I am obsessed with Middle-Eastern sandwiches. I love falafel, shawarma, kebab, and my absolute favorite, shish tawook sandwiches. They are filled with so many unique flavors and ingredients and make me feel like I am back home in Palestine. This dish will not let you down and I guarantee it'll give you fond memories of the Homeland like it did to me.
You can also create a garlic sauce, or a spicy shatta sauce that I have opted out of making for this dish, which goes well with the sandwich.
The toppings in this dish are where you can get creative! Pickled items and cooler vegetables like cucumbers and lettuce go great with the spiced chicken!
One of the biggest ways I show appreciation for my culture is through the food I cook. It gives me an opportunity to really express myself and what I know about Palestinian cuisine. It also allows me to experiment with spices and ingredients that I am otherwise unfamiliar with in other dishes.
Food in the Palestinian culture is extremely important. It brings people together and its a way of sharing your blessings with others as you welcome them into your home. It's a part of my culture that I absolutely love.
Chicken Shish Tawook is different from Shawarma because it isn't shredded and is just cooked on a stove top versus a rotisserie-like shawarma machine. It has similar spices and toppings to shawarma, but in my opinion it is a much simpler way to enjoy a delicious sandwich!
Prep Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 People
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of Laban (or Plain Yogurt)
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Palestinian Spice (or you can substitute for mixed spice if you don't have any)
1 tsp. Middle Eastern Chicken rub
1 tsp. Chicken Shawarma spice
1 Tomato, sliced
1/2 Red onion, sliced
Pickled Cucumbers (Middle Eastern brand), sliced
Pickled beets (optional)
4 Slices of Thin Pita Sandwich Bread
4 Tbsp. Laban (or Plain Yogurt), divided
*Any extra toppings you'd like on the sandwich!*
INSTRUCTIONS
Clean and chop up chicken breasts into bite-size piece cubes. Place them into a medium-sized bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the Laban, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, Palestinian spice, chicken rub and shawarma spice together to create a chicken marinade.
Pour the marinade over the chicken breast and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to allow the chicken to marinate and soak up the flavors.
Once it is done marinating, heat up a large skillet, or a wok on the stove on medium-high heat.
Place the chicken in the wok and cook for about 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with no pink.
If there is any juice left in the skillet after this, discard most of it, leaving about 1/3 cup left in the skillet and continue to cook until there is no more liquid left with the chicken.
Heat up the bread to soften it, and add a Tbsp. each of the plain yogurt on each slice of bread.
Add the cooked chicken on top of that and add any toppings you would like to the sandwich.
Roll both sides up like a wrap and slice in half.
Enjoy!
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