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Home > Main Dishes > Chicken Shawarma Bowl

Chicken Shawarma Bowl

Last updated June 28, 2021. Originally posted June 28, 2021 By Jyothi Rajesh Leave a Comment

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chicken shawarma bowl with text
chicken shawarma bowl with text

Chicken shawarma bowl is Middle Eastern inspired chicken shawarma recipe which is easy to make at home that packs big flavors. It can be used in shawarma wraps or shawarma bowls for make-ahead lunches for work.

healthy lunch with chicken shawarma
Jump to:
  • About chicken shawarma bowl recipe
  • Ingredients needed
  • How to make chicken shawarma bowl (with step-by-step pictorial)
  • Tips for making chicken shawarma bowl
  • FAQS
  • 📋Chicken Shawarma Bowl

About chicken shawarma bowl recipe

1. Usually chicken shawarma is made is rotating spit. You can achieve the amazing flavorful and charred chicken at home on a grill or in oven.

2. Chicken is juicy and packs big flavors from lemon juice and a wonderful mix of spices.

3. Use chicken shawarma in shawarma wrap with pita bread/flatbread or turn it into a bowl with loads of your favorite veggies and grains like rice or quinoa.

4. This is a fantastic make-ahead lunch for work or schools. Great for meal preps.

5. Busy weekday dinner is only 40 minutes away with this amazing chicken shawarma bowls.

Ingredients needed

For chicken shawarma-

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken, use mix of chicken breast and thighs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon garlic, minced (can use garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • Salt & pepper to taste
all ingredients to make chicken shawarma

For shawarma bowl toppings-

  • ½ cup cucumber, sliced
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves
  • ½ red onion, sliced thin
  • 10-15 olive, pitted
  • Any salad greens like iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce
  • 2 tablespoon cilantro & mint leaves
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
chicken shawarma bowl topping ingredients

For dressing-

Use any of the following dressing

  • Hummus dressing
  • Tahini sauce
  • Cilantro yogurt sauce
  • Tzatziki sauce

Ingredients additions & substitutions

  1. Substitute fresh minced garlic with garlic powder.
  2. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder to the marinade for color.
  3. Use any vegetables raw or roasted to assemble shawarma bowl.
    • Raw vegetables like cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce can be used.
    • Roast vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower (seasoned with salt, pepper and curry powder mix) in a sheet pan in pre-heated oven at 425 degree F for 10 minutes. Use roasted veggies to assemble shawarma bowls.
  4. Use any grain of your choice for the bowl. Yellow rice, lentils, quinoa are some of the best choice for grains.
  5. Feel free to add crumbled or cubed feta cheese and sliced almonds for enhanced taste and texture.
chicken shawarma

How to make chicken shawarma bowl (with step-by-step pictorial)

Making flavorful and vibrant yellow rice is easy. Just follow this fail-proof recipe.

Once yellow rice is ready, cover rice with lid and set it aside until use.

Prep toppings/vegetables-

Slice cucumbers, half cherry tomatoes, thinly slice red onion. Toss vegetables in 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Keep aside.

Adding lemon juice and zest is optional. You can use vegetables as it is.

Chicken shawarma-

  • For best results use a mix of both chicken breasts and boneless chicken thighs. Score chicken breast and thighs with a pairing knife on both side.
  • In a wide bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add chicken to the bowl. Rub chicken thoroughly to spread the marinade all over evenly.
  • Cover and marinade chicken for minimum 1 hour or maximum overnight in refrigerator.

Cook on grill-

If using grill, heat up grill to 375 to 425 degree F.

Grease grill with olive oil. Place marinated chicken on hot grill. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of cooked chicken should be 165 degree F).

Cook in oven-

Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.

Arrange marinated chicken in single layer on the sheet.

Bake at 425 degree F for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

  • Transfer chicken to wooden board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Slice chicken thin.
  • Assemble chicken shawarma bowl-
  • Layer the bowl with yellow rice or quinoa, chicken shawarma, vegetables like cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, iceberg lettuce.
  • Drizzle with hummus dressing or cilantro yogurt sauce or tahini dressing or tzatziki.
  • Enjoy immediately.
step by step pictorial collage of how to make chicken shawarma bowl

Tips for making chicken shawarma bowl

  1. For juicy flavorful chicken use chicken thighs or use a mix of both chicken breasts and thighs.
  2. The longer chicken is marinated; chicken will absorb bags of flavors resulting in more flavorful chicken shawarma.
  3. Customize chicken shawarma bowl according to your preference. Add or swap any ingredient topping. Use raw vegetables(cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onions, iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce) or roasted vegetables (bell peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, zucchini), mushrooms) or a mix of both.
  4. Undercooked or over cooked chicken both are not okay! To ensure chicken is cooked use meat thermometer to check internal temperature of chicken.
  5. After chicken is cooked, rest it on wooden board for 5 minutes before slicing. Resting is essential for chicken to absorb all the moisture in it. You’ll loose all the moisture from the chicken if sliced immediately after cooking, hence turning chicken dry!
yellow rice and chicken shawarma bowl ingredients

FAQS

Can I make it in advance?

