Healthy Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowl Recipe
This Chicken Shawarma recipe is bright and flavorful with a delicious blend of herbs and spices, made with just the right amount of tang, and paired with cucumbers, tomatoes, quinoa, feta, a creamy dill yogurt sauce, and pita bread. I could not be more obsessed!
Here’s what I’m loving about it:
- The recipe can be made with chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Great for meal prep and make-ahead meals.
- Ready to eat in just 30-40 minutes!
- The tanginess and spicy kick can be adjusted to taste.
- You can use precooked quinoa or brown rice to save even more time.
- The bowls are quick, easy, healthy, and so flavorful!
If you’ve been looking for the best healthy grain bowl recipe, you’ll love the flavors in these yummy bowls!
RELATED: 15+ BEST Protein Bowl Recipes
Chicken Shawarma Bowl Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowls:
Chicken Thighs (Or Breasts) + Marinade
The star of the show – chicken thighs! I chose chicken thighs because I like the taste and texture of this particular recipe, but you could easily use chicken breasts. The marinade makes these chicken shawarma bowls so lively; ingredients include minced garlic, coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Quick View
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Minced Garlic
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Cardamom (or Cinnamon)
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Lemon Juice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Combined with the marinade, the chicken thighs are savory, with peppery turmeric and tangy lemon notes. For the absolute best flavor, I recommend you marinate the chicken for at least an hour (and overnight if possible for even more flavor).
Time-saving tip: Cook the chicken the night before so it’s ready for a quick and easy dinner the next day.
Grains + Vegetables
Now it’s time to add the hearty ingredients! To maximize freshness, keep the ingredients separated in food storage containers until you’re ready to serve the bowl.
Quick View
- Quinoa or Brown Rice
- Red Onion
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce or Spinach
- Cucumber
- Whole Wheat Pita
- Parsley
Time-saving tip: chop up these ingredients ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Yogurt Sauce
For the final (tangy) touch, prepare the yogurt sauce. Gather all ingredients (greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh dill, salt, pepper, water, or white wine vinegar) and whisk until combined.
Quick view
- Greek Yogurt
- Lemon Juice
- Minced Garlic
- Fresh Dill
- Salt
- Pepper
- Water or White Wine Vinegar
Time-saving tip: make the yogurt sauce ahead of time and store it in a food storage container.
How to make Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowls
This nutritious bowl will fill your stomach and be on the table in a flash. Here’s what you need to do to get the taste bud party started!
Do these steps the night before (or at least 30 minutes before):
- Mix the chicken marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Marinate the chicken overnight for maximum flavor (but at least for 30 minutes to 1 hour).
Tip: don’t have time to marinate the chicken? Marinate it while you prepare and measure out the other ingredients, then add the extra marinade over the chicken before baking and broiling.
Do these steps when you’re ready to eat:
- Place the oven rack 8-10 inches from the broiler.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking pan with foil and top with a metal, oven-safe wire rack.
- Bake chicken for 15 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler (500 degrees F).
- Broil for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through and ensuring that the chicken doesn’t burn to a crisp (some crispy is good, though!)
- Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for about 5-7 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking and broiling, prepare the bowls.
- Slice the chicken into strips.
- Add the chicken to the bowls.
- Drizzle the sauce over the entire bowl and enjoy!
Time-Saving Tips for Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- This meal is perfect for batch cooking for the week ahead. Batch cooking is one of my all-time favorite time-saving tips! The ingredients can be made in bulk and stored separately, only mixing them right when you’re ready to eat. Pro tip: use quality food storage containers to keep food fresh. I loved these Pyrex food storage containers because they’re sturdy and clear, so you can see inside without even opening them!
- You can save additional time by buying steam-in-a-bag brown rice or quinoa. One bag makes just enough for this recipe (4 servings) and takes 90 seconds to cook!
- Use high-quality, organic chicken for this recipe! Butcher Box is an excellent option for affordable, free-range organic chicken. Here’s my full review of Butcher Box if you’re interested in learning more.
