One of the many things I love about Southern CA is the access to a fantastic selection of international cuisine. And after getting hooked on chicken shawarma from my trips to Israel, it’s pretty easy to get my craving for it satisfied here.
However, the restaurant version is not very Weight Watchers friendly. So I decided to make my oven roasted version that still has all the ridiculously delicious flavors of a traditional chicken shawarma recipe, but with a lot less Weight Watchers Points.
Making this dish was incredibly easy, and was perfect for feeding a crowd. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you’ve got a lot of mouths to feed!
I served this chicken straight out of the pan, but I also like to slice it into thin strips, and stuff it into a pita with some tahini, or feta cheese, and some of Israeli cucumber salad….sooooooo GOOD!
This Roasted Chicken Shawarma Recipe is a MUST try!
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ROASTED CHICKEN SHAWARMA RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion - (peeled and quartered)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves - (minced)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, water, garlic, cumin, paprika, tumeric, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Mix well, then add chicken, and toss well to coat all pieces evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425, and mist a 11” x 13” baking dish with nonfat cooking spray.
- Mix onions into the chicken and marinade, then spread all pieces evenly into the baking dish.
- Place in oven and roast, uncovered, for about 30-40 minutes, or until chicken cooked through and is browned and crisped on the edges.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice into strips and serve inside pita bread or along a side of steamed rice.
11 Comments
Oh my goodness, this chicken is amazing. I made it today for meal prep this week for the second time and it came out perfectly; so easy and flavorful.
Everyone loved the chicken, but there was lots of juice so rice or mashed potatoes would have been a better accompaniment.
This was quite delicious! Will be making this again soon. It would be great company food as well since you can prepare it ahead of time.
Could chicken breasts work and if so same cooking time?
Yes, chicken breasts will work too. I just prefer the flavor of he thighs.
Are the thighs supposed to be boneless as well as skinless?
Yes! Boneless thighs should be used. I forgot to include that detail. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for this recipe! It looks very tasty…did you use bone-in skinless thighs?
Sorry….boneless thighs is what you want to use here.
Can I use bone in thighs?
Yes, absolutely.