Spicy Chicken Shawarma

I fell in love with Chicken Shawerma the minute I tasted it for the first time about 3 years ago.  I was in the market for a pedometer and decided to venture into the market next door called Salam Market which is located in Manchester, Missouri.  I saw that they served a few authentic Arabic dishes and I decided to indulge.  The Halal chicken was prepared in herbs, spices and covered in tahini while placed eloquently inside pita bread (my mouth is watering already).  I had to find out how to make this dish on my own, so I found a good, tasty-looking recipe and slightly adulterated it.  Luckily, I did not have to combine the tahini and spices myself; the kind folks at Salam Market sell their incredible sauce with all the goodies already incorporated into the tahini.  Having their sauce was a little time-saver that I greatly appreciated.  I also bought the freshly made pita bread they have available daily, but I had to throw it out since I waited too long to use it; it got too hard:-(  Instead, I served the Shawerma with jasmine rice. I added the recipe steps for when using pita bread.  Afghan bread would also be delicious with this.

I've noticed a few variations in the spelling of the dish; I don't know the difference.  The recipe I utilized spelled it Shawarma.

So, on to the recipe!  I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

Originally published in Cooking Light's April 2010 issue

Yield:  4 servings (serving size:  2 stuffed pita halves)
Prep Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper - I used 2 tablespoons because we love it spicy!
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 5 tablespoons plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided - I tested with Oikos and put in a half cup.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini - I used the sauce from Salam Market.
• 4 (6-inch) pitas, halved - I omitted this step and served with rice.
• ½ cup chopped cucumber - omitted
• ½ cup chopped plum tomato - omitted
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• Also added 1/3 cup of chili powder to the yogurt sauce.

Preparation

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 garlic cloves.  Add chicken; toss to coast.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring quickly.  

While the chicken cooks, combine remaining ¼ cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well.  Spread 1½ teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita, divide chicken evenly among pita halves.  Fill each pita half with 1 tablespoon cucumber, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1½ teaspoons onion.

There aren't any leftovers tonight!