Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Warmly spiced, charred chicken thighs over herby cauliflower rice with a crunchy cucumber-tomato salad and a creamy lemon-tahini garlic sauce.
Nutrition per serving
1 bowl- Net carbs
- 9g
- Calories
- 449kcal
- Protein
- 46g
- Fat
- 24g
- Total carbs
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Dairy-free (all-tahini sauce): The garlic sauce is made with tahini, lemon and water only, with no yogurt. It’s nutty, tangy and pourable.
- Whisk 4 tbsp tahini with the lemon juice, garlic and salt. It will thicken and seize at first; keep whisking in water a spoonful at a time until smooth and drizzly.
Beef shawarma: Thinly sliced sirloin in the same spice marinade, seared hard in a skillet. It has a deeper, meatier flavor.
- Marinate the sliced beef 1–8 hours. Sear it in batches in a smoking-hot cast-iron skillet, 1–2 minutes per side, until browned. Strips this thin cook well past 145°F (63°C) almost instantly.
Vegetarian (halloumi): Thick slices of halloumi, rubbed with the shawarma spices and seared until golden, make a salty, squeaky meat-free bowl.
- Skip the long marinade. Toss the halloumi slices with the oil, lemon juice, garlic and spices (leave out the salt, since halloumi is salty) just before cooking.
- Sear in a hot nonstick skillet 2 minutes per side, until deeply golden. Serve right away, while it is soft and warm.
- Shawarma chicken
- Bowls
- Garlic tahini sauce
- Shawarma chicken
- Bowls
- Garlic tahini sauce
- Also add
- Shawarma chicken
- Bowls
- Garlic tahini sauce
- Shawarma chicken
- Bowls
- Garlic tahini sauce
Estimated cost $13.17 for 4 servings ($3.29 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Whisk the 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, grated garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and ¾ tsp salt. Toss with the chicken and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
-
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a sheet pan with foil. Spread the thighs out flat on the pan and roast 20–25 minutes, until the edges are charred and the thickest piece reads 165°F (74°C). For more char, broil 2–3 minutes at the end.
-
Rest the chicken 5 minutes, then slice it into thin strips and toss with any pan juices.
-
Meanwhile, cook the riced cauliflower in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5–6 minutes, until tender. Season with a pinch of salt and stir in half the parsley.
-
Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and remaining parsley with a pinch of salt.
-
For the sauce, whisk the tahini, yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, garlic and the rest of the salt, adding water until it pours.
-
Divide the cauliflower rice among 4 bowls, top with the chicken and salad and drizzle with the sauce.
Tips for success
-
Thighs are forgiving at high heat and taste closest to the slow-roasted meat from a shawarma spit. You can also cook them on a hot grill, 5–6 minutes per side. - Pile the chicken, salad and sauce into flaxseed wraps for a handheld version.
- Add a few olives, pickled turnips or a spoonful of tzatziki if you have them.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Microwave the chicken and cauliflower rice 1½–2 minutes; add the salad and sauce cold.
Prep tip: Freeze the cooked shawarma chicken in portions — it reheats well — and make the salad and sauce fresh.
Refrigerate chicken, cauliflower rice, salad and sauce separately up to 4 days (the salad is crispest within 2). Reheat the chicken and rice; serve the salad and sauce cold.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosDairy-free (all-tahini sauce)
DietThe garlic sauce is made with tahini, lemon and water only, with no yogurt. It’s nutty, tangy and pourable.
- plain full-fat Greek yogurt → extra tahini
- + 2 tbsp extra water
9 g net · 472 kcal · 45 g protein · 27 g fat · ≈$3.23 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Beef shawarma
ProteinThinly sliced sirloin in the same spice marinade, seared hard in a skillet. It has a deeper, meatier flavor.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs → sirloin steak
9 g net · 635 kcal · 46 g protein · 45 g fat · ≈$7.87 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Vegetarian (halloumi)
ProteinThick slices of halloumi, rubbed with the shawarma spices and seared until golden, make a salty, squeaky meat-free bowl.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs → halloumi (8 oz / 225 g each)
12 g net · 568 kcal · 31 g protein · 44 g fat · ≈$5.50 per serving (+2.5 g net carbs vs the original)
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