A popular street food throughout the Middle East, shawarma is often made from lamb or chicken and is cooked in a cone shape that rotates past a heating element. Recreating that cooking process is almost impossible for the home cook, but we’ve brought you the next best thing with this chicken version made on a grill. We’ve included turnip pickles and a quick mayo sauce. If you want to go all the way, you can add an authentic toum sauce (just search Food Network Kitchen Toum).
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling the grill grates
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves finely grated garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks
- 1 small red beet, peeled and quartered
- 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic, sliced, plus 2 finely grated
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 8 pita rounds (without pockets)
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups finely sliced romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- For the chicken: Toss the chicken thighs with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, coriander, paprika, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, grated garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking .
- For the fillings: Meanwhile, put the turnips and beets in a bowl or storage container. Combine the vinegar, bay leaf, sliced garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/4 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Pour over the turnips and beets to cover. Let cool and refrigerate, 1 hour. It should be ready to eat within an hour.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 finely grated garlic clove and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Reserve.
- Whisk together the tahini, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and grated garlic clove, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup water in another medium bowl. Reserve.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill the chicken until cooked through with dark grill marks and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 170 degrees F, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and slice very thinly across the grain. Place in a bowl and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Lightly warm the pitas on the grill, about 10 seconds per side.
- Assemble the wraps: Have 8 sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper ready. On a pita round, smear a heaping tablespoon of garlic mayonnaise along the middle, then top with a heaping 1/3 cup sliced chicken, a couple of pickled turnip batons, a heaping tablespoon tahini sauce, hot sauce (if using), diced tomato, shredded lettuce, and chopped parsley. Roll the pita tightly around the filling. Wrap with a sheet of foil to hold the roll together. Repeat with the remaining pitas.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 471 |
| Total Fat | 22 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 45 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 26 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Sodium | 709 mg |