We all know and love shawarma – what's not to love with seasoned meat in the middle of pita bread or wrap with vegetables and delicious white garlic sauce? Now think of shawarma in a bowl served with delicious yellow rice instead of the wrap. It can be a complete dish as there is rice, meat and salad, which makes it a convenient quick meal.
What Is Shawarma Rice?
There are two different types of shawarma rice; the Filipino and the Mediterranean – both adapted from shawarma, the traditional middle eastern street food. The concept is the same – spiced rice, served with seasoned meat, white sauce and vegetables, but the spices and seasonings are different. The Filipino version usually has beef tapa, while the Mediterranean version uses some of the original shawarma spices.
In this post, I will share a Mediterranean inspired chicken shawarma rice recipe. This rice dish combines different layers of Middle Eastern flavours to make a delicious but quick one-pot dish. The base of this shawarma rice is yellow rice, which originates in the halal carts popular in New York City. The yellow rice (also known as turmeric rice because it gets its bright colours from cooking with turmeric) is served with meat marinated in shawarma seasoning, salad of choice and a drizzle of shawarma sauce (garlic yoghurt sauce).
How To Make Chicken Shawarma Rice
Here are the ingredients you need…
Yellow Rice
Long grain rice
Oil
Onion
Turmeric
Cumin
Salt
Shawarma Chicken
Chicken
Allspice
Cumin
Garlic powder
Pepper flakes
Cinnamon
Coriander
Salt
Garlic Sauce
Greek yoghurt
Tahini
Garlic
Lemon juice
Salt
A few notes about the ingredients...
- Rice: Long grain like basmati or American long grain is best for shawarma rice. Golden basmati rice is my go-to for recipes that call for long-grain rice, and it has never failed.
- Chicken: Chicken breast is suitable for this one-pot recipe as you can cut it into small cubes for easy frying in the pan. You can substitute with other chicken parts like legs and thighs – you will need to marinate for longer to get the spices into the chicken.
- Shawarma seasoning: I had all the spices for the shawarma spice mix at home. If you don't have these spices, you could buy the pre-mixed shawarma seasoning from Amazon.
- Greek yoghurt: Can be substituted with natural yoghurt.
- Tahini: Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is traditionally added to shawarma sauce. It is readily available in supermarkets and online. You omit this ingredient if you can't find it – the white sauce will still be delicious.
How to make it...
Mix all the spices in a small bowl to make the shawarma seasoning.
Cut the chicken breast into cubes. Add into a large bowl and combine with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss.
Add a tablespoon of the shawarma seasoning into the mixing bowl. Toss until the chicken pieces are coated with the spices.
Leave the chicken for at least an hour to absorb the flavours.
While waiting, chop the onions, wash the rice, and make the white sauce.
Wash the rice in a bowl until the water runs clear. Pour in a colander and leave to drain.
Add oil into a saucepan under medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the chicken cubes. Use a spatula to separate the pieces.
Leave the chicken to cook for a few minutes, then turn so the other side gets a good sear. Continue to do this until the chicken cooks through with the outside perfectly browned. This takes around 15 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan. Keep aside.
Add the chopped onions into the pan and allow to cook until translucent and beginning to brown.
Add the turmeric and cumin. Stir until fragrant, this will take a maximum of 1 min.
Pour the washed rice into the pot and stir for the spices to coat, then add enough water to cook the rice (follow the pack instructions). Add some salt to taste and cover the pan.
When the liquid is dried, remove the rice from heat and leave for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.
To make the garlic sauce...
Chop the garlic and pour it into a cup blender. Add the tahini, yoghurt, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend. This step is to blend the garlic cloves well into the liquid. If you don't have or don't want to use a blender, crush the garlic very well and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
You can taste the sauce and add more lemon juice or salt. The sauce should be easy to drizzle from a cup or spoon. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to bring it to the right consistency.
Recipe FAQ
Shawarma is not complete without the salad. Make your favourite salad. Then, serve the shawarma rice by layering the chicken pieces over the rice on a serving dish. Add the salad to the side and drizzle the white sauce on top.
Don't assemble the dish until you are ready to eat. The chicken, rice and sauce will last 3-4 days in the fridge if they are stored separately in air-tight containers.
Related Recipes
Other Mediterranean recipes to try;
Chicken Shawarma Rice
Ingredients
Yellow Rice
- 1 cup Long grain rice
- 3 tablespoons Sunflower Oil
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- Salt to taste
Chicken Shawarma
Garlic Sauce
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons Tahini
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tablespoons Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Mix all the spices in a small bowl to make the shawarma spice mix
- Cut the chicken breast into cubes. Add into a large bowl and combine with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss.
- Add a tablespoon of the shawarma seasoning into the mixing bowl. Toss until the chicken pieces are coated with the spices.
- Leave the chicken for at least an hour to absorb the flavours.
- While waiting, chop the onions, wash the rice, and make the white sauce.
- Wash the rice in a bowl until the water runs clear. Pour in a colander and leave to drain.
- Add oil into a saucepan under medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the chicken cubes. Use a spatula to separate the pieces.
- Leave the chicken to cook for a few minutes, then turn so the other side gets a good sear. Continue to do this until the chicken cooks through with the outside perfectly browned. This takes around 15 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan. Keep aside.
- Add the chopped onions into the pan and allow to cook until translucent and beginning to brown.
- Add the turmeric and cumin. Stir until fragrant – 1 min max.
- Pour the rice into the pot and stir for the spices to coat, then add enough water to cook the rice (follow the pack instructions). Add some salt to taste and cover the pan.
- When the liquid is dried, remove the rice from heat and leave for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Garlic Sauce
- Chop the garlic and pour it into a cup blender. Add the tahini, yoghurt, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend.
- If you don't have or don't want to use a blender, crush the garlic very well and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- You can taste the sauce and add more lemon juice or salt. The sauce should be easy to drizzle from a cup or spoon. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to bring it to the right consistency.
Nutrition
Absolutely Delicious!!
I tested out his recipe and shared it with my children, who absolutely adored it. They even requested seconds. The garlic sauce complements salads and more perfectly. I am a huge fan of Eat Well Abi’s recipes!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5-star rating.
That's lovely! Thank you Jemima.
Delish
Thank you Jemima