Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
This is the recipe I ultimately landed on when I made an abundance of tzatzki and zucchini fritters and knew I needed something to round it out to make it an actual meal. Bring all the flavors of mediterranean shawarma into your home with this marinade and keep things simple by baking it.
Baked chicken in general is always a go-to for me because it is fairly low effort and with the right temperature and timing the chicken stays moist and delicious. However if you are more of a grill person - this would be a great one to try outdoors to get a more charred & crispy flavor.
Also, while in the instructions below it indicates whisking and mixing in a bowl, this can also easily be done directly in a ziplock bag. Add everything to it, give it a few good shakes, let it sit to marinate and enjoy having no dishes to clean.
2 lemons
1 red onion
2 lbs chicken thigh or breast
½ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Prep Time: 20 min (+ up to 24 hrs to marinate)
Cook Time: 20 min
Servings: 5
Instructions
Trim chicken as needed and cut into desired size (cooking time is for ½ - ⅓ lb pieces)
In a bowl combine all spices (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, red pepper flakes) with ½ cup of olive oil. Whisk to combine.
Juice 2 lemons and whisk into mixture
Pour marinade over chicken and toss well to coat
Cover chicken & marinade and refrigerate for 2-24 hours. (Allow to marinate overnight for deeper flavor, but it will also taste great even if it is only for a couple hours).
Heat oven to 425°F
Coat sheet pan with remaining olive oil
Cut onion into 4 chunks and add to chicken & marinade so it is coated
Remove chicken and onion from marinade and place on the baking sheet
Cook 20-25 min or until chicken is cooked through
Serve with tzatziki and zucchini fritters to complete the meal
