Amazing, Flavorful (& Easy) Chicken Shawarma

Obssssssessed.  That’s what I am with this spiced (and a little spicy) easy chicken shawarma. 

The first time I made it, I was first blown away by how phenomenal my house smelled while it was cooking.  And then when I took my first bite, the flavors just exploded in my mouth.   

The recipe is so simple that it’s hard to figure out why it’s so GOOD. 

You don’t need any special equipment, or really anything in the way of special ingredients, to make this.  It can be thrown together in just a few minutes of hands-on time.  It’s just this magical combination of spices and cooking the meat until it’s really tender.  Easy peasy.

Don’t want to turn the oven on? Try this Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Shawarma

A couple of tips on this one…the turmeric ended up staining my non-stick loaf pan.  So now I have a savory pan and a (new) pan for sweet bakes 🙂 

Also, Nadiya’s original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cayenne which is…WHOA.  But you do you.  I’ve backed that off significantly in the recipe below.

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Lightly grease a large loaf tin (if it’s not non-stick) and preheat the oven to 350 F (180°C).

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cloves, cayenne, and cinnamon.

Put the chicken thighs in a medium or large bowl and pour the oil over. 

Stir around to coat (I just use my hands), then add the dry spice mix and get the meat good and coated. 

Layer the pieces of chicken in the loaf tin and press down, then bake for 40 minutes.

When the shawarma is ready, leave it in the tin for 10 minutes so that all the juices can go back into the chicken.

Then tip it out of the tin and slice the meat into thinner pieces or strips. 

Rather like Nadiya recommends, I love this easy chicken shawarma piled high on flatbreads with some cold and creamy slaw (or something similar that offsets the spices).  It’s great with my fave homemade hummus as well.  You can keep leftovers in the fridge for at least a few days.

If I can actually get my hands on more than one package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (THANK YOU SUPPLY CHAIN), I would love to just make a double batch and then freeze half of it. 

I have recently tried it with chicken breasts…I cut them in half both length-wise and width-wise before coating them with the spices.  They turned out great and while this is better with thighs you have both options.

I’ve fallen in love with Nadiya’s chicken shawarma so much because it’s so yummy and versatile…it’s quickly gone into my regular recipe rotation.  

This easy chicken shawarma is perfect paired with these layered yogurt flatbreads or this easy Turkish bazlama flatbread and some creamy broccoli slaw.  Or for a great gluten-free version, this fragrant turmeric rice is an amazing pairing.

Other easy winner winner chicken dinners:

• Maple-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash
• Apricot Balsamic Rosemary Chicken
• Super Easy Sesame Chicken
• Pinterest’s Famous “Man-Pleasing Chicken”
• The Crispiest Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
• The Easiest, Juiciest Poached Chicken (& How to Shred Chicken in 10 Seconds)

Adapted slightly from Nadiya Hussain’s The Happy Foodie

Amazing, Flavorful (& Easy) Chicken Shawarma

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Nadiya Hussain's delicious & easy chicken shawarma is perfect for any weeknight, and super versatile...with a few small tweaks it's become one of my regular recipe rotation faves!

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Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs (750g) of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (halved)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of cayenne (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• To serve:  Slaw and toppings, flatbreads (see notes and overall post)

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a large loaf tin (if it's not non-stick) and preheat the oven to 350 F (180°C).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cloves, cayenne, and cinnamon.
3. Put the chicken thighs in a medium or large bowl and pour the oil over.  Stir around to coat (I just use my hands), then add the dry spice mix and get the meat good and coated. 
4. Layer the pieces of chicken in the loaf tin and press down, then bake for 40 minutes.
5. When the shawarma is ready, leave it in the tin for 10 minutes so that all the juices can go back into the chicken.
6. Tip it out of the tin and slice your shawarma. We like to eat this piled into flatbreads with the slaw. Any leftovers can be kept in the fridge, or frozen for the next time you need your shawarma fix.

Notes

• I love piling this shawarma on top of Smitten Kitchen's amazing layered yogurt flatbreads and adding some nice cool and creamy slaw of some sort. Links in the overall post.
• This recipe stained my non-stick loaf pan irreparably, so now I have a pan for savory and one for sweet 🙂
• The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cayenne which is...WHOA.  But you do you.
• I have recently tried it with chicken breasts...I cut them in half both length-wise and width-wise before coating them with the spices.  They turned out great and while this is better with thighs you have both options.

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  Nonstick Baking Loaf Pan - 9x5", Merlot