Healthy, Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma - traditionally slowly roasted in a vertical rotisserie - is one of those quintessentials dishes that pack in an explosion of flavors that you'll be reminiscing about for days. This is a simple & healthy way to make at home that's remarkable versatile - you can serve as an entree with rice and a traditional Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad, or pack it in a Whole Wheat Pita topped with a quick homemade Tzatziki Sauce for a more casual meal. Either way, this is AMAZING and will become a go to recipe for you, just as it has for us - this is the perfect solution for wanting to get a homemade, healthy and flavorful dinner on the table when you've had a busy day, as you can prep ahead and quickly cook in the oven! Chicken Thighs will do best, but we make it with Chicken Breasts more often than not to make it a bit healthier.

Inportant to note - I cut the chicken in small strips so that there is more surface area to pick up the marinade flavor (and I don’t mind it being served in chunks), but if you’d prefer, keep the chicken thighs or breasts whole, especially if you’re serving friends and as an entree.

Time: 2 hours to an Overnight Marinade, 1 Hour Prep/Cook time total.
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs, roughly sliced into ~1 1/2 inch cubes (if desired, otherwise leave whole)
• 2 lemons, juiced (or 2 Tbsps of store-bought cold-pressed, organic lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 large red onion, cut into 8 half moons
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsps Paprika
• 2 tsps Cumin
• 2 tsps Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Tumeric
• (optional) 1/2 tsp of Adobo (I use Mom's homemade)
• 1/8 tsp (a pinch) Cinnamon
• Small pinch of Red Pepper Flakes,
• Parsley, for garnish

Instructions (Marinade)

1. Prepare the chicken for the marinade. Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and parsley in a large bowl or heavy duty Ziploc bag. Whisk to combine, and add the chicken. Toss a few times to make sure all the chicken is covered.
2. Cover the bowl, place in the refrigerator. You'll want this to marinade at least an hour, but can go as far as 24 hours - the more time the chicken has in the marinade, the more flavor it'll have!

Instructions (Cooking)

1. Set the oven to 425 to pre-heat.
2. While the oven pre-heats, go ahead and pull the chicken out of the refrigerator (this will allow it to reach room temperature while you prepare the baking sheet). Spray a non-stick baking sheet with EVOO (or line with non-stick aluminum foil to make for an easier clean-up, make sure you spray with EVOO as well - just make sure you line the rims up to the top as well). Spread the chicken evenly over it (marinade liquid and all).
3. Place the chicken in the oven. You'll want to cook the chicken until it's lightly browned and crispy around the edges. If you're using chicken breasts, this should take 15-20 minutes (20-25 of whole breasts are being used), if you're using thighs, it'll be 25-30 minutes (35 minutes if whole). Remove and let rest 3-5 minutes.
4. To serve:

• If you're making in Pita, slice in half and lightly warm it in the oven for a few minutes. If you like a bit of heat, smear on one side with the homemade Harissa. Top with Tzatziki and chopped parsley (not going to lie, I ran out of parsley when I took the photo!).
• If serving as an entree, serve with rice and a side salad. Garnish with parsley, and if desired, on the side some sliced tomato, cucumber, peperoncino and a lemon wedge.

As they say in my country, Bueno Provecho!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!