Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time:

20 Minutes plus overnight marinating

Cook Time:

30 - 40 Minutes

Serves:

6

Spending eight years in Dubai you get accustomed to the great outdoors even if the temperature reaches 57c in the summer with 100 % humidity. I became friend’s with a Sheik who owned an R.V. camp in the dessert in the northern Emirate of Ras al Khaimah. Where I was also the head of Food and Beverage in the hospital. We used to cook fish from the market, bbq chicken, vegetables around a fire pit fuelled with wood gleaned from the dessert. The winter was wonderful sitting out wrapped in a blanket on a star lit night, such a magical experience. This recipe saved us a trip into town. Served with bread, pickles, salad, garlic & chilli dressing, was the perfect late evening snack.

Ingredients

The Spice mix

4 x cardamon pods seeds removed
2 tsp x allspice whole
2 tsp x coriander seeds
2 tsp x cumin seeds2 tsp x smoked paprika (sweet)
1 tsp x turmeric powder
1/2 tsp x black pepper milled
1/2 tsp x ginger ground
1/2 tsp x cinnamon powder

The Shawarma

1.2 kg x chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of fa
60 ml x vegetable oil
1 x lemon juiced and zested
2 x tbs spice mix
6 x small / medium sized potatoes, washed, pricked with a fork and wrapped in foil
18 x bamboo skewers soaked in cold water
Sea salt

Method

The Spice mix

1 In a heavy bottomed pan toast the cardamon, allspice, coriander and cumin seeds on
a medium heat, be careful not to burn
2 Allow the spices to cool then add all the others and blend in a spice grinder, then pass
through a sieve.

The Shawarma

1 Marinate the chicken, lemon zest & juice, vegetable oil and spice mix overnight in a
covered bowl, you may want to wear gloves when mixing together
2 Push three skewers using the blunt end to form a triangle
3 Then push 1/3 of the chicken thighs flat on to the skewer
4 Push the second potato to secure the chicken tightly, repeat this process twice more
5 Season well with salt
6 Cook on a bbq turning regularly until thoroughly cooked, using a large heat proof lid will help with the evenness of the cooking if your bbq doesn’t have one

Chicken Shawarma