Chicken Shawarma {gluten free, healthy, keto-friendly}

If you’ve ever been to a Mediterranean restaurant, you are aware they have a lot of gluten free options, including a spicy chicken called Chicken Shawarma. Shawarma originated in Lebanon and is served widely in the Middle East. This chicken has a kick to it and is best served over white basmati rice or on a pita and topped with Kalamata olives, feta cheese, hummus, and tzatziki sauce.

My hubby traveled the Middle East for years with the Marine Corps and he raved about the food he was able to get on the streets, especially the shawarma. Since I love to cook and try new recipes, I accepted the challenge to create a chicken shawarma that not only tastes delicious, but one that my hubby approves of too! I started by creating a marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. I whisked all of these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and then added in the chicken and a large onion that I had cut into strips. Once it was all stirred together, I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge to marinate. Make sure you marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour to really infuse the flavors. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins

½ cup olive oil

2 lemons, juiced

2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pinch of cinnamon

1 large onion, peeled and cut into strips

Directions:

Prepare the marinade: combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and pinch of cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, whisk together to combine

Peel and cut onion into strips

Add chicken and onion to bowl with marinade and stir to combine

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to marinate

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with oil 

Add the chicken, onion, and marinade to the baking sheet, spreading it out so it is evenly distributed across the pan

Bake in the oven at 425 for 22-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (if using chicken breasts instead of tenderloins, bake 30-40 minutes)

Remove from oven and serve with white basmati rice, pita bread, tzatziki sauce, Kalamata olives, hummus, and feta cheese

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This chicken tastes great served cold on a salad with my homemade ranch dressing