Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken

Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken

Shawarma Chicken is a middle eastern fast food, but it actually takes hours to marinate and cook. This quick version will have your meal ready in 20 minutes.

Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken

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During my years of travel,  shawarma chicken has been my all time favorite fast foods especially in the middle east.

Quick homemade shawarma chicken

The origin

Shawarma can be made with all meats not just chicken. It is found in many variations; in different names.

In Greece  as gyros, In Armenia as “Tarna” and in Turkey  as Doner kabab all these words which translate to “turn’ (meat, kebabs etc)

The word turn comes in play because big chunks of meat are marinated and piles on a large metal skewer which is than place on a special grill that cooks the meat from the outside in as the skewer turns around. As the meat is cooked, you slice off the cooked meat while the skewer continues to rotate and cook the rest of the meat.

It’s quick fascinating and very common fast food that taste delicious.

Quick homemade shawarma chicken

So what is Shawarma?

Just as the different names you will also find that the shawarma spice mix differs slightly from region to region mostly in the quantity of spices used.  I usually always use the ready made spice mix but a long time ago a very proud Lebanese grandmother who use to be my neighbor told me the spice has the following ingredients. I’ve never made this because I always buy mine ready from the super market. But if you want you can make spice mix at home.

Shawarma spice mix ingredients

• 1 tsp ground allspice,
• and 1 tsp ground cardamon,
• plus 1/2 tsp ground cloves,
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg,
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
• salt and pepper.
  (keep the spice mix  it in the fridge and it will stay for months)

The Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken.

Like I said the authentic version takes for ever because it’s marinated and piled on the skewer. Usually made in a big batch.  But this quick and homemade version is how I made Shwarma Chicken at home for my family. My Aadi loves Shawarma chicken! he’s a foodie like me and appreciates good food. But we can’t always go out to eat so sometimes I have to bring his favorite foods home.

Quick homemade shawarma chicken

Video – Quick homemade shawarma chicken

You can see in this video that it’s not just quick but so simple and easy to make. There are barely 5 ingredients fro the chicken!!!

RECIPE

Ingredients
1 onion (large)
and 1 garlic (med)
plus 1 tbsp Shawarma spice mix
1/4 cup Cilantro (chopped)
1 tbsp Lemon juice.
2 boneless chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast sliced into long strips.
3 tbsp canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
!For the Tahina
1/2 cup sesame paste
1 cup water
and 1 small garlic minces
plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Method:
Cut the chicken into thin long strips.
Add salt, pepper and shawarma spice mix. Set aside to marinate.
!Cook onions
Slice onions and saute in one tbsp of oil for about 7 to 10 minutes on medium low heat.
Until nice and golden brown
!Cook chicken
Add 2 tbsp oil in a saute pan. Add garlic
Followed by the chicken.
Cook on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes tossing the chicken frequently so it cooks evenly on all sides until the
Add chopped Cilantro and lemon juice.
!Assemble chicken and Onion.
Add the chicken to the onion mix. Check for seasoning.
!Prepare Tahina.
Pour sesame paste into a bowl
Squeeze out the fresh garlic and lemon juice
Combine together adding water – The mixture will seize at first then loosen out again with the water.
Season with salt and pepper.

So here’s my Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken recipe

Quick homemade shawarma chicken

Quick homemade shawarma chicken

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