Chicken Shawarma

I found this recipe on my friend Tessa's cooking blog. She is the one that actually originally got me into the whole cooking blog, so thank you Tessa! Her hubby made this for the two of them a while back and it just sounded amazing. I was looking for something fairly easy to make, and quick too, and this just seemed perfect at the time. I have a few comments to make on the parts of the dish, but don't ready too heavily into my criticism and if you start you need to read the ENTIRE post to get the real outcome.

Let's start with the chicken itself. I, like Tessa and her husband, LOVED the chicken in this dish. It was to die for and could easily be eaten by itself. Next time I actually might combine the chicken with rice, hard boiled egg, and potatoes for a dish. Yes, I am sure that sounds weird, but it is actually pieces of authentic Indian dishes that my friend Debjani (from India) made for us one night. It would be a great combo. I will let you know how it works out. :) Speaking of Debjani, she was my savior for this recipe as she lives right below me in the apartment complex and I got home to realize that the recipe called for curry and I did not have any. Being from India, she has MANY kinds of curry, she gave me a simple chicken curry. Thank you Debjani!

As far as the sauce goes, I felt like it was trying to be tzatziki sauce, but fell short. I went to Kroger to find Tahini for the sauce and it took forever. Not to mention that when I found in a smaller jar was $8.00. I thought "wow" since I only needed 2 tablespoons and it was just for the sauce. The sauce was good, but it reminded me of yogurt (duh) with a hint of hummus (from the tahini). I think that it would have been just a tasty to use hummus for the sauce and would have been MUCH cheaper since the tahini would not have been necessary, but that is just me :)

I also added fresh mushrooms and onions to the mix, which was awesome. I could not find flatbreat at Kroger to save my life, so I bought wheat pita bread instead. They were small (all I could find) and while they went fine taste wise, they fell apart. In the end, the recipe was not sure whether it wanted to be Greek or Indian, lol.

Overall, I really enjoyed this recipe, it was easy, light, and the chicken was super yummy! I better get this post wrapped up as my cake in the oven is almost done. Smells soooo good! That post is soon to come along with a few more.

Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips (I just used thin sliced breasts)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. tahini
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
4 pieces whole-wheat flatbread (I used wheat pitas)
1 c. romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
chopped onion (I added)
chopped fresh mushrooms ( I added)

In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, curry powder, olive oil, salt, cumin, and minced garlic. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and 1 clove minced garlic. Set aside.

Spray grill grates with cooking spray and pre-heat the outdoor grill. Place chicken strips on the grill (can place on skewers if desired). Grill for 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked. (I did mine in the oven at 350 degrees until done, about 20 minutes)

Place pitas on grill rack and grill for 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Place 1 pita on each plate. Top with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and sauce and any extras you want.

Enjoy! Yum!