As I mentioned not too long ago, I binge-watched all episodes of Nadiya’s show Time to Eat, and shared some of her recipes here already. I have one more for you, her take on Chicken Shawarma. Could not be simpler. Season the meat, pack it inside a loaf pan (preferably cast iron), and stick it in the oven. Come back 40 minutes later to tender, juicy meat, full of flavor. We enjoyed it over Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash. Quite a delicious meal…
CHICKEN SHAWARMA, MADE EASY
(slightly modified from Nadiya Hussain’s recipe)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Heat the oven to 375F and lightly grease a] loaf pan (cast iron is ideal, but not mandatory).
For the shawarma, mix together the cornstarch, salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cloves, cayenne and cinnamon.
Put the oil into a bowl, then add the chicken and stir it around. Add the dry spice mix and stir to coat all the chicken pieces well. Layer the pieces of chicken in the loaf tin and press down, then bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
When the chicken is ready, leave it in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, before inverting the pan on a serving platter. Careful, as the pan will still be pretty hot, especially if you used cast iron.
Serve right away with the side dish of your choice or flatbreads.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: When I watched the show, I kept telling myself there’s no way this could have a happy ending. It all seemed too simple. I doubted the chicken would be fully cooked, and expected it to have too firm a texture. But something told me to just give it a try. My main modification was to reduce the salt and the cayenne. I am not sure if it was a typo in the recipe as published in the site, but it called for 2 full tablespoons of salt and it was truly too much (I made this recipe twice, the second time with my regular amount of salt, and that’s the version I share with you today).
I forgot the cilantro when I brought it to the table, and quickly fixed the problem, because a bit of green adds joy to the picture. Give this recipe a try, and you won’t be disappointed. To see exactly how she does it go to Netflix (this episode). Around 6 min and 45 seconds she starts preparing it.
ONE YEAR AGO: Marshmallow Macarons
TWO YEARS AGO: Mango-Lime Macarons
THREE YEARS AGO: Honey-Glazed Sriracha Meatballs
FOUR YEARS AGO: Slow-cooker Braised Lamb Shanks
FIVE YEARS AGO: How about some coffee with your steak?
SIX YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Spiral Kick
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Carrot Flan with Greens and Lemon Vinaigrette
EIGHT YEARS AGO: Granola Bars
NINE YEARS AGO: Awesome Broccolini
TEN YEARS AGO: A Twist on Pesto
ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes
Bewitching Kitchen 
Interesting sounding recipe but what is the point of using a loaf pan? I am curious. Is there an advantage?
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes, it actually does something a bit different than if you simply laid the pieces on a roasting pan – it kind of “steams” it as it cooks, and the texture changes it. Nadiya compares it with those meats that are cooked in rotating huge spits (I don’t know the name of the thing, but they are popular in certain neighborhoods in Paris, we used to love those places) – that you shave off as they get ready. It is a simple way to achieve something along those lines.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always thought of those machines as vertical spit roasters. They’re common for shawarma across Israel and, I imagine, anywhere shawarma is common.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/optimal-automatics-g-200-autodoner-natural-gas-25-lb-vertical-broiler/604G200N.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeap, that is it… of course it won’t be exactly the same, but sort of bringing that huge thing home, this does a good job 😉
LikeLike
I served shwarma at a party last summer, using a horizontal spit on my gas grill. Not the same, but it worked.
LikeLike
Isn’t it a great dish. Love the way it cooks together like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeap… read ,my reply above, in case you did not watch Nadiya’s show, it explains a bit more the idea behind the method.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am slowly catching up with the episodes
LikeLike
What accompanied your shawarma? Pita? Tehina or tzatziki? Salad items?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Farro and roasted squash only – I did not go super authentic with this
LikeLike
Absolutely love shawarma but as I have two fabulous spice merchants in Sydney and Melbourne have oft simply bought the fresh mix !! Well, am very grateful to receive ‘your way’ – as I have all needed at home this will be on the menu by the weekend ! And I also always have farro in hand and some butternut pumpkin in the house . . . so !!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
you are all set! I hope you like it, it does feel odd as you are making it, with all that feeling of “this is a strange way to do chicken” – but it worked well, I intend to make it again soon
LikeLike
Peter made this for dinner last night, and thanks you from the bottom of his heart that you adjusted the salt content. We had it with butternut squash and barley — absolutely delish! There is enough left over for dinner tonight, and will have it with raita and (very not traditional!) cheddar and jalapeno scones. Excellent recipe! A definite keeper.
LikeLike
I so want to make this! FWIW, I checked the online recipe from the Penguin House cookbook website that features Nadiya’s Time to Eat cookbook, and it only called for 1 TBL salt for 750 gm (26.5oz) chicken thighs. So I’m going with that.
Three questions: Is there a reason why you didn’t slice the thighs in half as called for in her recipe to make more layers? Did you slice off the cooked chicken in strips to mimic spit-roasted kebab meat like Nadiya did? And finally did you preheat your cast iron loaf pans (a brilliant suggestion, BYW) before adding the chicken? Thanks for the inspiration! I love visiting your blog.
LikeLike
(I meant BTW, not BYW)–sorry for the typo! 🙂
LikeLike
I too could not fathom 1 tbsp of cayenne for 1.5# of chicken, and reviewers elsewhere complained of too much salt. Thanks for making the corrections.
LikeLike
You are welcome… I do think some people might tolerate a lot more spice and salt because the more you use the more your taste buds get adapted to it, so I rather moderate 😉
LikeLike