Chicken shawarma bowls are as fun to make as they are delicious to eat! A base of rice, fresh veggies, and a great sauce brings it all together.
Craving a meal that’s bursting with flavor and packed with delicious ingredients? These Chicken Shawarma Bowls are your new go-to! With tender, well-seasoned chicken, vibrant vegetables, and multiple options for the sauce (I like tzatziki!), this recipe is sure to please. The shawarma chicken can be cooked in the oven or the air fryer, and the bowls are perfect to customize to your family’s tastes.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Are Chicken Shawarma Bowls?
These delicious Chicken Shawarma Bowls take everything you love about shawarma wrapped up in a pita, and serves it in an easy to eat rice bowl instead. Perfectly seasoned chicken, colorful fresh vegetables, and a tasty sauce to bring it all together.
Cooking Shawarma Chicken In The Oven
I love to bake these Shawarma Chicken Thighs in the oven. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because they have great flavor and stay juicy even with the higher cooking temperature.
Start by heating the oven to 450°F and seasoning your chicken. Some recipes use a marinade, but I don’t think it’s necessary when you’ve got a great blend of spices like cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne. Add the seasonings and some oil to a bowl, unroll the thighs, and toss them to thoroughly coat.
Place chicken thighs on a baking sheet and cook until browned on the edges and cooked through, about 25 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, cook your rice, get the vegetables prepped, and prepare your sauce. If you’re using something thick like a hummus, you will want to stir in some water until it’s thin enough to drizzle like a salad dressing.
After the chicken is out of the oven, slice it or shred it on a cutting board with two forks. Now you’re ready to put your shawarma bowls together!
Cook The Shawarma Chicken In The Air Fryer
If you don’t want to turn on the oven, you can also cook Shawarma Chicken in the Air Fryer.
Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer, unrolled in the air fryer. Cook at 400°F for 18-20 minutes without flipping, until no longer pink inside and well-browned outside. Super-easy!
Assemble The Bowls
I make my shawarma bowls with a base of white rice, though you could use brown rice or even a bed of lettuce or mixed greens if you’d like a shawarma salad bowl instead.
Add your shredded chicken on top of the rice along with your veggies. Then my recipe calls for tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, and red onion, but you could certainly substitute in your favorites.
Drizzle the sauce of your choice on top and then add in some crumbled feta cheese. Sauces I love for this include a Greek yogurt sauce like tzatziki, anything with hummus like this Lemon Hummus Dressing, or a tahini sauce.
You can add a squeeze of extra lemon juice or a wedge of pita bread if you’d like, but your delicious bowls are ready to serve.
More Chicken Recipes
Browse our full collection of chicken recipes or try one of these other great recipes next time.
Shawarma Chicken Bowls Recipe
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric
- Pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of cloves
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1/2 cup sauce, such as tahini sauce, hummus, garlic sauce, or tzatziki
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 bell pepper, seeded sliced
- 1/2 English cucumber, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup finely sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Combine the cumin, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, cloves, and olive oil in large bowl. Unroll chicken thighs so they’re flat. Add them to the bowl and toss to coat.
- Arrange chicken on a baking sheet and bake until browned at the edges and no longer pink in the middle, 23-26 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, cook the rice according to package instructions.
- While the chicken and the rice cook, stir the sauce that you’ve chosen to use. If it’s thick, stir in some water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make it thin enough to drizzle like a salad dressing.
- Once chicken is cooked, transfer chicken to a cutting board. Shred. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Divide hot cooked rice among soup bowls. Add a quarter of the chicken to each bowl. Divide the tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, and red onion among the bowls.
- Drizzle each with a quarter of the thinned sauce and then divide the feta cheese among the bowls.
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