Easy Oven-Baked Chicken Shawarma

By Ashley Miers

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lbs organic chicken breast, trimmed and cut into thin bite-size pieces
juice of 1 lemon
1/4-1/3 cup EVOO
2 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp cumin
1 1/2 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion salt
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1/2 Tbsp cardamom
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)

PREPARE

1. Stir all of the spices (from black pepper through to cayenne pepper (if using) together in a medium sized bowl until well combined.

2. Add the chicken breast, lemon juice and olive oil to a large/gallon-sized bag (preferably silicone).

3. Add half of the spice mixture, reserving the other half in an air-tight container for a second use.

4. Seal and shake the bag to coat chicken. Place the bag in the fridge, seam side up to prevent leaks, for 2-24 hours to allow chicken to marinate.

5. When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with aluminum foil and spread chicken mixture evenly on top.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, serve and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTION

Pictured above with hummus (flavor of your choice) drizzled with olive oil and paprika, falafel (try prepackaged/frozen Trader Joe’s brand for convenience - or bonus points for making your own) and fresh cucumber and bell pepper strips. See my Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Chips recipe for more serving/pairing ideas. (For keto/paleo versions, serve without accompanying grains or legumes… An example would be Chicken Shawarma plus cucumber and bell pepper strips only.)

*Note: The spices required for this recipe might be intimidating for some (or expensive to all buy at once if you don’t already have most of them on hand). You can easily find ready-made chicken shawarma spice blends online - although I don’t know if they’ll be as good as this recipe! ;) Using a ready-made spice blend will make this recipe a true cinch. However, keep in mind that you can mix the spices once and use them to make the recipe twice (since only half of the spices are required to make one batch). You can also double the recipe for the spice mixture and get 4 servings worth, which is awesome because then all that’s required is to chop up the chicken, toss it in a bag with lemon juice, EVOO and pre-mixed spices, and you’re good to go. :)