Shawarma is a popular street food in the Middle East, originating in Turkey it is made with spit-roasted lamb, beef, or other meat that are sliced and served with pita. We have used chicken breasts to make these Shawarmas. The sliced chicken is placed on warmed flatbreads with chopped red onion and green pepper. Fresh lime juice, tahini and yoghurt or hummus are added. Roll or fold the flatbreads and serve.
Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Preparation: 30 minutes (plus marinating time)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 large flatbreads, warmed
Finely chopped red onion and green pepper
Lime wedges
6 tbsp tahini mixed with 2tbsp plain Greek yoghurt or 8tbsp hummus
Chicken
2 boneless chicken breasts, skinned
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp oil, plus extra for frying
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Juice of 1 lime
Method:
Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film and beat with a rolling pin until thin.
To make the chicken, mix together the spices with the oil, garlic and lime juice and spread over both sides of the chicken breasts. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for several hours or overnight.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a heavy frying pan and fry the chicken breasts over a brisk heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from the pan and cut into slices.
To serve, top the warmed flatbreads with the chicken and chopped red onion and green pepper. Squeeze over the juice from the lime wedges and spoon the tahini and yoghurt or hummus on top. Roll up or fold over the flatbreads and serve.
