Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time:

20 minutes, plus overnight marinating

Cook Time:

30–40 minutes

Serves:

6

After eight years in Dubai, I became accustomed to the great outdoors, even when summer temperatures reached 57°C with 100% humidity. I became friends with a sheikh who owned an RV camp in the desert in the northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, where I was also head of food and beverage at the hospital. We cooked market fish, barbecued chicken and vegetables around a fire pit fuelled with wood gathered from the desert. Winter evenings under the stars, wrapped in a blanket, were magical. This recipe saved us a trip into town. Served with bread, pickles, salad, garlic and chilli dressing, it made the perfect late-evening snack.

Ingredients

The Spice mix

4 x cardamom pods, seeds removed
2 tsp x allspice whole
2 tsp x coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp x turmeric powder
½ tsp x black pepper milled
½ tsp x ginger ground
½ tsp x cinnamon powder

The Shawarma

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

Method

The Spice mix

1 In a heavy bottomed pan toast the cardamom, allspice, coriander and cumin seeds over 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 skewers
4 Push the second potato to secure the chicken tightly, repeat this process twice more
5 Season well with salt
6 Cook on a barbecue turning regularly until thoroughly cooked; the thickest part of the chicken should reach 75°C for 30 seconds, using a large heatproof lid will help with the evenness of the cooking if your bbq doesn’t have one

Bring it to your table

Want Andy to bring these flavours to your own table or event? Get in touch to discuss the menu.