Chicken Shawarma With Jasmine Rice Recipe

Chicken shawarma has been around for a couple of hundred years now. In fact, the earliest recorded meals of shawarma are recorded in the Ottoman Empire—present-day Turkey.

From there it spread to the Middle East and as years went on eventually become more popular across the world as international travel has become more commonplace. The Greek gyro is actually a variation of shawarma.

Despite its increased popularity, you may find yourself asking, what is shawarma? Shawarma is a dish full of specially prepared meat roasted with a wide variety of spices. These spices can include cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, cumin or cardamom and can usually be found in the spice aisle of your local grocery store. If your store doesn’t carry one of these spices you can also check out specialty Indian or Middle Eastern shops. You may even be able to find larger quantities at better prices in some of these smaller specialty shops.

Unfortunately, shawarma can be difficult to find in restaurants despite its increased popularity. The good news, however, is that it’s easy to make from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Shawarma is usually made with meats such as chicken or lamb which easily absorb flavor. Chicken is a great meat option as it is easy to find in the grocery store and you can easily make enough for your whole family.

The meat is marinated in these spices with lemon juice and oil; then slow-roasted on a rotisserie or spit and sliced off into thin strips. The meat can also be pre-sliced and stacked tightly on the spit prior to cooking. The meat is then served with fresh vegetables and white sauce. It is served over rice or wrapped in pita bread.

If you want to serve your shawarma over rice, jasmine rice is a perfect choice. Jasmine rice is long-grain rice that is longer and thinner than other types of rice and has a fluffier texture when it is cooked.

Because jasmine rice is softer than other types of rice you will only need to put 1 ¼ cup of water for every cup of rice. If you prefer to rinse your rice prior to cooking it you will want to use about 2 tablespoons less water to account for the water that stays in the grains after rinsing. Most prepackaged rice should be perfectly safe to cook without rinsing.

Once the rice has puffed up it comes to about three times as much as it is when dry. For example, if you cook one cup of rice you will end up with a total of three cups once it’s cooked. This will give you a good idea of how much rice to prepare to make sure you have enough to go around. It also makes rice the perfect option to pair with your shawarma if you are feeding a large group of friends or family.

If you want to add some color and flavor to your rice you can add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric mixed in with the water before adding the rice or you can throw a couple of cardamom pods into the pot while the rice is cooking. Turmeric is what gives rice that deep yellow color so common in Greek and Middle Eastern dishes.

Most people prefer to add raw vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, or peppers to serve with their shawarma but you can also the combination of the meat and vegetables makes shawarma a healthy dish to add to your menu anytime.

Once you have everything set up you can prepare the marinating sauce and let your chicken marinate for at least an hour in the Ziploc bag with lemon juice, oil, and your desired spices.