, and onions. It can also be eaten with rice or put into a salad to create a healthy and tasty meal.
Chicken shawarma is one of the popular dishes among Arabic cuisine, and it can be found in any Arabic restaurants. Try this recipe to make your own Chicken Shawarma Sandwich that is not only tasty but healthy too.
Ingredients (6 servings):
- 500 g of chicken breasts
- 6 pita bread
- Lettuces
- Mayonnaise
- Chilli sauce
(Marinade)
- 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 lemons (juiced)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tsp of powdered cinnamon
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- 1 tsp of paprika
- ½ tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp of salt
(Vegetables Garnish)
- 1 tomato (diced into cubes)
- ½ cucumber (diced into cubes)
- 1 red onion (diced into cubes)
- ½ cabbage (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup of plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp of lemon juice
- Salt
Directions:
- Blend all the ingredients for the marinade, and then rub the chicken breasts with the spices. Marinate it for at least 2 hours or overnight. The longer it marinates, the tastier it will become.
- Heat some cooking oil in the cooking pan under medium heat. Cook the marinated chicken until it is fully cooked and set aside. Make sure turn the chicken occasionally to cook the meat evenly. Once it is cool enough to touch, slice the chicken into strips.
- For the vegetable garnish, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix them well and season with salt accordingly.
- Heat the pita bread on a non-stick pan for 10 seconds on each side.
- To assemble the sandwich, put some mayonnaise on one side of pita bread. Place the lettuce, chicken strips, and vegetable garnish at the middle of the bread. You can put chilli sauce for extra spiciness. Fold the pita bread into a wrap and enjoy!