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Middle Eastern: Shawarma-Style Chicken and Rice

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"The flavors of chicken shawarma, a street-food fave throughout the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, inspired this chicken and rice combo. Traditional shawarma seasonings—garlic, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and a touch of cinnamon—create a fragrant, flavorful dressing for the chicken. For fluffy rice that won't harden as it cools, boil the grains pasta-style in an abundance of salted water. Once cooked, spread them on a baking sheet to cool without clumping. Mix in crunchy sliced cucumbers and radishes, as well as juicy tomatoes and loads of aromatic fresh parsley (or try cilantro, mint, or a combination). A lemony-tart herbed yogurt drizzled on at the end pulls everything together. Rotisserie chicken brings this dish together fast, but leftover cooked chicken works great, too. You can substitute 6 ounces of English cucumber for the Persian cucumbers. To streamline prep, make the sauce and prep the vegetables while the water is coming to a boil."

List of Ingredients

Herb-Yogurt Sauce:
â—¦ ½ cup plain yogurt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
â—¦ 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint or cilantro
â—¦ 1 small clove garlic, minced

Chicken and Rice:
â—¦ 1 cup long-grain white rice
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt, plus salt for cooking rice
â—¦ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
â—¦ 1 teaspoon paprika
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
â—¦ Pinch ground cinnamon
â—¦ 3 tablespoons lemon juice
â—¦ 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
â—¦ 6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
â—¦ 2 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
â—¦ 3 radishes, trimmed, quartered, and sliced thin
â—¦ 1 cup torn fresh parsley


Recipe

For the sauce, whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

For the chicken and rice, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add rice and 1 ½ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender but not soft, about 15 minutes. Drain rice, spread onto rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon in medium bowl until simmering and fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Let cool slightly, then whisk in lemon juice and salt.

Combine rice, oil mixture, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and parsley in large bowl and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with herb-yogurt sauce.

Serves 4