I saw this recipe for Shawarma Spiced Chicken and Tabbouleh in an issue of Waitrose Food magazine and it looked so delicious I decided to make it without having all of the ingredients including the shawarma paste! But I did have a pot of shawarma spice so I decided to make my own paste. Chicken breasts can dry out in a fan-assisted oven but in the Everhot they are always succulent and tender. Recipe serves 4 and takes around 15 minutes to prepare (if you use shop bought paste) and 30-40 minutes to cook, depending on your Everhot oven temperature and whether you choose to griddle instead. Great served with sourdough flatbreads.
Ingredients
For the shawarma paste:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp honey
- 1 tsp ginger
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 tsp shawarma spices
- 4 chicken breasts fillets
For the tabbouleh:
- 120g bulgar wheat, rinsed and drained
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
- 150g cucumber, chopped
- 100g pack of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 25g mint, chopped, plus leaves to serve
- 25g basil, chopped
- 2 lemons, 1½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt (I used Greek)
Method
- First make the shawarma paste. Place the ingredients into a blender and whizz together until they form a paste.
- Next, bring a pan of water to boil on the hotplate and add the bulgar wheat. Simmer for around 15 minutes. You can also drain off some of the water and put in the bottom oven at around 100ºC to simmer too. Once tender, drain off the water and rinse the bulgar under cold water. Tip into a serving bowl.
- Coat the chicken breasts in the shawarma paste. Heat a griddle pan until hot and add the chicken. Cook on both sides until completely cooked with juices running clear. You can also cook the chicken on a rack in a baking tray in the top oven at 200ºC for around 25-35 minutes – I think it tastes better cooked in the oven but it takes a bit longer that way.
- Add the onion, tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint and basil to the bulgar wheat. Toss with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season well.
- Divide the tabbouleh in to four individual serving dishes and top with a chicken breast and a dollop of yoghurt. Serve with a wedge of lemon and mint to garnish.