I’m so tired right now! How is that for an opener? Yesterday I tested and shot three recipes, all for the work I do with brands, which was really really fun, but it’s not for the blog; I can’t share it with you! See on jobs like that, I hand over the rights to the recipe, the images and my words. Then I wait… when it does go online/on packaging/ in the press, that’s when I can jump up and down and tell the whole world. For now though, I am just waiting…
And eating easy chicken shawarma:
Shawarma is the type of food that sees me through tired times like this. You make the marinade, put the chicken in and leave it in the fridge for an hour or two, maybe a day or two. Cook it when you feel like it, but you know you’ve got something there waiting that can become a really tasty meal.
I like to use chicken thigh or mini fillets (as in these photos) and eat it stuffed in to pitta with tomatoes, cucumber and lashings of garlic mayonnaise or hummus. We also love it served on a heap of tabbouleh for a lighter meal. It’s pretty much great however you want to eat it.
Traditionally shawarma is cooked on a spit in front of a grill, like a doner kebab, but I don’t have one of those in my kitchen and I bet you don’t either. We get around it by laying it out flat on a tray under the grill on a medium heat. That way the chicken is still tender and succulent, but on the outside those already awesome flavours start to turn in to something incredible.
- 500g Chicken mini fillets or thigh meat
- 2cm Fresh ginger, minced
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small bunch Corriander, chopped
- 1 Lemon, juice of (approx. 3 tbsp)
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cardamom
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Sumac
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Tumeric
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, mix together then add the chicken.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. This can also be done in a large ziplock bag.
- When ready to cook, heat a grill to 200? (400?, medium high)
- Using a rack over a tray (standard grill pan), lay the chicken on to the rack and grill for around 7 minutes a side, or until the chicken begins to brown slightly. If unsure, check the finished temperature is 75 Celcius using a thermometer.
- Serve immediately in pitta or wraps with salad, hummus or garlic mayo.
- Try with tabbouleh for a lighter meal.
I have to give a nod to my Uncle Dale for setting me on to my shawarma addiction and also telling me that adding a little vinegar to the marinade makes the meat really tender.
Each time I make chicken shawarma I play with the flavours a little and I’d encourage you to do the same. Cinnamon, nutmeg and clove work really well to add that extra something if you can’t find sumac. You can also try adding some star anise, bay leaves or fennel.
If you’ve never had it before, I really really really would love you to try this easy chicken shawarma recipe. Leave me a comment, let me know how it goes, I’ll be here reading and drinking coffee in a bid to stay awake a bit longer.
Ruth says
Hi. This looks delicious! Could you tell me what type of vinegar you use please?
Little Miss Katy (@MissKatyEnglish) says
Oooh I’ve put this on my list of recipes to try. I love marinading chicken and it’s great to find a new recipe to try for it! I’ve been loving Chinese 5-spice with soy sauce and lime juice recently 🙂 xx
Little Miss Katy | UK Lifestyle Blog