Damn. A kid with flu is no joke. I legit feel like I’ve had the taste of lavender Lysol lingering in my mouth, so I need something to cleanse my fancy ass palate. I would share my secret grilled cheese and soup recipe, but I don’t want HEB to run out of Chicken and Stars and Kraft singles, so this Shawarma recipe will have to do….It involves staples that I usually have in my fridge and pantry, and is pretty no-fuss after you make it a few times.
I’ve been asked what my favorite cookbooks are, and Pamela Salzman’s Kitchen Matters, is one of my most used right now. I’m not great at following recipes exactly how they’re written, but I love taking inspiration from great recipes from much better chefs than me. Also, I’m not a chef, I’m a bored, slightly overweight housewife who dabbles in healthy-ish cooking accompanied by a martini and chased with a brownie (or 6). Her Chicken Shawarma is amazing, and this recipe is based off of hers. I omit the cinnamon, use more garlic and less lemon juice, but her mixture of turmeric, cayenne, cumin and paprika makes boring chicken so good–we currently eat this at least 2x a month, and it’s the only chicken dish that Crawford doesn’t threaten to divorce me for serving him (he has a vendetta against chicken). You can actually use 2 lbs. of chicken thighs with the amount of marinade you’ll make, but I hate don’t love leftovers of any kind, so this recipe serves 2 with minimal leftovers, but we’ve actually eaten the whole thing at once before (you lose some of the chicken when you trim it). Her recipe calls for whole thighs, but I prefer to chop the chicken into about 1.5″ cubes because it crisps up really nicely on the flat top (or pan if you don’t have this badass Blackstone griddle).
For the chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless (organic if possible) chicken thighs, cut into cubes
- 1/2 c. Extra virgin olive oil
- juice of one lemon
- 5 cloves of chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp. Turmeric (this is essential)
- 2 tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper—use 1/8th if you don’t tolerate heat
- 2 tsp. Paprika
- 1 tbs olive or vegetable oil for cooking chicken (not for marinade)
Mix all the ingredients together and marinate in the fridge for an hour, up to a full day. If you have a black stone griddle, heat it to high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken in fully cooked. If you don’t, use a cast iron skillet and heat 1 tbs. oil until hot and add in the chicken, cooking for 10 minutes until fully cooked.
For the white sauce—this is almost identical to Pamela’s recipe…
- 1 small container of plain Greek yogurt (full fat or nonfat, either is fine)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use homemade or hellman’s Olive oil mayonnaise if I don’t have any made)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- juice of one whole lemon
- 1/2 tsp. Paprika (I like more paprika)
- fresh salt and pepper to taste
Just mix all the ingredients together. I think it tasted better if it sits in the fridge for a while.
For the roasted peppers either buy a jar of roasted red peppers with garlic to be easy, but I like to make my own. To do so, over an open flame, put the peppers on the stovetop and let the skin burn/get black on all sides, flipping as needed. Once they are charred, put the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with Saran Wrap for 20 minutes. Under cold water, strip the skins off, then slice and drizzle with olive oil and fresh garlic, salt and pepper. These last for 5 days for me in the fridge.
Next up on deck for the next few days…. French onion chicken, Asian meatballs with stir fried veggies, and some sort of Valentine’s Day dessert. Send me requests if you have any!
