Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Lemon-Tahini Drizzle
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A delicious and full-bodied shawarma style chicken drizzled in lemon-tahini sauce.
Author:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • Chicken + Marinade:
  • 1.5 pounds bonelss, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2.5 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed salted and chopped
  • pinch salt
  • Lemon-Tahini Sauce:
  • ¼ cup tahini paste
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt or to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp honey
Instructions
  1. In a roomy bowl, whisk together olive oil and spices (paprika, cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, cayenne, cloves, garlic and salt). Add chicken thighs, opening them up and coating them with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight (mixing and turning to coat etc. at least once ideally).
  2. For the lemon-tahini sauce (which I also recommend making ahead to allow flavors to develop), place all ingredients in a small blender or processor and blitz until fully integrated and creamy, stopping to scrape down sides and loosen tahini from base as you go along. Taste and make flavor adjustments as desired (keeping in mind that garlic will become stronger over time).
  3. Transfer the lemon-tahini sauce to a container and store in fridge until serving time.
  4. Preheat your grill to 350ºF. Note: cooking time for the chicken will vary according to thickness of thighs and individual grilling temps.
  5. Once the barbecue reaches 350ºF, lower the temp about mid-way and place marinaded chicken on the grill. Allow the thighs to cook undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes before turning over and cooking the other side for 4-5 minutes (or longer as necessary - chicken will be done when no longer pink inside the thickest part).
  6. Carefully remove cooked chicken from grill and slice as thin as desired. Be sure to drizzle (douse?) generously with lemon-tahini sauce and enjoy in salad, accompanied by a grain or wrapped in a tortilla/pita. Anything goes!
  7. Both the chicken and the lemon-tahini sauce make excellent leftovers.
Notes
The Grill: one thing I've learned about grilling chicken is that if you want to get those great grilling marks (and ease of turning without sticking) you need to let the chicken sit long enough undisturbed - ie: resist the temptation to flip too early! (I used to be an early flipper but now that I know the secret, no more early flippin' for this girl). Also, I like to get the grill good and hot (350F ish range) but then lower it about mid-way down (not all the way) once the chicken is on for best results.
The Heat of the Marinade: I would describe the shawarma marinade as very flavorful (and super tasty) but not particularly hot (spicy). If you like, you can increase the amount of cayenne for more heat but go easy, it gets hot in a hurry.
The Tahini: the lemon-tahini sauce is outrageously good - the recipe will make about ¾ cup (and you'll probably use it all and make it again the next day).
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2018/09/grilled-chicken-shawarma-with-lemon-tahini-drizzle.html