Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Introduction
A Middle Eastern inspired recipe that’s full of flavour. It’s normally prepared with lamb but using chicken instead keeps the all-important calorie count low, with no compromise in flavour. The shawarma spice mix infuses the chicken perfectly as well, making this a dish you’ll keep on returning to time and time again.
Ingredients
| 4 | chicken thighs, skinless and boneless |
| 2 tsp | olive oil |
| ½ x 400g tin of | chickpeas, drained |
| 100g | cooked white rice |
| 50g | red onion, sliced |
| 50g | sweetcorn |
| 100g | cherry tomatoes, halved |
| 100g | cucumber, diced |
| a small handful of | fresh parsley, chopped |
| For the shawarma spice mix (or use ready-made mix, to taste): | |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 2 tsp | paprika |
| 1 tsp | ground turmeric |
| ½ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| a pinch of | ground cinnamon |
| 1 | garlic clove, crushed |
| salt and pepper | |
| For the tzatziki sauce (optional): | |
| 1 | garlic clove |
| a small handful of | fresh dill or mint |
| 100g | low-fat Greek yoghurt |
| 50g | cucumber |
| 1 tsp | white wine vinegar |
Instructions
Prep time: 10 minutes plus marinating time. Cook time: 30 minutes.
1. Combine the ingredients for the shawarma spice mix together in a bowl. Tip two-thirds of it into an airtight container with the chicken thighs and olive oil, mix to make sure the chicken is fully coated, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge, overnight if possible, though an hour will also suffice. Use the remaining third of the spice mix to coat the drained chickpeas.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature. Tip into a roasting tin along with the chickpeas, cover with tin foil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Take the chicken out of the oven, remove the foil and shred the meat using two forks. Return to the oven and cook (uncovered) for 10 minutes.
4. Whilst the chicken is cooking, mix the rice, onions, sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes and cucumber together in a bowl, then divide between two airtight containers. Add half the chicken and chickpeas to each container. If you’re eating straight away, sprinkle the parsley over the entire dish. It will keep in the fridge for up to 1 day, or the chicken will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
PER SERVING | 495 CALS | 38G PROTEIN | 22G FAT | 33G CARBS
