I’m a big fan of authentic chicken shawarma — a classic middle eastern style street food. Traditionally, to make shawarma, meat is cut into thin slices, stacked, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie. But, at home, in the absence of a vertical rotisserie, I use skewers and the grill. This recipe is very quick and easy to make. It’s my go to for summer grill cookouts and always a hit around here. The serrano, garlic yogurt sauce elevates this recipe to a whole new level. Serve it with pita and hummus or with a side of rice for a delicious, low-fat meal that is oh, so satisfying.
Chicken Shawarma with Serrano-Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into bite size chunks
Marinade
- 2 tbsp Hot red pepper powder
- 2 tbsp Ground cumin
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 6-8 cloves Garlic grated
- 1 Lemon juice and zest
- 2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
Optional skewer add-ons
- 4 Shallots halved
- 1 Bell pepper (any color) cut in 1-2 inch cubes
Jalapeño garlic yogurt sauce
- 1 cup fat free greek yogurt
- 1-2 Serrano peppers
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the chicken with all the marinade ingredients. Toss to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.
- Set your grill to medium-high heat. Take skewers and thread the chicken pieces on.
- Grill the skewers until chicken is lightly charred and cooked through. About 10 to 12 minutes. During the same time, thread the shallots and peppers on to a skewer, if using, and grill for 2-3 minutes per side.
- To make the sauce, blend together the yogurt, serrano, garlic and lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water until desired consistency is achieved. Season with salt. Taste, adding more of the lemon as desired.
- Serve the chicken shawarma drizzled with the sauce over a pita bread or with rice on the side.
