chicken schawarma

Ingredients

chicken

• 1 lb. 10 oz. chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¾-in. piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (1½ tbsp)
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (1¼ cups)
• ¾ c. plus 2 tbsp. chicken stock
• ¼ c. parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ c. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

spice mix

• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• ¾ tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

serving

• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (mounded 1 cup)
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rounds (1 cup)
• ½ cup parsley leaves
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 8 pitas

tzatziki

• 1 cucumber, peeled and grated (¾ cup)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• ½ small garlic clove, minced (½ teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

Directions

marinate

• put the chicken into a large bowl with:
  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 3/4 in. ginger (grated)
  • ground spices (see above)
• mix to combine, then let marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).

cooking

• put 1 tbsp. of butter and 1½ tbsp of oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium-high heat.
• once hot, add 1 onion (sliced), and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• add the chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, until lightly brown
• add the stock, ¼ tsp of salt, and a good grind of black pepper.
• bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium.
• simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.
• increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened and reduced to about ¼ cup.
• remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes, then use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks.

tzatziki

• toss cucumber with salt in a colander, and let drain for 20 minutes.
• press lightly to extract excess water, then transfer cucumber to a medium bowl.
• stir in yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and dill.
• cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 1 day).

serving

When ready to serve, lay out the tomatoes, red onion, parsley leaves, mint, and sumac yogurt, along with the pita, to let everyone make up their own schawarma sandwich.