Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma is a well-loved Egyptian Street Food

Chicken shawarma is one of Egypt’s favourite street foods. But it’s a real treat to have at home as well. It’s incredibly tasty, with every bite packed with flavour. What can I say? It’s a real crowd pleaser.

When it comes to tasty meals Chicken Shawarma ranks highly and it never fails to please.

Chicken Shawarma is a great option when you’re looking for ideas for a relaxed meal for when family and friends come round.

All the prepping can be done well in advance. And the actual cooking takes only a matter of minutes. Quicker than ordering a Take-Away!

Chicken Shawarma can be cooked on a barbeque which is great. Sadly , it’s not always the weather for barbeques. So, this recipe shows you how to cook it indoors without having to miss out on the wonderfully smoky flavour a barbeque gives you.

It can be served in a wrap with some lovely fresh salad. Alternatively it can served with vegetables in a wrap or just with a little rice. This recipe includes the details of how to prepare the vegetables.

This Chicken Shawarma recipe takes it to the next level – smoking

This recipe smokes the chicken after it’s been cooked, giving it a glorious barbeque flavour.  This is much easier than you think by the way, so don’t be put off thinking it’s too difficult. 

I really hope you’ll try this recipe.  It really is so tasty and it’s especially popular with teenagers.

This recipe should be enough for 4 people.

Ingredients 

500g chicken fillet – a mix of breast and thigh

Ingredients for the marinade

• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp cardamom powder

Additional vegetables (optional)

• 2 onions finely sliced
• 3 tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 green peppers finely sliced
• A handful of chopped fresh coriander and flat leaf parsley

What you need to smoke your chicken

• 1 small piece of charcoal – the size of a bean
• A piece of tin foil

Extras you’ll need to serve your Chicken Shawarma

• Flat breads / lavash/ fajita wraps
• A choice of Garlic sauce, Tahini & Chilli Sauce

Here’s how to make your Chicken Shawarma

First, cut your chicken into 1cm slices.  

To make the marinade

• Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Put the chicken slices into the marinade. Massage the marinade into the chicken , ensuring that it’s all well coated
• Cover with cling film and put in the fridge.
• Marinate your chicken for at least 2 hours, or over-night would be even better.

Now it’s time to fry your chicken

Remove your chicken from the marinade

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Wipe off the marinade, back into the bowl.  Ensure as much of the liquid is removed as possible (otherwise the chicken will boil rather than fry).

• If you choose you can heat the residual marinade in a pan and have it as an additional sauce to drizzle over when you come to serve your shawarmas.

Heat the oil

Heat a large frying pan over a high flame. When it’s really hot drizzle oil into it.

Lay the chicken in a single layer

When the oil is really hot, gently lower some of the chicken into the pan. 

You will need to cook the chicken in a few batches.

Don’t overcrowd the pan because this will cause the temperature of the pan to drop.

Spread the chicken out so that it is only a single layer, so that each piece has contact with the hot pan.

Don’t stir the chicken – let it brown

Don’t stir the chicken. Let it brown.  The spices will form a slight crust. When the chicken is thoroughly browned turn it over to cook the other side.

Once the chicken is browned on both sides remove it from the pan.

Continue cooking the batches until all the chicken is browned.

Put your chicken to the side & keep warm.

Now to quickly cook your other vegetables (optional)

Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onions and peppers and allow them to fry for about 3 minutes.  Mixing continuously. You want the vegetables to stay fairly firm.

Then the tomatoes

Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes. 

Keep mixing

Mixing continuously.

All done ? Take the pan off the heat

Now everything should be cooked.  Remove the pan from the heat

Slice your chicken really thin

Now its time to slice your chicken – about 1/2 cm thick would be about right.

Then put the sliced chicken back into the pan, laying it on top of the onions, peppers & tomato.

Magic time

Now to add the magic

Make your cup

Shape the tin foil into a small egg cup shape – double thickness.

Sit the cup in the pan

Scrape the chicken away from the centre of the pan and sit the tin foil cup in the centre of the pan.

Light the coal

Set the charcoal alight by holding it over the gas flame for a few minutes. When the coal begins to glow blow out the flame.

Let’s get smoking

Drizzle a little oil into the tin foil cup that you have just made and then put the charcoal in the oil.

Quickly cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid or seal it with tin foil and allow it to smoke for 5 minutes.

Keep your Chicken Shawarma nice and warm

Keep the pan in a warm place.

Warm your bread

While your chicken is smoking warm your flat breads. Warm bread is so much better.

Add the herbs

Before serving, add the chopped herbs to your chicken shawarma and mix through.

You are going to make your friends and family very happy when you bring this to the table.

How to eat your Chicken Shawarma

Spread garlic sauce, tahini, or mayo on the flat breads.

Then lay your glorious, smoky, chicken shawarma down the centre of the bread.

Add a little herb salad if you wish and some tahini. Maybe add a drizzle of chilli sauce if you love a little extra heat.

Wrap the bread around your gloriously smoky Chicken Shawarma and it’s ready.

Enjoy!

People are going to be so happy you chose to make Chicken Shawarma

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