Grilled Chicken Shawarma
INGREDIENTS
Chicken:
2 lbs to 2 1/4 lbs chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, or skin on)
Shawarma Marinade:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons allspice
White Sauce:
Juice of one large lemon
12–15 garlic cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil or grape seed oil
DIRECTIONS
Soak skewers in water if using.
Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix, or pulse in a food processor to make a paste.
Rub chicken on all sides with the marinade and let sit at minimum 20 minutes (or up to 24-48 hours refrigerated). You can also cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and marinate for skewers.
Grill chicken on a pre-heated Grill, on medium-high heat, closing the lid to the BBQ, until all sides have nice grill marks, about 8 minutes each side. Move to a cooler part of the grill or finish cooking chicken in a 350 F oven until cooked all the way through ( 170F) , about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can bake the chicken thighs in a 375 F oven for 30-40 minutes)
Enjoy the chicken shawarma with rice and veggies, or as a sandwich with tzatziki, pita bread, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.
To make the White Sauce, place garlic, lemon and salt in a blender or food processor and pulse until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides. While the motor is going, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, blend for 20 seconds, then add another tablespoon of olive oil and blend for 15 seconds. It should be creamy. Very gradually add the remaining oil, a tablespoon at a time to keep that creamy emulsion. Pour into a bowl or jar and refrigerate until serving. (This will keep 4 days, refrigerated.)