Learn how to make the best Chicken Shawarma Bowl, a tasty Middle East delight made with perfectly seasoned chicken, hummus, and vegetables. You'll love this easy and hearty bowl for any lunch or dinner!
Why This Recipe is the Best
This Easy Chicken Shawarma Bowl is a total win in our kitchen—flavorful, healthy, and completely customizable. Inspired by the bold, warm spices of traditional Lebanese cooking, this bowl features juicy homemade chicken, creamy DIY hummus, and a tangy sauce that brings everything together.
It’s high in protein and super satisfying, making it perfect for dinner or meal prep lunches throughout the week. We especially love serving this when friends or family come over—everyone gets to build their own bowl with fresh veggies, fluffy rice or warm pita, and all their favorite toppings. It’s just as delicious as Hello Fresh’s Spiced Chickpea Bowl, but even better because it’s homemade!
You'll also love this tasty grain bowl Autumn Harvest Bowl, Mediterranean Bowl, or Bang Bang Shrimp bowl.
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Key Ingredients
Similar to a Buddha Bowl, this dish is filled with so many tasty vegetables, feta cheese, and perfectly marinated chicken.
- Chicken- Chicken thighs or breasts are best for this recipe.
- Onion- For best flavor use red onion and make sure they are thinly sliced
- Lemon juice- use either fresh squeezed or from the bottle.
- Garlic- For the strongest flavor use minced garlic, you can also use garlic powder.
- Spices- For that perfect Mediterranean spices this recipe uses cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (optional).
- Oil- Olive oil is best for this recipe.
- Rice- Cook the rice and serve warm in the bowl.
- Toppings- Our favorite toppings include green lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, Hummus, Tzatziki , Tahini dressing, Tahini sauce.
How to make Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Learn how to make a Chicken Shawarma Bowl with this easy-to-follow recipe.
- Start by adding the chicken, onion, lemon juice, and garlic in a gallon-size zip-top bag. Add the spices. Seal the bag and marinate for 2-24 hours. Don't worry if you don't have time to let it sit it, the chicken still tastes great when cooked immediately.
- Cook the chicken by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes and then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Slice into strips or bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble the bowl by adding rice and then topping it with the chopped lettuce.
- Add your favorite chopped vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes. Add hummus, tzatziki, and tahini sauce and dressing.
Hint: Don't overcook the chicken! You want it tender and if you overcook it, it will be tough and rubbery.
How To Assemble
Serve the Easy Chicken Shawarma Bowl by arranging it with tender shawarma-spiced chicken over a bed of fluffy rice and greens. Add fresh toppings like cucumber, tomato, and red onion, plus a dollop of creamy hummus and tzatziki for extra flavor. Finish with a drizzle of tahini dressing or tahini sauce and sprinkle herbs to bring all the flavors together!
Top tip
Make this bowl your own! Try different flavors by adding different types of beans or other sauces and veggies.
Recipe
Easy Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 3 Tablespoons oil for cooking
For the Bowl:
- green lettuce
- rice
- cucumber
- cherry tomatoes
- hummus (link)
- tzatziki (link)
- tahini dressing (link)
- tahini sauce (link)
- 4 cups rice
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Place chicken, onion, lemon juice and garlic in a gallon size zip top bag. In a small bowl, combine cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using) with a spoon. Place spice mix inside the bag with the chicken and seal the bag. Knead the ingredients around to combine. Ideally, marinade the chicken for 2-24 hours, however it is still quite flavorful when you cook immediately.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Slice into strips or bite sized pieces.
For the Bowls:
- Make rice and anything else: hummus, tzatziki, tahini dressing, tahini sauce or anything else you may need. Slice cucumbers and any other veggies being used. Layer rice and lettuce in a large bowl. Top with sliced cucumbers, chicken, hummus, tzatziki and any dressings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to play around with this bowl! Try experimenting with adding different types of beans or other sauces and veggies. The best part about this dish is how customizable it is!
- Be careful not to over cook your meat or it will be rubbery and tough instead of soft and tender. We highly recommend an instant read thermometer to get the chicken the perfect temeprature.
- My family loves this dish nice and saucy. We like it with alllll the toppings, hummus, tzatziki, tahini sauce, etc.
Nutrition
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Substitutions and Variations
We love the chicken in this recipe but you can also try some of these other high protein substitutions.
- Butter chicken- Use butter chicken instead of classic shawarma chicken for a more Indian-inspired dish.
- Beef - Use steak strips and marinate before cooking.
- Vegan- For a vegan twist, marinate sliced and patted dry tofu.
- Quinoa or couscous-Try serving on top of quinoa or even couscous instead of the rice base.
- Turkey or lamb- Both turkey or lamb make a great substitute for chicken. Marinate the same way you would the chicken.
Storing Chicken Shawarma Bowl
This is best eaten the day it is assembled. But, you can store each ingredient separately and enjoy this as a meal prep lunch or dinner. Be sure to store the chopped vegetables separately from the cooked chicken.
Andrea says
The chicken is so flavorful and it's such an easy meal to make! I love making this for meal prep.