Last summer, I was looking for a place to get some takeout lunch for picnic by the Monterey bay. I stumbled upon Dametra Fresh Mediterranean. Tried their Chicken Shawarma wrap with Tzaziki sauce. It was so good! Light, refreshing, and tasty. We went back to Monterey 3 more times over the summer, and every single time I had to stop by for the Shawarma wraps. This weekend, I tried my hands at this Mediterranean recipe for the first time. It turned out pretty good, good enough till I make another trip down to Monterey 😊.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp all spice
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne
- Additional olive oil to sautee chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Rrinse and pat dry the thighs and slice the thighs into 5 pieces each.
- Transfer all the meat into a large Ziploc bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil and the remaining spices.
- Pour the spice mixture over the chicken slices in the Ziploc bag.
- Seal the bag and knead the chicken until the slices are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
- Flatten the bag and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and brush it with olive oil.
- Arrange the chicken slices evenly spaced on the oiled aluminium foil.
- Roast the chicken slices for 15 minutes, turning chicken with tongs half way through the cooking. The chicken is ready when the juice runs clear.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Reserve the juices to sauteed the chicken.
- Slice each chicken into thinner, bite size pieces.
- Heat a skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Sauteed half the chicken pieces with half the reserved juices in the skillet for 3-4 minutes until the chicken pieces are golden and lightly crispy on the edges. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
- Repeat step 13 for the remaining chicken pieces.
- Serve with chopped lettuce and tomatoes, and Oven Roasted Vegetables [1] with Tzaziki sauce over Saffron Almond Rice Pilaf [2]. Alternatively serve with pita bread.