Shawarma Chicken Hummus Bowls
Okay, so Peter has been asking me — begging me, really — to post this recipe for months. MONTHS, you guys. If that alone doesn’t tell you what a freakin’ winner it is, I’m not sure what else I need to do to convince you.
Well, I guess I could just tell you about it first, and then you can decide for yourself..
I’ve actually been making these shawarma chicken hummus bowls regularly since the spring. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned many a time, there comes a point in the year where it starts to get consistently warm enough outside that the heat finds its way into our tiny East Boston kitchen and makes itself at home until, oh, October or so.
(well, USED TO find its way into our East Boston kitchen, I should say… because surprise, we moved! more on that another day though)
My point is that when it got that hot in that damn kitchen, turning on the oven was out of the question. Our meals were stovetop ONLY throughout the summer.
Enter: shawarma chicken hummus bowls. They are such a quick, delicious (oven-free!) meal that it’s actually shameful I haven’t shared them sooner. Once you get the process down, you can easily throw this together in 30 minutes. What more do you need to know?
Oh right… what on earth is shawarma? and what does it taste like? Good questions, guys.
Technically, shawarma is thinly sliced cuts of marinated meat — chicken, beef, lamb, goat, etc. — that’s been cooked at very high temperature on a rotating spit. From what I know, it is of Middle Eastern origin, and generally served as a sandwich in a pita or flatbread. The flavor of the meat is what shawarma is all about. Traditionally, it’s been marinated all day long in spices like turmeric, dried lime, garlic, cinnamon, and cardamom. It has a deep, tangy flavor. It’s pretty addicting, which is why you’ll find shawarma “shortcuts” peppered throughout the interwebs. Everyone wants to replicate that flavor, but in like 1/32nd of the time it normally takes.
Though I may have dreamt up these glorious hummus bowls one spring afternoon in the beginning of quarantine, I am certainly not the mastermind behind this delicious shawarma chicken. That, my friends, is Serena Wolf — my favorite “weird blog lady” behind the blog Domesticate Me. She’s easily among my top five bloggers to follow on Instagram, and she walked us through how to make this shawarma chicken via IG stories sometime last year. The recipe is available in her first book, The Dude Diet — which is hilarious and delicious and I highly recommend you purchase it.
Anywho, I realized that this shawarma chicken was the perfect meat to toss on top of a bowl of hummus. There’s something very Mediterranean about this whole dish, and I’m into it.
So here’s the kicker. I make my own hummus for this meal.
WAIT WAIT, before you run away — I promise, it’s not as difficult or time consuming as it sounds. In fact, I highly recommend you give it a shot at least once. Don’t you want to say that you’re one of those people who just “whipped up a quick hummus”?
(I giggle as I type that, because I’m pretty sure a friend laughed in my face one time when I said that casually… fully meaning it. Mal, was that you? I forgive you. Because truly, I did whip it up!)
Hummus is another one of those things that I’ve been making for years. Yes, it’s SO easy to grab a container of Sabra when you’re at the grocery store — and if you prefer, you can certainly use store bought hummus. No judgement! I just find that homemade hummus is creamier and more flavorful then it’s pre-made counterparts. And it comes together in a matter of minutes! Just throw the ingredients in a blender or food processor, toss that baby on high and whip yourself up some hummus.
Or swing by Stop & Shop on your way home tonight. You do you.
Okay, so you’ve got the shawarma chicken and the hummus. I also make this VERY basic tomato salad to throw in there. Like so basic, it feels wrong to call it a recipe. Ripe tomatoes, diced onion, olive oil, vinegar and a little salt & pepper. Maybe a few pieces of torn basil for good measure? Truly so simple and insanely delicious.
The toppings are where I want you guys to get creative.
..and I mean both creative as in “let’s see what delicious combinations I can come up with” and also as in “what do I actually have in my fridge right now that I need to use up before it expires”.
Because I made this so frequently over the summer, I really stuck with the Mediterranean theme. Sliced cucumber, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper — and I bet a few crumbles of feta cheese would be a divine addition. Now that the weather is getting cooler (as in, today it’s all of a sudden freezing), I am starting to think outside the box. I roasted some cauliflower last week to include with our hummus bowls, and bet roasted squash or sweet potatoes would be a delicious choice. Rotate your toppings with the seasons or with your cravings.
Also! This recipe is fantastic for meal prep — prepare all of the individual parts and store them in separate containers in your fridge. When you’re ready to eat, warm the chicken as you’re prepping the hummus bowls. Top it all with a pile of chicken, and drizzle with those delicious shawarma juices. It takes five minutes to throw together, and feels REAL fancy for a mid-week lunch!
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see Notes)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- salt & pepper, to taste
- lukewarm water, as needed
- 1-2 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
- ¼ vidalia onion, diced
- ¼ red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (see Notes)
- fresh basil, torn
- salt & pepper, to taste
- sliced cucumber, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, fresh cilantro
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and spices.
- Slice chicken thighs into small chunks, and add to the bowl. Combine well, and let marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes (see Notes).
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken - including all juices. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until meat is thoroughly cooked.
- Add all ingredients (except water) to a food processor or high-powdered blender. Turn on high for 30 seconds, or until beans are broken down and mixture is starting to combine.
- Add water 1-2 tablespoons at a time as needed, and continue blending until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and add more salt & pepper if needed.
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl, and mix well. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Start by adding ¼ - ½ cup of hummus to each bowl, and place desired amount of shawarma chicken next to it.
- Scoop in ¼ cup of tomato salad, along with desired toppings - a few slices of cucumber, a handful of olives, some sliced roasted red peppers and a few leaves of cilantro.
- Top hummus and chicken with additional juice from chicken skillet.
If you are running short on time, feel free to cook the chicken immediately upon seasoning. I promise it will be just as delicious! If you chose to wait the 20 minutes, you can prep the hummus, tomato salad and other toppings in meantime.
Apple cider vinegar can be used instead of red wine vinegar in the tomato salad, if preferred.
This bowl can be easily modified to your taste and/or to align with the seasons. For example, add roasted cauliflower or asparagus in the spring, and then roasted squash or sweet potatoes in the fall. Get creative!
Whatever you do, don’t forget to drizzle some of the juice from your shawarma chicken on top of the hummus. Now THAT’s what I’m talking about.
