Chicken Shawarma with Red Onions and Cilantro
Shawarma Spice Mix recipe adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Author: Dominique Cook
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Shawarma Spice Mix
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, optional
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 star anise
- ½ cinnamon stick, crushed
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 2 tsp grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Chicken
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- juice of half lemon
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Shawarma Spice Mix
- 2¾ tsp salt
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
Shawarma Spice Mix:
- Place the first 8 ingredients (whole spices) in one small bowl and the remaining (ground spices) in another small bowl. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the whole spices to the pan. Toss around for 15 seconds or until the spices become fragrant. Add the paprika, sumac, nutmeg and ginger. Toss for a few more seconds, just to heat them. Remove the spices from the pan and into a bowl to cool slightly.
- Transfer the spices to a spice grinder, and process the spices to a uniform powder. Reserve 1 tbsp of the spice mix and transfer the remaining to a small container with a lid to store.
Chicken:
- In a small bowl, add the onion, cilantro, lemon juice, 1 tsp olive oil and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Preheat the grill to high.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, a tablespoon of spice mix, and salt. Stir well to combine. Add chicken and toss to coat. You made need to use your hands and toss to make sure the chicken is coated evenly.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 6 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through with grill marks.
- Serve hot with the red onions and cilantro.
Recipe by Cooks and Kid at https://cooksandkid.com/chicken-shawarma/