Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowls

Ingredients

• 🍗Chicken Breast, boneless, skin removed, patted dry1
• 🧄Garlic, for the chicken, minced2 clove
• 🧄Garlic, for the sauce, finely grated or minced1 clove
• 🧂Cumin (ground)1 tsp
• 🌶️Paprika (sweet)1 tsp
• 🧂Coriander (ground)1 tsp
• 🧂Turmeric1 tsp
• 🌶️Cayenne Pepper1 pinch
• 🧊Lemon Juice, divided2 tbsp
• 🫒Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided3 tbsp
• 🍚White Long-Grain Rice, rinsed1 cup
• 🥒Cucumber, diced1 cup
• 🍅Tomato (vine), diced1 cup
• 🧅Red Onion, thinly sliced½ cup
• 🌿Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped¼ cup
• 🫙Tahini3 tbsp
• 🥣Plain Greek Yogurt, stirred into the sauce¼ cup
• 💧Wateras needed

Contains Dairy, Garlic, Onion, Sesame. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Slice the chicken

   Lay the Chicken Breast flat on the board and slice it across the grain into thin, even strips so it cooks quickly and stays tender. If any piece is much thicker than the others, trim it down now; the strips should look uniform and moist, not ragged or bulky.

   4 min
2. 2

   Mix the shawarma spices

   Stir the Garlic Clove, Cumin, Paprika, Coriander, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Lemon Juice, and a little of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a mixing bowl until the spices look evenly wet and the mixture smells bright, earthy, and garlicky. If dry clumps cling to the bowl, work them in with the back of the spoon so the chicken gets an even coating instead of patchy spice spots.

   3 min
3. 3

   Coat the chicken

   Add the Chicken Breast strips to the spice bowl and toss them with your hands until every surface is slick and stained a deep yellow-orange. Let them sit while you work on the grains, just long enough for the aroma to bloom; if the mixture seems dry, rub the coating directly onto the meat so no pale patches remain.

   4 min
4. 4

   Rinse the rice

   Pour the White Long-Grain Rice into a fine sieve and rinse it under cool Water, moving it around with your fingers until the runoff turns from cloudy white to mostly clear. Drain it well so the grains look separate instead of wet and clumpy, which helps them steam up fluffy later.

   3 min
5. 5

   Set a medium saucepan over high heat with the rinsed White Long-Grain Rice and Water.

6. 6

   Bring it up until the surface starts to tremble and steam, about 8 minutes. Drop the heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer until the grains are tender and the top looks dry with tiny steam holes, about 12 minutes; if it starts to sputter hard, lower the heat a touch so the bottom does not scorch.

   20 min
7. 7

   Make the salad

   Toss the Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, and Flat-Leaf Parsley together in a bowl until the herbs are evenly scattered and the vegetables look cleanly cut and bright. If the onion seems too sharp, keep it mixed with the juicy tomatoes for a minute or two so the bite softens just enough without losing crunch.

   5 min
8. 8

   Whisk the sauce

   Combine the Tahini, Garlic Clove, Plain Greek Yogurt, and the remaining Lemon Juice in a small bowl and whisk in the rest of the Water slowly until the sauce turns pale, smooth, and spoonable. If it clumps at first, keep whisking rather than adding all the liquid at once; it will loosen into a glossy drizzle instead of a paste.

   4 min
9. 9

   Set a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining Extra Virgin Olive Oil and let it shimmer before adding the Chicken Breast strips in a single layer. Leave them undisturbed for about 3 minutes.

   6 min
10. 10

    Turn them and cook another 2-3 minutes until the edges are deeply browned, the spices smell smoky, and the meat feels springy rather than soft; if the skillet looks crowded, sear in two batches so the chicken chars instead of steams.

11. 11

    Rest the chicken

    Transfer the Chicken Breast strips to a plate and let them sit for a few minutes so the juices settle back into the meat. The surface should stay glossy with spice oil and the sizzling should fade to silence; if you slice too soon, the juices will run out onto the plate instead of staying in the chicken.

    4 min
12. 12

    Fluff the White Long-Grain Rice with a fork and divide it into a bowl.

13. 13

    Pile the Chicken Breast, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, and Flat-Leaf Parsley over the top. Spoon the Tahini sauce over everything in loose ribbons so it catches on the chicken and grains; the bowl should look layered, bright, and glossy rather than drowned, and if the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a splash of Water and whisk again.

    4 min

Nutrition per serving