In this recipe, chicken shawarma is used as a salad element rather than a main course. Although romaine lettuce is what we prefer to use, you can use whatever lettuce kind or greens you choose.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 4 hrs 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 55 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 salads |
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- cooking spray
- 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rings
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
Instructions
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cardamom, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic in a blender or small food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Measure 1/2 cup marinade into a bowl and set aside.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a 1-gallon resealable bag and add chicken thighs. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible, seal, and refrigerate, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Chicken thighs should be in a single layer; turn the bag occasionally.
- Stir tahini and honey into the bowl with the reserved marinade, cover, and refrigerate until ready to make the salad.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and lightly oil a broiler pan.
- Place onion slices on the oiled pan, and set chicken thighs on top of the onion slices.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn and continue roasting until chicken is longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 15 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Broil chicken thighs for 3 to 5 minutes for some caramelization, if desired.
- Remove chicken from the oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice each chicken thigh into 1/2- inch slices and coarsely chop cooked onion.
- Dress 4 salad plates with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Add chicken slices and chopped onions. Stir dressing, drizzle over each salad, and serve.
- Instead of using a blender, you can combine marinade ingredients in a pint-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid, and shake to combine.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 723 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 71 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 675 mg |
| Sugars | 18 g |
| Fat | 58 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is an outstanding salad! I’ve used Allrecipes for years, but never before reviewed anything. I just have to sing the praises of this salad, as my DH and I loved it. Plus, it was dead easy to prepare. Usually I try recipes exactly as written the first time, but I had to make one teeny change due to the calendar — I don’t eat “fresh” tomatoes in November, no matter the supposed garden-like growing conditions they may have sprung from. My substitute was well-drained diced fire roasted canned tomatoes, and I think they were perfect. I won’t bother to use fresh except during Aug/Sep. I think any diced tomatoes, flavoured or not, would be fine. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly They were thoroughly cooked in the 30 minutes called for. I don’t think you would want anything with the skin on, although bone-in skinless would probably be just fine. This may not resemble other recipes labelled “shawarma,” but it’s delicious and a definite repeat at our house.