I’m bringing this Center Jap avenue meals basic right into a bowl—grilled hen shawarma served over turmeric rice with selfmade tzatziki, a contemporary tomato-cucumber salad, toum, pickled turnips and peppers, feta, and chickpeas. And sure, we’re making the hen shawarma from scratch—on the grill or grill pan!


What makes my Hen Shawarma Bowls stand out from the group:
- Protein-Packed: With hen, chickpeas, and feta, this bowl-style dinner supplies a hearty dose of protein. Prepared in about half-hour, it is good for weeknights, particularly should you make my hen shawarma upfront.
- Taste-Packed Hen: I marinate skinless boneless hen thighs in heat spices like cumin, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and cardamom, then grill them till completely juicy—both on the grill or a stovetop grill pan.
- Customizable: I present tricks to make it gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or spicy, so you may tailor it to your dietary preferences.
- Turmeric Rice Base: I sauté onions and garlic in ghee, then cook dinner basmati rice with turmeric and hen broth for a aromatic, golden base. It’s also possible to use my cilantro-lime black bean rice as a base.
- Recent, Crunchy Salad: I mix Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mint, and parsley with olive oil so as to add freshness and crunch to the hen shawarma bowl. My husband has not too long ago requested me to inlude extra salads to our weekly protein-packed dinners, and this recipe is shortly turning into a household favourite! It’s also possible to use my Greek salad right here.
- Do-it-yourself Tzatziki Sauce: I make a fast tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and cucumber for a creamy, tangy topping. It’s also possible to use your favourite store-bought model.
- Flavorful Add-Ins: I embrace store-bought toum, pink pickled turnips, pickled yellow peppers, crumbled feta, and chickpeas so as to add layers of taste and texture.
- Meal Prep Pleasant: I like this bowl-style dinner for meal prep—selfmade parts like hen shawarma, turmeric rice, and tzatziki might be made forward, and the remainder is store-bought. Every little thing retains properly and the leftovers style simply pretty much as good the subsequent day, so it’s good for simple lunches or fast weeknight dinners.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Proteins: Floor hen or turkey, lamb, shrimp, or steak work nice for this dish as properly! Observe the directions on how you can make the shawarma hen however substitute the hen with any of those proteins as an alternative.
- Rotisserie Hen: You should use rotisserie hen rather than the hen shawarma. Nevertheless, I extremely suggest making the hen shawarma recipe to expertise the complete dish because it’s meant to be.
- Different Veggie Components: It’s also possible to use pitted kalamata olives, roasted chickpeas, cilantro, sliced radishes, sauteed kale, contemporary arugula, chopped romaine lettuce, or uncooked spinach!
- Cheese: Haloumi contemporary or grilled is a good substitute for feta!
- Grains: I like to recommend common white rice, couscous, bulgar, teff, brown rice, or quinoa as options to creating the turmeric basmati rice.
- Sauces: I like my selfmade tzatziki, however any tahini sauce, hummus, or savory yogurt primarily based sauce will work nice with this recipe! Chimichurri sort sauces additionally style nice!
- Smokiness: Mud the completed composed bowl with just a little sumac or paprika!
- Crunchy Chickpeas: Have you ever tried crunchy chickpeas that almost all grocery shops promote within the snack aisle? I like them! You may substitute the canned tender chickpeas I’m utilizing right here with the crunchy ones for a texture increase!
- Tip: the beneath photograph exhibits each single ingredient you want. Take a screenshot in your buying checklist!

Tips on how to Make Hen Shawarma Bowls
Notice: This can be a fast rundown of the recipe, full with useful step-by-step images! For the complete recipe & directions please scroll right down to the recipe card beneath.
- To make the turmeric rice, sauté diced onion in ghee over medium warmth till tender, then add garlic, cooking for an additional minute.
- Stir in turmeric and salt, then add the rice, toasting it briefly with the spices.
- Add a bay leaf and hen broth, deliver to a boil, then cowl and simmer on low for quarter-hour.
- Let it sit off the warmth for five–10 minutes earlier than fluffing with a fork and eradicating the bay leaf.


- For the fast salad, toss collectively cherry tomatoes, diced Persian cucumbers, chopped mint, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

- To assemble the bowls, begin with a scoop of turmeric rice, then high with sliced hen shawarma, tzatziki, toum, pickled turnips, pickled yellow peppers, crumbled feta, chickpeas, and the cucumber-tomato salad.
- End with lemon wedges and luxuriate in!

