These shawarma-spiced chicken skewers are so simple to make, but bring big flavor to the table (spice blend included in the recipe). Made with chicken breast, these skewers need only a few minutes on the grill or under the broiler in your oven and they're ready to enjoy.
Shawarma spice is too good to be reserved solely for spit-roasted carved meat, which is on the inimitable side for the home cook (not that that'll keep us from trying...but not today, today we're going for easy). Shawarma spice is good on everything, from cauliflower to meatballs to pretty much any meat you can slap on a grill. Here, shawarma spices are going to be coating your juicy chicken. Sound good? Well, it's super simple.
To make a quick shawarma spice blend, you'll need ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and black pepper. (If you have a premade shawarma spice blend, this is even easier!) Blend with a bit of olive oil and coat the chicken with the spicy oil. Then, it's just a matter of chopping the onion and pepper (or any other veg you like—cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant are other good options).
After quick-marinating the chunks of chicken, thread them onto your skewers, alternating with veg. I used six skewers, which serves about four people. At this point, if you're making them ahead, you can stick them in the fridge for a few hours.
When you're just about ready to eat, heat up a grill or the broiler in your oven. These chicken skewers only takes a few minutes to cook on each side. If broiling in the oven, you can set the skewers on a rack or on an ordinary, lined sheet pan. Flip them over halfway through the cooking time, just as you would on a grill.
Shawarma Chicken Skewers (meat)
Equipment
- Metal or bamboo skewers
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp shawarma seasoning, or:
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil and spices in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the bowl, tossing to coat well. Set aside.
- Roughly chop the onion and pepper into cubes.
Assemble the skewers:
- Thread the onion, pepper, and chicken cubes onto the skewers, alternating until each skewer is full.
- Grill or broil the skewers for 3-4 minutes per side.
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