Juicy Middle Eastern spiced chicken thighs baked to perfection and combined with fresh veggies, hummus, pita chips and a creamy tahini sauce for a delicious easy chicken bowl that’s sure to wow your tastebuds! Included: A Gluten-free, Whole30 & Paleo option.
Craving Street Food? Make your own chicken shawarma bowls at home!
These chicken shawarma bowls are here to mix up your chicken dinner rut! Loaded with flavor, color, and textures and they are not only fun to eat but also SUPER healthy. What's not to love about a bowl packed with deliciously spiced chicken thighs, veggies, hummus, pita chips, and a special tahini sauce. So much flavor and goodness!
First off, what is chicken shawarma?
Chicken Shawarma - one of my absolute favorite Middle Eastern street foods and one of life's great pleasures for all fans of lean meat.
Shawarma is a world-famous Middle Eastern street food consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit. Originally, it is made of lamb or mutton but today's shawarma may also be chicken, turkey, beef, or veal.
As the sliced and stacked meat cooks, thin slivers are shaved off the surface as the spit continuously rotates.
Like kebab, pizza or sushi, it's one of those things you eat when you're out and about living your best life, maybe shopping, traveling or simply meeting up with friends in town. Those street foods always bring back the best memories, amirite?
Now, I’ve found an easy way to enjoy a quick and healthy chicken shawarma right at home. We’re talking tender, juicy chicken pieces, loaded with the most amazing warm and earthy shawarma spices: cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne for a spicy kick!
The chicken should probably be called Shawarma-Style Chicken. Because obviously I wouldn’t post a recipe that requires a turning rotisserie spit on your kitchen counter. Don't worry, I kept things simple for us and still feel like I’ve cracked the homemade shawarma code. Because these chicken bowls are awesome. Seriously awesome.
Why you will love these healthy Middle Eastern chicken bowls:
So many reasons to love this plate-licking delicious Middle Eastern chicken dish!
- These bowls are done in about 30 minutes!
- The chicken also tastes great the next day so you can make a big portion and have the rest as make-ahead lunches!
- Chicken shawarma bowls are packed with veggies and have way fewer calories than any restaurant-style shawarma plate.
How to make Chicken Shawarma Bowls at home:
Prep - Preheat oven to 425F / 220C.
Step 1 - 3- Pat dry chicken and slice it into strips. Place in a bowl with sliced onion and olive oil.
Tip: If you have time, marinate the chicken thighs for one hour and up to overnight. If you don’t, it’ll still be delicious without marinating!
Step 4 & 5 - Add spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne) and salt. Using your hands or a spoon, stir until well combined and every piece of chicken is well coated with spices.
Step 6 - Spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and spread the chicken and onion mix. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (but still juicy).
Step 7 - While the chicken is cooking, prep the other bowl ingredients (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and tahini sauce). When the chicken is done, assemble the bowls.
How to assemble a chicken shawarma bowl:
Start with a bed of lettuce then arrange chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and hummus on top. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of homemade tahini sauce and serve.
More delicious toppings for your chicken shawarma bowl:
- Homemade Baked Pita Chips
- Guacamole
- Mint Yogurt Dip
- Olives
- Sumac
- Za'atar
- Tzatziki
- Bump up the proteins by adding canned or roasted crispy chickpeas.
- Bell peppers
- Carrots
- Red cabbage
- Fresh mint or/and parsley
Can I make this bowl Whole30 and paleo approved?
Yes, you can. Simply ditch the hummus and pita chips, and add more veggies
Recipe Tips and Variations:
- For the shawarma sauce, use my tahini sauce recipe.
- Not a fan of tahini? Drizzle the bowl with homemade cashew cream. Or use tzatziki but then it won’t be dairy-free anymore.
- Take these clean eating bowls to the next level by serving them with my homemade baked pita chips.
- Make your bowl more filling with a bed of rice or quinoa.
Easy Chicken Shawarma Bowl Recipe
Juicy Middle Eastern spiced chicken baked to perfection and combined with fresh veggies, hummus, pita chips and a creamy tahini sauce for a delicious easy chicken bowl that’s sure to wow your tastebuds! Included: A Gluten-free, Whole30 & Paleo Option.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 pinch cayenne
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Toppings:
- 8 cup romaine lettuce shredded (about two medium heads)
- 2 English cucumbers chopped (or 4 Lebanese cucumbers)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cup hummus
- ½ cup tahini sauce
- a few pita chips optional
Instructions
-
Pat dry chicken and slice it into strips. Place in a bowl with sliced onion and olive oil. Add spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne) and salt. Using your hands or a spoon, stir until well combined and every piece of chicken is well coated with spices.
-
If you have time, marinate chicken for one hour and up to overnight. If you don’t, it’ll still be delicious without marinating!
-
Preheat oven to 425F / 220C.
-
Spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and spread the chicken and onion mix.
-
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (but still juicy).
-
While the chicken is cooking, prep the other bowl ingredients (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and tahini sauce).
-
When the chicken is done, assemble the bowls. Start with a bed of lettuce then arrange chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and hummus on top. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of tahini sauce and serve.
Recipe Notes
- For the shawarma sauce, use my tahini sauce recipe.
- Not a fan of tahini? Drizzle the bowl with homemade cashew cream. Or use tzatziki but then it won’t be dairy-free anymore.
- Take these clean eating bowls to the next level by serving them with my homemade baked pita chips.
- Make your bowl more filling with a bed of rice or quinoa.
If you tried this chicken shawarma bowl recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Anita
The shawarma bowl looks so good. I bet it would be really awesome to make the chicken in a big batch. Then I can enjoy this dish for several days. 🙂
Marie
Shawarma bowls every day sounds perfect hehe
Deepika Haldankar
I can see myself making this recipe for lunch/ dinner. It is a delicious recipe. I can't wait to make it soon.
Jessica Formicola
I have everything I need to make this already! This will be my lunch today! Thanks for sending the recipe!
SHANIKA
This Chicken Bowl looks so healthy and delicious! I'm loving the addition of spices for sure!
Liz
What oven temp are you using?
Marie
Oops, so sorry I forgot to add that to the recipe card. Thanks for spotting my mistake. It's fixed now! 425F / 220C degrees
Liz
This was delicious! It reminds me of one of my favorite restaurants in Madisom, WI. We'll be adding this to our meal rotation. Gosh, I can't wait to eat it again. So good.
Marie
What a compliment Liz, thank you! Super happy to hear you loved it that much 🙂