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This One Pot Chicken Shawarma and Rice puts a twist on a classic Middle-Eastern street food with spiced chicken thighs, chickpeas and fragrant rice. Everything cooks in one pot on the stove so all those flavors meld together and make cleanup super simple.
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Pin ItWhy you’ll love this recipe
Chicken shawarma is a Middle Eastern street food cooked on one of those big rotating spits and shaved off onto flatbread or over rice and served with lots of toppings. This recipe borrows the flavors but changes the method to make it a little more home-cook friendly.
I feel like this is one of those dishes that you can easily convince everyone took hours to make when it really only took 30-40ish minutes. Twenty of those are hands-off too. It’s also a wonderfully balanced meal; you’ve got protein from the chicken thighs and healthy fats and carbs from the rice. And fiber from the chickpeas! I’m calling it now, fiber is going to be the new protein in nutrition pop culture…
Anyway, here are a few more reasons why I think you’ll love this One Pot Chicken Shawarma and Rice recipe:
- One pot = easy cleanup
- Customizable: serve it with a quick yogurt sauce, tzatziki, tahini, cucumber tomato salad, arugula, your choice.
- Perfect for meal prep. Keeps for about 4 days in the fridge and heats up nicely.
- Balanced and not too heavy : boneless, skinless chicken thighs are going to be less fatty than skin-on but still so juicy and delish.
The Ingredients
The ingredient list may seem like it’s on the longer side, but trust me, most of those are spices. Shawarma seasoning is probably my favorite mix of spices; it’s smoky, sweet, and a little nutty. And everything can be found at your local grocery store, so nothing too obscure. For me, that was HEB. (Because I live in Texas now! Crazy stuff.)
Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Thighs work particularly well in one-pot recipes because they stay juicy during the initial sear and the second stage of cooking with the rice.
Spices: Ground coriander, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric and just a little cinnamon give the chicken its warm, aromatic flavor. The cinnamon shouldn’t taste distinctly sweet—it rounds out the other spices.
Honey: A teaspoon is enough to balance the spices and help the outside of the chicken caramelize.
Lemon: The sliced lemon cooks directly on top of the rice, so the juice drips down and makes all those other flavors pop. I like to chop up the caramelized lemon slices and mix them in with the rice after cooking.
Shallots and garlic: These create the aromatic base for the rice and soak up all of the browned bits left behind from the chicken.
Long-grain white rice: Use regular long-grain white rice rather than instant or quick-cooking rice. Different varieties absorb liquid differently, so you may need a small splash of additional stock toward the end.
Chickpeas: Drain and rinse one 14-ounce can before adding it to the skillet.
Chicken stock: If you use low-sodium stock, make sure to add another pinch of salt. Water is fine too in a pinch.
How to make One Pan Chicken Shawarma and Rice (step by step)
1: Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken thighs to a large bowl with the coriander, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, olive oil, honey, lemon juice and salt. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the spices.
2. Sear the chicken thighs: Heat a large lidded skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes without moving them.
This is where you develop the deep golden crust that gives the finished dish so much flavor. Keep the heat moderate so the honey and spices don’t burn. Flip the chicken and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer it back to the bowl. It should still be undercooked in the center.
3. Sauté the aromatics: Add the shallots and garlic to the same pan along with a splash of chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet as the stock bubbles. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallots have softened.
4. Add the rice and chickpeas: Stir in the rice, chickpeas and remaining chicken stock. Nestle the seared chicken thighs into the rice and pour over any juices that have collected in the bowl. Arrange the lemon slices over the top and bring everything to a boil.
5. Cover and cook: Cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Keeping the pot covered traps the steam the rice needs to cook evenly. Check the rice after 20 minutes. If it is still slightly firm but the liquid has been absorbed, add another small splash of stock, cover and continue cooking for a few minutes.
6. Broil: This step is technically optional, but it’s worth doing.
Position an oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element and set the broiler to high. Remove the lid and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil for about 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the chicken, chickpeas and lemon slices are deeply golden in spots.
Finish with fresh parsley and flaky sea salt, then serve with plain yogurt.
What to serve with One Pot Chicken Shawarma and Rice
There are so many possibilities for toppings here. This recipe is great on it’s own with just a squeeze of fresh lemon or dollop of plain yogurt, but you can also experiment with all sorts of other sides without overwhelming any flavors. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Quick yogurt sauce: plain yogurt, lemon zest, a little olive oil and salt to taste.
- Tomato cucumber salad: finely chopped red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh mint and parsley. Marinate everything in a little olive oil, red wine vinegar or lemon juice and salt. Maybe a bit of sumac or even za’atar if you’re feeling fancy.
- Tahini dressing: smooth tahini blended up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt and sugar to taste.
- Green salad: arugula, mixed greens or any other light and crisp salad to balance out the richness of the chicken and rice.
Made this recipe? I would love to hear what you think in the review section down below! Also, make sure to tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram with your creations and save this recipe on Pinterest for later
One Pot Chicken Shawarma and Rice
Ingredients
Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Thighs
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Rice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 1/4 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
- 1 small lemon, thinly sliced
- Fresh parsley and plain yogurt for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a bowl, add the spices, olive oil, honey, lemon juice and salt. Toss until well coated (I use my hands).
- Heat a large lidded skillet or dutch oven over medium/low heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes or under deeply golden brown. Keep the heat down so they don’t burn. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes before transferring back to the bowl. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Add the shallots and garlic to the pan along with a splash of chicken stock to deglaze. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the shallots are soft.
- Add the rice, chickpeas and chicken stock. Nestle in the chicken thighs and pour over any juices left in the bowl. Arrange the lemon slices on top. Bring to a boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes undisturbed.
- Optional but recommended: Place a rack about 6 inches away from the heating element and set the broiler to high. Remove the lid and place the skillet under the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, until everything is a deep golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, flaky sea salt and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt (see note).
Notes
- If using low-sodium or unsalted chicken. stock, stir in another pinch of salt before nestling in the chicken thighs.
- For a quick yogurt sauce, mix about 1 cup plain yogurt (coconut works for DF) with a big pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil. Optionally add some chopped dill, parlsey and/or mint. See blog post for more serving ideas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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