Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma Recipes

Steps:

• Take a large resealable freezer bag and put the chicken thighs in it.
• Using a fine microplane grater (for choice), grate in the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemons and add the juice. Pour in the olive oil and add the garlic, then add all the remaining ingredients, except for those for the sauce.
• Squish everything about together, then seal the bag, place it on a plate or in a dish, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to 1 day.
• When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (350 degrees F)/gas mark 7, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.
• Tip the contents of the freezer bag into a shallow roasting tin--mine measures 44-by-34-by-1.5 centimeters (17-by-13-by-1/2-inches)--and make sure all the chicken thighs are lying flat and not on top of one another (if possible) before roasting in the hot oven for 30 minutes, by which time they should be cooked through (though obviously you must check) and golden on top.
• When the chicken's more or less cooked, make the sauce simply by combining the yogurt with the tahini and garlic, stir and salt to taste, and sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds.
• Line a platter or a couple of plates with crisp lettuce, shredded or torn into pieces, and then top with the piping hot chicken, pouring the oily juices over them, unless you are, for some inexplicable reason, anti-oily-juices. If you wanted to make the chicken go further, you could cut the thighs into chunky slices rather than leaving them whole. And please do add any of the suggested accompaniments, itemized in my introduction.

Steps:

• For the tzatziki: Mix together the sour cream, yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, serrano, cucumber, dill and parsley in a bowl with a spoon until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the hummus: Throw the chickpeas, tahini, Dijon, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, oregano and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth.
• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Spatchcock the chicken: Flip the chicken upside down so the breast is on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Season with the za'atar and heavily with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down while gently pressing it until the chicken is a beautiful dark golden brown and the spices are blackened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken skin-side up to a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Roast until the center of the thigh meat reaches 165 degrees F, about 25 minutes.
• Serve the chicken on a serving platter with the hummus, tzatziki and warm pita bread on the side.

Steps:

• Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 degrees. Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Add the quartered onion to the chicken and marinade, and toss once to combine. Remove the chicken and onion from the marinade, and place on the pan, spreading everything evenly across it.
• Put the chicken in the oven and roast until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest 2 minutes, then slice into bits. (To make the chicken even more crisp, set a large pan over high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then the sliced chicken, and sauté until everything curls tight in the heat.) Scatter the parsley over the top and serve with tomatoes, cucumbers, pita, white sauce, hot sauce, olives, fried eggplant, feta, rice - really anything you desire.

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, turmeric, and cinnamon in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and gently squeeze ingredients together until they are well blended. Add chicken thighs to the bag, squeeze out most of the air, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12x18-inch baking sheet. Spread onion slices over the bottom; add chicken thighs on top.
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven, about 30 minutes. Switch on the broiler and move rack closer to the broiler. Broil chicken until a light char develops, 2 to 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Garnish with parsley.

Steps:

• Take a large resealable freezer bag and put the chicken thighs in it.
• Using a fine microplane grater (for choice), grate in the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemons and add the juice. Pour in the olive oil and add the garlic, then add all the remaining ingredients, except for those for the sauce.
• Squish everything about together, then seal the bag, place it on a plate or in a dish, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to 1 day.
• When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7 (350°F), remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.
• Tip the contents of the freezer bag into a shallow roasting tin - mine measures 44x34x1.5cm/17x13x1/2in - and make sure all the chicken thighs are lying flat and not on top of one another (if possible) before roasting in the hot oven for 30 minutes, by which time they should be cooked through (though obviously you must check) and golden on top.
• When the chicken's more or less cooked, make the sauce simply by combining the yogurt with the tahini and garlic, stir and salt to taste, and sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds.
• Line a platter or a couple of plates with crisp lettuce, shredded or torn into pieces, and then top with the piping hot chicken, pouring the oily juices over them, unless you are, for some inexplicable reason, anti-oily-juices. If you wanted to make the chicken go further, you could cut the thighs into chunky slices rather than leaving them whole. And please do add any of the suggested accompaniments, itemized in my Introduction.
• MAKE AHEAD NOTE: The chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Store in fridge until needed.
• STORE NOTE: Transfer leftover cooked chicken to a container, then cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Will keep in fridge for up to 3 days.
• FREEZE NOTE: The chicken can be frozen in its marinade - as long as the meat has not been previously frozen - for up to 3 months. Leftover chicken can also be frozen, in airtight containers or resealable bags, for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in fridge before using.