Try this! Chicken Shawarma is bursting with flavor and versatility! Recently, my Facebook friend, Mike, posted a picture of the dinner he prepared for his family while his wife was at work. Being curious, I reviewed the recipe from the New York Times that he posted and knew I had to give it a try! Middle Eastern cuisine boasts such a bold use of spices that can add a unique spin to your weekday menu planning! 
Gather the ingredients.
Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
Place the chicken thighs in a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over. Seal the bag, squeezing out the extra air, massage the marinade into the chicken and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, if possible. Turn and massage every hour until you take it out to cook.
While the chicken is marinating, blend together the white sauce ingredients. Place it in the refrigerator until serving time. If you have a squeeze bottle, that would be a great way to easily add it onto your personalized serving of Chicken Shawarma. 
We provided feta, the white sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced olives and some Creamy Hummus mixed with some spicy harissa, as toppings. The parsley is chopped to add to the chicken once finished.
Remove the bag of chicken from the refrigerator and add the sliced onions; massage together before adding to the pan. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with foil that has been brushed with one tablespoon of olive oil. Distribute chicken thighs and onions across the pan and place in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, turning chicken every 10 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of that time, change oven to broil and crisp a little, watching closely. If you have a convection setting on your oven, you could do that as well for approximately the last 5 minutes.
Allow the chicken to cool briefly. Slice it into strips and sprinkle the chopped parsley, or cilantro if you prefer, over the top. Now, you are ready to inform the family that dinner is served!
Chicken Shawarma can be placed in a pita, wrapped in Naan bread, placed on a bowl of Cilantro Lime Rice or just eaten as is with your choice of toppings and drizzled with some white sauce. The hummus could be spread on the naan bread, to line your pita bread or just eaten on the side with veggies or chips. Next time I’m considering using lime instead of lemon in the marinade and topping it with cilantro instead of parsley for a little more punch of flavor. Stay tuned for an update!
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/4 c lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 t Kosher salt
- 2 t black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 t cumin
- 2 t smoked paprika
- 1/2 t turmeric
- 1/4 t cinnamon
- red pepper flakes
To Roast:
- 2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1/8 sections, then halved
- chopped parsley or cilantro, to garnish before serving
White Sauce:
- 1/2 c plain yogurt
- 1/4 c mayonnaise
- 1 t fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 t lemon zest
- 3/4 t garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 t sea salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
- 1/4-1/2 t smoked paprika
- 1/4 t dried dill weed
- red pepper flakes or 1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients.
- Place the chicken in a large Ziploc bag and cover it with the marinade.
- Refrigerate for a few hours(3-6), turning and massaging marinade into chicken.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush it with 1 T. of olive oil.
- Add onions to Ziploc bag with chicken and seal. Toss and massage contents again to coat onions,
- Spread chicken and onions in pan and bake for 30 minutes, turning chicken every 10 minutes. Broil for about 3 minutes at the end to help crisp it up or use convection setting for about 5 minutes, watching throughout the process.
- Remove from the oven and allow chicken to rest a few minutes before slicing for serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.
White Sauce:
- Whisk together ahead of time and chill while chicken is marinating. Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes if you like the heat!