Yes, chicken shawarma is great for meal preps. Cook chicken, prep veggies, cook yellow rice and cool completely. Then store everything separate in containers refrigerated.
When ready to serve assemble chicken shawarma bowl or make chicken shawarma wrap using warm pita bread (not pita pocket).

How long can I store chicken shawarma?

Cooked chicken will stay good for 3 to5 days refrigerated. Store all ingredients separately so they don’t turn soggy.
When ready to serve, simply assemble the bowl or make a wrap with all ingredients and enjoy.

Can I freeze chicken shawarma?

Yes you can.
You can either freeze marinated chicken in freezer containers for upto 3 months.
Or you can cook marinated chicken on grill or oven, let it cool then store in freezer safe zip lock bags. Cooked chicken can be frozen and used for 3 months.

How to reheat frozen chicken shawarma?

Frozen marinated chicken can be reheated in microwave or in oven or on a skillet. Thaw chicken overnight in refrigerator, then cook chicken in oven, skillet or on a grill.
To reheat cooked chicken shawarma, thaw to defrost overnight in refrigerator. Reheat in microwave or on a skillet until warmed.

Serving options for chicken shawarma

After cooking chicken shawarma, you can use it to make a wrap with pita bread. Lightly warm pita bread on a skillet, place sliced chicken, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, lettuce leaves (and or any other vegetables of your choice), drizzle with hummus dressing or tahini dressing or cilantro yogurt dressing. Fold the wrap and serve.
To make chicken shawarma bowls – layer the bowl with yellow rice or quinoa, chicken shawarma, vegetables like cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, iceberg lettuce.
Drizzle with hummus dressing or cilantro yogurt sauce or tahini dressing or tzatziki. Enjoy immediately.

yellow rice and chicken shawarma bowl ingredients

TRY THESE CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES:

Teriyaki sheet pan chicken

Instant pot butter chicken

Brown sugar bacon wrapped chicken

Baked salsa chicken

Chinese lemon chicken

Instant pot chicken marsala

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healthy lunch with chicken shawarma
5 from 1 vote

📋Chicken Shawarma Bowl

Jyothi Rajesh
Chicken shawarma bowl is Middle Eastern inspired chicken shawarma recipe which is super easy to make at home that packs big flavors. It can be used in shawarma wraps or shawarma bowls for make-ahead lunches for work.
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Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings 5 servings
Calories 605

Ingredients
  

For chicken shawarma-

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken use mix of chicken breast and thighs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon garlic minced (can use garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • Salt & pepper to taste

For shawarma bowl toppings-

  • 2 cups yellow rice
  • ½ cup cucumber sliced
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced into halves
  • ½ red onion sliced thin
  • 10-15 olive pitted
  • Any salad greens like iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce
  • 2 tablespoon cilantro & mint leaves
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon

For dressing-

  • Use any of the following dressing
  • Hummus dressing
  • Tahini sauce
  • Cilantro yogurt sauce
  • Tzatziki sauce

Instructions
 

  • Making flavorful and vibrant yellow rice is easy.
  • Once yellow rice is ready, cover rice with lid and set it aside until use.
  • Slice cucumbers, half cherry tomatoes, thinly slice red onion. Toss vegetables in 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Keep aside.
    Adding lemon juice and zest is optional. You can use vegetables as it is.
  • Chicken shawarma-
    For best results use a mix of both chicken breasts and boneless chicken thighs. Score chicken breast and thighs with a pairing knife on both side.
  • In a wide bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add chicken to the bowl. Rub chicken thoroughly to spread the marinade all over evenly.
  • Cover and marinade chicken for minimum 1 hour or maximum overnight in refrigerator.
  • Cook on grill-
    If using grill, heat up grill to 375 to 425 degree F.
  • Grease grill with olive oil. Place marinated chicken on hot grill. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of cooked chicken should be 165 degree F).
  • Cook in oven-
    Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
  • Arrange marinated chicken in single layer on the sheet.
  • Bake at 425 degree F for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Transfer chicken to wooden board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Slice chicken thin.
  • Assemble chicken shawarma bowl-
    Layer the bowl with yellow rice or quinoa, chicken shawarma, vegetables like cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, iceberg lettuce.
  • Drizzle with hummus dressing or cilantro yogurt sauce or tahini dressing or tzatziki.
  • Enjoy immediately.

Video

Notes

  1. For juicy flavorful chicken use chicken thighs or use a mix of both chicken breasts and thighs.
  2. The longer chicken is marinated; chicken will absorb bags of flavors resulting in more flavorful chicken shawarma.
  3. Customize chicken shawarma bowl according to your preference. Add or swap any ingredient topping. Use raw vegetables(cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onions, iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce) or roasted vegetables (bell peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, zucchini), mushrooms) or a mix of both.
  4. Undercooked or over cooked chicken both are not okay! To ensure chicken is cooked use meat thermometer to check internal temperature of chicken.
  5. After chicken is cooked, rest it on wooden board for 5 minutes before slicing. Resting is essential for chicken to absorb all the moisture in it. You’ll loose all the moisture from the chicken if sliced immediately after cooking, hence turning chicken dry!
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 45gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 886mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 669IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg
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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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