Here's a delicious, aromatic chicken shawarma salad served on a bed of tabbouleh with a simple yogurt dressing that you can put together in no time. Dish it all up on a large serving platter to feed a crowd, and your work is done.
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Shawarma spice blend ingredients
Shawarma is a dish that originated in Turkey or the Ottoman Empire. The blend of spices is very aromatic, with a hint of spice and smoky undertones. All the shawarma spices are ground/powdered, and I recommend measuring them out and then frying them in oil before marinating the chicken and chickpeas with them. This will give you a much better final flavor.
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Cumin
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Ginger
- Tumeric
- Coriander
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Salt and cracked black pepper
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make chicken shawarma salad.
How to make chicken shawarma
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the spices for a minute or two, just until fragrant.
Put the chicken thighs and drained, cooked chickpeas into a bowl and stir through the spice blend with an additional tablespoon of oil until everything is covered. Leave covered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors develop.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F, and place the chicken and chickpeas onto a baking tray. Take them out of the fridge while the oven is preheating to take the chill off.
Bake the chicken shawarma for 25-30 minutes until the chickpeas are crispy and the chicken is cooked through (a meat thermometer should read 74C/165F and juices run clear).
Squeeze some fresh lemon over the tray of chicken and let it rest for 5 minutes before carving it into thin strips.
Top Tip
If you are short on time, marinade the chicken in the spice rub quickly without frying it off first. Preheat the oven tray for a minute with a tablespoon of olive oil and let it get hot. Then add the chicken and chickpeas to the tray and toss them, and the hot oil will fry the spices. Take care using this method, and don't forget about the tray with the oil in the oven.
Make the couscous tabbouleh
Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl and pour over freshly boiled water. Cover and leave for 5 minutes, then give it a stir with a fork and drizzle in some olive oil. Cover and leave for another 5 minutes.
Finely chop the chives, mint, parsley, and coriander. The coriander (cilantro) stems can remain, but pick the mint and parsley leaves off the stems. Chop the dried fruit into small pieces if necessary.
Quickly toast the flaked almonds by tossing them in a hot frying pan for a few minutes until nicely browned. Do not let them burn.
Stir the nuts, herbs, lemon juice, and dried fruit through the fluffy couscous and season to taste with salt and pepper.
An easy yogurt dressing
Mix a reserved teaspoon of the fried shawarma spice paste with plain yogurt and season with a small squeeze of honey, and a pinch of salt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if it needs brightening up.
How to serve
Put the tabbouleh onto a serving platter and place the sliced shawarma chicken on top. Drizzle with the yogurt dressing, a few extra toasted flaked almonds and add some pickled red onions for an extra splash of color and added acidity.
I like to serve this shawarma chicken recipe for lunch or an informal dinner party. The easy tabbouleh is a perfect accompaniment as they work so well together, but you could also just thinly slice the chicken and try a simple green salad or some steamed new potatoes.
Wine Pairing
Spicy food can be hard to wine pair. I usually like to serve an aromatic white wine with strong, spiced foods, like a Gewürztraminer, but a fruity Pinot Noir with smoky notes will also work well with chicken shawarma.
Equipment
Fry the spice paste in a decent pan, and then bake the shawarma chicken and chickpeas on an oven tray.
Storage and Freezing
Store any leftovers covered in the fridge and use within 3-4 days. You can freeze the chicken shawarma, wrap it in plastic food wrap and aluminum foil first to prevent freezer burn.
Other salad recipes
Looking for other recipes like this chicken shawarma salad? Try these:
Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Spiced Chicken Shawarma Salad With Yogurt Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
Shawarma (all ground spices)
- 2 tablespoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Tumeric
- 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 6 Chicken thighs boneless/skinless
- 1 can Chickpeas /garbanzo beans
- ½ Lemon
Yogurt dressing
- 250 grams (1 cup) Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- ½ Lemon
Tabbouleh
- 300 grams (1½ cups) Cous cous
- 30 grams (½ cup) Fresh mint
- 30 grams (½ cup) Fresh parsley
- 30 grams (½ cup) Fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 30 grams (½ cup) Fresh chives
- 75 grams (½ cup) Flaked almonds
- 100 grams (⅓ cup) Dried apricots
- ½ Lemon
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Shawarma
- Measure the spices and fry them in oil over medium heat until fragrant, around 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and drained chickpeas to a bowl and mix through the fried spice paste (reserve ½ teaspoon for the dressing). Cover and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200℃/400℉ and take the chicken out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
- Place the chicken and chickpeas onto an oven tray and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the chickpeas are crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice and squeeze over some lemon.
Tabbouleh
- Place the couscous into a heatproof bowl and pour over 350ml or 1.5 cups of freshly boiled water. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir through some olive oil and cover for another 5 minutes.
- Finely dice the herbs and chop the apricots. Toast the flaked almonds in a frying pan for a few minutes until browned.
- Stir all of the tabbouleh ingredients together with the couscous and place it onto a serving dish.
Yogurt dressing
- Mix the yogurt with the reserved fried spice paste, add a squeeze of honey and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the sliced chicken shawarma onto the tabbouleh, scatter over any extra herbs and flaked almonds, and drizzle with the yogurt dressing.
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