Eden Grinshpan's Easy Chicken Shawarma
The first time I made this deliriously delicious dish was back in 2020 during the height of the quarantine. All of my kids were home for an extended period of time, and I was attempting to make a new and exciting meal each day, so we could at least celebrate good food and family during these unsettling times. (Some day I hope to chronicle the 100 different meals I made in 100 consecutive days during lockdown.) I’ve come to enjoy nearly every recipe I’ve made from Eden’s Eating Out Loud cookbook, which is filled with intensely flavored Middle Eastern food. I’ll warn you, this meal, with all of its vibrant sauces, pickled red onions and chopped salad, takes time…but it’s worth every minute. Eden even includes a recipe for the pita in her book, but I haven’t made it yet so I used a favorite store-bought variety instead. Enjoy this scrumptious meal!
Note: I had thighs with bone in and skin on in the fridge, which is what I used above. While a delicious substitute, I typically use the skinless, boneless thighs that are recommended in the recipe.
Serves 6 (more like 4 at Kitchen511)
Ingredients
Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 to 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the larger amount if pan-searing the chicken)
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon Shawarma Spice Blend (see recipe below) or use store-bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Make the chicken: In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs, 3 tbsps. of olive oil, the garlic, and the shawarma spice blend. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Let the chicken come to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Remove the chicken from the bowl, discarding the marinade, and season well with salt and pepper.
While allowing the chicken to marinate, make the sauces and salad recipes below. (I recommend you follow this recipe for the pickled red onions. It’s a Kitchen511 favorite.)
Preheat a grill until hot. (Or pan-sear, heat the remaining 2 tbsps. of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.) Grill (or pan-sear) the chicken until cooked through and just crisp or lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Slice each thigh into strips.
Ingredients
Shawarma Spice Blend (Makes about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
In a medium bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, allspice, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. The spice blend can last up to 6 months in an airtight container.
Ingredients
Garlicky Tahini
1 cup tahini paste. (We love Soom Foods organic tahini at Kitchen511.)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup ice water, plus more if needed
Preparation
In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and ice water. It will reach a weird, lumpy consistency, but don’t be afraid. Keep whisking until it smooths out and becomes light in color (if it doesn’t, it needs more ice water, so just add a bit more). Tahini sauce with the perfect consistency will drip through the tines of a fork, but just barely. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice or salt if desired. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. If the tahini gets too thick while in the fridge, just loosen it up with a little water before using.
Ingredients
Green Zhug (Makes about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (we substitute Zoe organic evoo at Kitchen 511)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems removed
3 serrano peppers, stemmed
1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
In a spice grinder, grind the toasted seeds until the mixture forms a powder. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the oil, parsley, serranos, garlic, turmeric, and salt and blend until it comes together. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Ingredients
Chopped Salad (Serves 4)
5 medium tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
5 Persian (mini) cucumbers
1 small red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (optional)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
Preparation
Finely chop the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and onion. As you chop, toss the vegetables into a colander to let some of their juices drain.
In a large bowl, combine the chopped vegetables with the parsley and dill (if using). Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice and toss thoroughly to combine. Season with salt to taste.
Assembly
6 Pitas
1 cup Garlicky Tahini
Green Zhug
Amba
2 cups Chopped Salad
Chopped Fresh Parsley
There is a proper method to stuffing a pita, and here it is: Lay the pita on its side so that when you layer the ingredients, they are getting spread evenly—ensuring you get a taste of everything in each bite. Schmear one side of the inside of the pita with tahini, followed by zhug, a little amba, some of the salad, then the sliced chicken. Place pickled red onion on top (link to my favorite pickled red-onion recipe here), plus a little more salad to fill in any empty space in the pita. Finish with more tahini, zhug, amba, and some parsley.
