Chicken Shawarma Platter

As I have said many times before, I love a good salad platter for feeding a crowd (check out my other versions here). A beautiful spread with lots to offer so everyone can tailor their meal to their own tastes. This chicken shawarma version is particularly versatile and absolutely packed with flavor. It’s filling and hearty yet still light and refreshing for summer, with its bright sauces and crisp vegetables. Arrange everything on a pretty platter or board – or a rimmed baking sheet if you don’t have the right vessel. I starter of hummus or whipped fetawouldn’t go amiss, or some crispy pita chips to dip in the lovely sauces as well. In fact, you will love having both the tahini sauce and the tzatziki recipes in your back pocket – they are great on their own as a vegetable dip, sandwich spread or sauce.

I pile the platter with lots of tender butter lettuce, which can be used to build a salad or as an element of a pita sandwich. Really, that’s the great versatility here – make a sort of gyro folded into a pita or a delicious salad. Thinly sliced radishes add peppery crunch, and thin strings of red onion add a little spark – though soaking them in cool water for 15 minutes or so takes away the unpleasant bite. Slices of roma tomato and salty, tangy feta cheese are perfect toppers. The centerpiece of this meal is the spice-coated chicken breast. I start with thin sliced filets (purchased cut that way or regular breasts cut horizontally) so they cook quickly with lots of nice char on the outside. This is a great grill meal, but you can easily do it on the stove top with a grill pan or in a heavy cast-iron skillet. Heated to sizzling hot, they produce those lovely grill marks or a nice crisp exterior and with the thin pieces, they don’t burn before the center is cooked through. I slice the breasts on a slight diagonal into thin strips. Sprightly, nutty green tahini sauce adds lovely herby accents and beautiful green color while creamy, cool tzatziki brings everything together. You can easily double the chicken recipe, but the sauces will still be plenty.

Chicken Shawarma Platter

Serves 6

Green Tahini Sauce

1 ¼ cup flat leaf parsley (leaves and stems)

1 cup cilantro (leaves and stems)

1 clove garlic

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup cold water

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in the carafe of a blender and blend until completely smooth and combined and bright green. Transfer to a serving bowl or pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but it will keep for 2 days.

Tzatziki

1 English cucumber

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups whole plain yogurt (not Greek)

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

Grate the cucumber over a wire mesh sieve then toss with the salt. Leave to drain for at least an hour, tossing the cucumber around occasionally. Transfer the cucumber to a clean, thin tea towel and twist it to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Put the yogurt, oil and vinegar in a small bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Put the garlic through a press or mince it very very finely and stir into the yogurt. Shuffle the grated cucumber through your fingers to break up the clumps into the yogurt then stir with the fork to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but it can be made a day ahead.

Chicken Shawarma

4 thin cut chicken breasts, about 1 ½ pounds (or two chicken breast halves sliced horizontally into cutlets

1 Tablespoon coriander

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Put all the spices in a large ziptop bag, seal and shake to combine. Add the olive oil and lemons juice, seal and use you finger to smush everything together, blending the wet and dry ingredients. Add the chicken, seal again and use your fingers to rub the bag to coat the chicken with the marinade. Place on a plate and refrigerate at least 3 hours, but overnight I best.

When ready to serve heat the grill to high, or a grill pan on the stove or a cast iron skillet, whichever you use, sprayed with olive oil. Cook the chicken breasts on one side until it lifts easily from the surface, about 5 minutes, you want nice grill marks or char. Flip the chicken over and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and any juices run clear. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 3 – 4 minutes, then slice into thin pieces. 

For serving

Butter lettuce

Thinly sliced red onions that have soaked in water for 15 minutes, then drained

About 4 radishes thinly sliced

3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese

Pita bread