Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken With Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
This beginner-friendly chicken recipe from Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life” (S&S/Simon Element, 2024), is inspired by spices often used in shawarma, and uses several easy tricks to ensure juicy meat with a nice char. The chicken breasts are pounded slightly, just until they are an even thickness throughout, so they cook quickly and uniformly. (You can skip this step if you’re using thighs.) The yogurt in the marinade does double duty: It tenderizes the chicken and adds a layer of protection between the chicken and the hot grill. The chicken is served with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and a quick, creamy tahini-yogurt sauce that pairs nicely with the warm spices. Should you have any leftover chicken, it would be delicious packed into a wrap with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and extra tahini-yogurt sauce.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 1teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground coriander
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½cups plain yogurt
- ¼cup minced yellow onion
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 3pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or a combination)
- ½lemon, for serving
- Fresh parsley or mint leaves (optional), for serving
- 1cup plain yogurt
- 2tablespoons tahini
- 1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½garlic clove, finely grated or minced
- Salt
Instructions
Step 1
Make the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, allspice and cinnamon with 1½ teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the yogurt, onion, olive oil and garlic; mix well, then set aside.Step 2
Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. If using breasts, cut the breasts in half crosswise, so you have one thicker, rounded piece and one thinner, triangular piece. Working in batches, place the chicken pieces on a large cutting board and cover them with a sheet of parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken until each piece is about the same thickness as the others, between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch-thick. (Be careful not to pound so hard that you tear the chicken.)Step 3
Add the chicken to the marinade and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.Step 4
Meanwhile, make the tahini-yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic; season to taste with salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.Step 5
Before grilling, let the chicken come to room temperature for 30 minutes. If using a charcoal or gas grill, clean the grates and brush them with oil. Set the grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan slicked with olive oil on the stovetop over medium-high.Step 6
Lift the chicken from the marinade (no need to brush off excess marinade) and grill until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes on each side, covering the grill halfway through, if necessary, to retain the heat.Step 7
Transfer the chicken to a plate, sprinkle generously with salt and squeeze the lemon half over the pieces. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or mint (if using) and serve the tahini-yogurt sauce on the side.