You know when you're craving a take away but feel the full on guilt for indulging in a greasy no good for you kebab - this is my simple and much healthier version of a shwarma - a kebab marinated in Middle Eastern / Asian spices and traditionally roasted on a spit.
My version is much simpler - done in the oven - but with all warming spices and juiciness of the chicken thighs.
I served mine on naans with a full salad and condiments on the side. You can always switch it up and serve in pitta breads or even just a full salad to make it healthier and lighter.
you can find my easy peasy naan recipe here
My shwarma recipe will feed 4-6 people if using naans or 6-8 if you're using pitta pockets. You'll need the following :
1kg boneless chicken thighs - cut into chunks
1 tsp onion salt
2 tbsp cornflour
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground star anise
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp harissa paste/powder
3-4 tbsp olive oil
small handful of fresh coriander chopped
- Start by mixing all the dry ingredients into a bowl, add in the oil and stir together to make a paste.
- Add in the chicken along with the harissa and mix together until all the chicken is coated fully
- leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes - you can even prep this the night before as this will help the marinade absorb fully into the chicken,
- Once ready to cook, preheat your oven to 160c fan/180c.
- Take a long piece of foil and with the longest side facing you, place the chicken onto the foil, forming a sausage shape, ensuring the chickenn is packed together nice and tightly.
- Roll the chicken up tightly, forming a sausage shape - again ensuring its packed together nicely, place onto a baking tray seam side down
- Place in the oven for 40-45 mins
- Remove from the oven and let it cool a little - you don't want the hot steam burning you or any of the juices to spit out. The foil will help in keeping it nice and warm
- Place carefully onto a serving board/plate, open the foil up, carve the shwarma and serve as desired
