CHICKEN SHAWARMAS

A scrumptious recipe! I had never heard of 'shawarma' and it is one of the best street foods in the world, typical of Egypt. It is cooked in a similar way like doner kebabs. The marinade gives the meat a fantastic flavour. You can taste it already while you are cooking the chicken! It makes your mouth water. The first time I served it with Lebanese bread, but you can use pita bread or just served in a platter with other vegetables and pickles. 

INGREDIENTS

600g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 
4 big garlic cloves, crushed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 Tbsp Greek yoghurt
olive oil
Maldon sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper

To serve
6-8 round flatbread of your choosing
200g good-quality hummus or Greek yoghurt
4 large tomatoes, sliced, then each slice cut in half
1 large red onion, halved and finely sliced into half moons
1 small bunch of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
gherkins or cucumbers in brine, finely sliced

METHOD:
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Put all the spices, garlic, lemon zest and juice, yoghurt, a good drizzle of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a big bowl and mix well together. 

Using your hands, work the marinade into the chicken, ensuring it is mixed evenly and coats every exposed part of all the fillets. Cover the bowl with cling film and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

To prepare the rest of the ingredients, first cut the onion in half moons and put in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and about a teaspoon of white vinegar. Mix well and set aside.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

To cook the chicken, drizzle a little olive oil into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken - reduce the heat if the thighs begin to cook too quickly. Fry gently for 10-12 minutes on each side, or until the thighs have a nice, deep golden brown crust and are cooked through. When done, remove and cut the thighs thinly.

To serve, lay a flatbread on a plate or work surface. Spread the hummus or yoghurt across the half of the bread. Place a line of tomatoes down the middle.

Stack some shredded chicken over this, then follow with the onion.

Add some coriander and top with a few slices of pickled cucumbers.

Fold up the bottom of the flatbread, then fold over the sides to enclose the filling as tightly as possible. Repeat with the remaining flatbreads and filling.

To make eating the shawarmas a little easier, wrap the base with some doubled-up baking paper or a square of kitchen foil, to hold the juices in.

Serves 2 - 8

This time I made the pita bread and the hummus.