easy chicken shawarma

 

We had a chicken shawarma platter from a food cart in Kauai recently and it was SO good.  We made our own platter at home which was just as good!  The original recipe for this chicken called that the chicken be cooked on a grill pan but we grilled it on an outdoor barbeque instead.

easy chicken shawarma (damn delicious)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, water, lemon zest, lemon juice...and spices.

Add the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight.

Drain the chicken from the marinade.

Preheat grill.

Grill until cooked through.

Serve with yellow rice, veggies, hummus and tzatziki sauce.

yellow shawarma rice

I looked for a yellow rice recipe to go with our chicken shawarma for dinner tonight.  This recipe was delicious!  I had run out of white jasmine rice so it was half white and half brown jasmine rice.  It just needed a little more time on the stove but worked out very well!

yellow shawarma rice (the sassy foodie) 

1 cup jasmine rice

2 cups water

1 tablespoon bouillon concentrate

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon salted butter 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt

Boil the water over medium heat.

Add the bouillon concentrate to the boiling water.  Stir to dissolve the bouillon into the water.  Add the spices to the water.

Add the rice to the pot, and top with the butter.  Turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and keep the rice covered for another 5 minutes.

Once the rice has cooked, take off the lid and squeeze the juice of a lemon into the rice.  Fluff with a fork.

slow cooker asian "short ribs"

 

Instant family favorite!

I used beef stew meat instead of beef short ribs for a leaner version.

slow cooker asian "short ribs" (damn delicious)

1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup beef broth

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 1 1/2 tablespoons)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I used 1 teaspoon ginger powder)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 pounds beef short ribs (I used 1.5 pounds stew meat)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves (I used cilantro)

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

toppings for a bowl:  rice, kimchi, sliced cucumber, thinly scraped carrots, diced avocado, roasted asparagus

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vegetable broth, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes.

Place short ribs in slow cooker.  Stir in soy sauce mixture until well combined.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water.  Stir in mixture into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley or cilantro or serve in a bowl which I highly recommend.