Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
This Middle Eastern sheet pan chicken shawarma is full of flavor from the warm, aromatic spices. Perfect for serving as a sandwich with pita bread, or as a bowl with grain and veggies.
What is shawarma?
Shawarma is a popular Middle Eastern dish prepared from marinated meat that is traditionally roasted on a spit or grill in a cone shape.
Shawarma can be served on a plate (generally with accompaniments), or as a sandwich or wrap. Shawarma is usually eaten with tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, and pickled turnips. Similar dishes in the region include Turkish döner kebabs and Greek gyros.
This chicken shawarma recipe is prepared on a sheet pan with veggies in the oven over high heat for an easy weeknight meal that you can prepare at home.
What's in a shawarma spice blend?
The spices in shawarma are warm Middle Eastern flavors including ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, which gives it that gorgeous yellow/orange color, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon and garlic. There is also lemon juice to add a touch of brightness to the rich spice profile.
The spice blend can be used for beef, chicken, lamb, or roasted veggies.
Shawarma is easy to make and budget-friendly as long as you have a well-stocked spice cabinet.
I like to serve my chicken shawarma as a bowl rather than a sandwich. By filling the bowl with low-carb veggies, hummus, feta, and a delicious lemon tahini sauce, you avoid all the carbs from the pita. If you still want the pita, that's ok too! There are no rules to bowls - whatever you want goes.
Simply toast the pita bread in a skillet with a touch of olive oil and your favorite garlic-pepper blend, to add a little flavor. Then slice the pita into triangles.
Chicken Shawarma Bowl Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, trimmed of fat
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
Marinade
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon Tahini Sauce
- tahini paste
- lemon juice
- garlic, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- water
Bowl Toppings
- English cucumber, sliced
- Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Hummus
- Couscous, rice or cauliflower rice
How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
Prepare the marinade by combining the dry spices with the minced garlic in a small bowl. Mix well to combine.
Place the trimmed chicken thighs into a glass pyrex container, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then coat with ½ of the seasoning mix.
Flip each thigh and season the backside as well. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes to soak in the flavor.
You could also place the chicken into a zip-top bag and add the marinade to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°
Place the marinated chicken onto a sheet pan and add the sliced peppers and onion to the pan.
Roast the chicken and veggies in the oven for 35 minutes until the veggies are soft and the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the lemon tahini sauce.
Lemon Tahini Sauce
We serve the chicken shawarma bowls with a savory lemon tahini sauce to tie all the flavors together.
In a small bowl, combine tahini with lemon juice, grated garlic, and water. Stir vigorously with a spoon until you have the right consistency. You may need to add a little more water if your tahini paste is really dry.
When the chicken is cooked, thinly slice the chicken and place it on a platter with the grilled veggies.
Serve on a bed of hummus with shredded romaine lettuce, couscous or cauliflower rice, tzatziki sauce, pita bread
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken thighs boneless, skinless, trimmed of fat
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- ½ red onion sliced
Marinade
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup tahini paste
- 1-2 cloves garlic grated
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Bowl Toppings
- English cucumber sliced
- Romaine lettuce thinly sliced
- Tzaziki Sauce
- Hummus
- Couscous
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade by combining the dry spices with the minced garlic in a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Place the trimmed chicken thighs into a glass pyrex container, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then coat with ½ of the seasoning mix. Flip each thigh and season the backside as well. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes to soak in the flavor. You could also place the chicken into a ziptop bag and add the marinade to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Place the marinated chicken onto a sheet pan and add the sliced peppers and onion to the pan.
- Roast the chicken and veggies in the oven for 35 minutes until the veggies are soft and the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the lemon tahini sauce.
- In a small bowl, combine tahini with lemon juice, grated garlic and water. Stir vigorously with a spoon until you have the right consistency. You may need to add a little more water if your tahini paste is really dry.
- When the chicken is cooked, thinly slice the chicken and place on a platter with the grilled veggies.
- Serve on a bed of hummus with shredded romaine lettuce, couscous, tzaziki sauce, pita bread
Nutrition
Mylie Cottingham says
I used to eat there too! Ok, now I have to try to make this recipe!