- The chicken can be cooked the night before so it’s ready for a quick and easy dinner the next day!
How to store a Grain Bowl
If you want to make this recipe for easy weeknight dinners throughout the week or store leftovers for lunches, this healthy Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowl recipe reheats nicely and tastes amazing.
The best way to store this recipe is to keep the chicken, grains and vegetables, and yogurt sauce in separate containers until you’re ready to enjoy. You’ll want to heat up the chicken before serving leftovers, but you don’t want your cool cucumbers getting too hot. So when it’s time to enjoy your chicken shawarma grain bowl leftovers, heat the chicken and add the grains and vegetables on top, then drizzle the yogurt sauce.
Store all leftover contents in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days!
More Healthy Weeknight Dinners
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole
- Healthy Chicken Alfredo (Cauliflower Sauce)
- Butternut Squash Gnocchi
- Spicy Chicken Ramen
More Bowl Recipes
- Roasted Beets Bowls with Turmeric Tahini Sauce
- Chimichurri Chicken Bowls
- Taco Bowl Recipe
- Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
- Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Bowls
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to give it a rating below and tag your photos @jar.of.lemons!
Shawarma Bowl FAQs
Grain bowls can be enjoyed either hot or cold, depending on your preference! If you’re using freshly cooked grains and warm ingredients like roasted veggies or chicken, they’re great served warm. They can also be prepped ahead and eaten cold!
While chicken shawarma and gyros might look similar, they’re not quite the same! Shawarma is typically seasoned with warm spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric, giving it a rich, spiced flavor. Gyros, on the other hand, are usually seasoned with flavors like oregano and lemon. Both are delicious, but the flavor profiles are very different!
Shawarma gets its signature taste from a bold blend of spices like cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon. These warm, earthy spices combine with the slow-cooked, marinated chicken to create that irresistible shawarma flavor we all love!
Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
Grain Bowls (divide ingredients)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa
- 1 small red onion, sliced (optional)
- 1-2 cups sliced tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped lettuce or spinach
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
- 1-2 medium whole wheat pita
- fresh parsley (to taste, garnish)
Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill (or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill)
- 1 teaspoon water or white wine vinegar (to thin the dressing)
Instructions
- Mix together the chicken shawarma ingredients (except for the chicken thighs).
- Add in the chicken thighs, coating evenly in the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour (if possible), but up to overnight.
- Place the oven rack 8-10 inches from the broiler and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a metal, oven-safe wire rack.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler (at 500 degrees F).
- Broil for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through and ensuring that the chicken doesn’t burn to a crisp (some crispy is good, though!)
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for about 5-7 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking and broiling, prepare the bowls by dividing the bowl ingredients into 4 bowls.
- Slice the chicken into strips.
- Add the chicken to the bowls.
- Drizzle the yogurt sauce over each of the bowls and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This meal is perfect for batch cooking for the week ahead. Batch cooking is one of my all-time favorite time-saving tips! The ingredients can be made in bulk and stored separately, only mixing them right when you’re ready to eat.
- You can save additional time by buying steam-in-a-bag brown rice or quinoa. One bag makes just enough for this recipe (4 servings) and takes 90 seconds to cook!
- The chicken can be cooked the night before so it’s ready for a quick and easy dinner the next day!
Amy says:
Recipe was absolutely delicious & loved how easy it was to make
Jar Of Lemons replied:
Thanks, Amy! I’m glad you enjoyed this dinner recipe!
Angela Schippers says:
Thanks for the lovely recipe. I made it as described except added fennel instead of dill. Delicious supper. Will be making again.
Jar Of Lemons replied:
So glad you enjoyed this, Angela! Thanks for making it. 🙂
Laura says:
Absolutely fits my definition of healthy- cook once, eat amazingly thrice!
choptool says:
I will be making this on the weekends to enjoy a chicken dinner, thanks for the recipe.
Laurie Baker says:
Thanks for the chicken shawarma grain bowls recipe, I used lemon juice and added olive oil, it was deliciou.