Variations
- Vegan: Exchange all animal merchandise with vegan ones! It’s going to style simply as implausible. I like to recommend utilizing tofu, eggplant, and mushrooms as subs for the hen and vegan yogurts are simple to make use of as properly. Swap the ghee for a plant primarily based butter and the hen broth for veggie broth. Use a vegan cheese you want just like feta or simply exclude it.
- Spicy: Add cayenne pepper, purple chile flakes, or harissa paste to your tzatziki or in your rice so as to add just a little kick to your hen shawarma bowl!
Storage Directions
- Refrigerate: You may both retailer all substances minus the tzatziki sauce collectively and maintain within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Make-ahead storage tip: I like to make use of mason jars to pre-assemble and retailer hen shawarma bowl substances if I’m meal-prepping: I layer all the substances, beginning with the wettest substances first: sauce, then the cucumber tomato salad, veggies, hen, and ending with the rice. This helps maintain the rice from getting soggy and absorbing all the sauce and if you flip it out right into a bowl, the layers will probably be reversed!
- I extremely don’t suggest freezing any of the substances for this recipe because it’s a meal greatest eaten contemporary.
Aspect Dish Suggestions

Hen Shawarma Bowl
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Components
For the turmeric rice
For the straightforward cucumber, cherry tomato salad
- 5 ounces cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ pound persian cucumbers or English cucumbers with the pores and skin eliminated, reduce into ¼” cubes
- 1 tablespoon mint minced
- 1 tablespoon parsley minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
To assemble
- 1 ½ kilos pre-cooked Hen Shawarma sliced and reheated or chilly
- 1 ½ cups tzatziki sauce
- retailer purchased toum or garlic unfold
- pink pickled turnips
- pickled yellow peppers
- 8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 7 oz canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (I used half of the 15 oz can of chickpeas)
- lemon wedges
Directions
Plan forward: Make hen shawarma and tzatziki sauce
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This recipe makes use of my selfmade shawarma hen and selfmade tzatziki sauce. You may discover each recipes right here. The hen must marinate for a minimum of 1-2 hours (or in a single day within the fridge) after which grilled. Plan accordingly. You may pre-cook the hen as much as 1 day upfront or marinate it, and cook dinner it together with the remainder of this recipe. It is as much as you.
Make turmeric salad
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In a medium pot, warmth the ghee over medium warmth. Add the diced onion and saute till translucent, however not browned.
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Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute, till aromatic.
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Add the turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 1 minute.
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Pour within the basmati rice, toasting and coating the rice with the spices for about 1-2 minutes.
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Put within the bay leaf and pour within the hen broth, stirring to mix all substances. Convey to a boil, then scale back the warmth to low, cowl, and simmer for quarter-hour undisturbed.
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Take away from the warmth, and let sit coated for an additional 5-10 minutes or till the liquid has been absorbed. Take away the bay leaf and fluff with a fork.
Make cucumber tomato salad
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Mix the cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, mint, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper to style in a medium bowl. Alter the seasoning and put aside.
Assemble
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Scoop the rice into bowls, and layer the hen shawarma, tzatziki sauce, toum, pink pickled turnips, pickled yellow peppers, feta, chickpeas, and a scoop of the cucumber tomato salad. Serve lemon wedges on the aspect
Notes
- Can I eat this scorching or chilly? Consuming this at room temperature or chilly are nice methods to take pleasure in this dish! I do desire my rice and hen to be heat, so I simply shortly heat them up within the microwave.
- Don’t elevate the lid or disturb the rice whereas cooking. This can launch the steam from the pot and may undercook the rice.
- As a result of this recipe is extremely versatile, be happy to make use of this as a base and add in your favourite toppings!
- If you wish to add some spices to your turmeric rice, be happy! I like to recommend cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and/or coriander.
- Storage Suggestions: Retailer the assembled hen shawarma bowls (minus tzatziki) within the fridge for as much as 4 days. I don’t suggest freezing—this dish is greatest loved contemporary.
- For meal prep, I like utilizing mason jars—layering from backside to high: sauce, salad, veggies, hen, then rice on high. This retains the whole lot contemporary and prevents soggy rice. Simply flip right into a bowl when able to eat!
- I present useful suggestions on the substances and substitutions above this recipe card – scroll up. I additionally present step-by-step images.
Limitless Bowl Choices: Combine & Match Concepts
- Proteins: Floor hen or turkey, lamb, shrimp, steak—and even rotisserie hen—all work properly right here as an alternative of my shawarma hen.
- Different Veggie Components: It’s also possible to use pitted kalamata olives, roasted chickpeas, cilantro, sliced radishes, sauteed kale, contemporary arugula, chopped romaine lettuce, or uncooked spinach! Or, use my Greek salad.
- Cheese: Haloumi contemporary or grilled is a good substitute for feta!
- Grains: Swap turmeric rice with white rice, couscous, bulgur, brown rice, quinoa, and even cauliflower rice. Or, make my cilantro-lime black bean rice.
- Sauces: Attempt hummus, tahini, garlic yogurt, harissa yogurt, or chimichurri as an alternative of tzatziki. Something creamy, tangy, or herb-packed works superbly!
You will want these provides:
- knife
- slicing board
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- medium pot with lid
- mixing bowl
Vitamin
Extra Bowl-Model Dinners
- Cilantro-Lime Hen Bowls with Rice and Peach Salsa
- Shrimp Fajita Bowls
- Candy and Spicy Salmon Bowls with Rice
- Floor Beef Ramen Bowls
- Greek Shrimp Salad Bowl
- Shrimp Avocado Mango Bowl

