Last updated on July 12th, 2019 at 08:05 pm
This Chicken Shawarma Tabbouleh Salad is super fresh and loaded with incredible flavors. The chicken is marinated in Middle Eastern spices, super moist and delicious served over the best tabbouleh salad and a side of homemade hummus.
Today I’m sharing with you a couple of my favorite recipes put together to show you how I love to eat my salads because a boring salad will not work for me but if someone were to serve me salads like this every day, I’d be eating salads every single day. However, unless I make this, nobody else will make it here, hubs would rather go pick some up than make it himself. Can’t say that I blame him, but he’s the first one to come to the table whenever I cook food like this because anything with chicken shawarma and hummus is at the top of his list of favorite foods.
I shared with you my recipe for oven roasted chicken shawarma a couple years ago and since then many of you have commented or written to me and told me how much you love this chicken. It’s been such a hit, that I now have a version using an instant pot! It’s no wonder you guys love it so much, it really is loaded with Middle Eastern flavors yet the spices used in the marinade are spices you probably already have in your spice cabinet. Remind me one day to show you a picture of my spice cabinet, it’s my pride and joy and thanks to hubs, it’s nicely organized and every jar is labeled.
Needless to say, I make this chicken often. I usually fill a jar of the dry ingredients mixed together and when I want to make this chicken I just whisk it with the olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and there’s your marinade. Easy peasy! I usually marinade the chicken for at least an hour, but I have marinated it overnight before and obviously the more the chicken marinates the better it will taste. Not to mention when you bake this chicken your house will smell incredible.
On to the tabbouleh salad. I’ve also shared with you my tabbouleh salad recipe before but I’ve changed it up a bit here, mostly only quantities of ingredients used. I love tabbouleh salad now, but I remember a time when I used to hate parsley, we’re talking a long time ago, when I was young and naive and my palette was lacking. But a long time ago a friend opened my eyes to tabbouleh salad and I never looked back. It was love at first bite, and that’s how my love with parsley started. Now I put parsley on everything, I buy it daily almost and it’s probably the most common herb used in my kitchen.
When I was putting this salad together I really wanted it to be a symphony of flavors, I wanted it to represent Middle Eastern way of eating, at least my vision of what Middle Eastern salads are like, which is why hummus was an integral addition to this salad. I also thought some Kalamata olives and feta cheese were kind of necessary here and then I just added an avocado, because I could. Oh come on, avocados are good for you! Oh yes, and the tiny pita breads are a must because then you can make tiny wraps with a bit of salad, a bit of chicken and some hummus, it’s the perfect bite!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Chicken Shawarma Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- juice from 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 large onion, sliced
Tabbouleh Salad
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 or 2 lemons, depends on size)
- 3 cups tomatoes chopped small
- 1 English cucumber chopped small
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 2 cups fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
Other Optional Ingredients
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- pita bread
- hummus
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
For Chicken Shawarma
- In a 8x8 baking dish add the smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, and whisk well. Add the chicken, sliced onion and toss making sure the chicken is well coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least an hour. The longer the meat marinates the more flavour you'll have.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees.
- Bake uncovered until the chicken is browned and crisp on the edges, and cooked through. It should take about 40 to 45 minutes. If you want the chicken crispier on top, turn the broiler on to high and broil for 3 minutes until nice and crispy on the outside.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Tabbouleh Salad
- While the chicken is baking, prepare the tabbouleh salad. Add the water to a small pot and bring to boil. When the water is boiling add the bulgur and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Stir occasionally. Let the bulgur cool before adding to the salad.
- Add the bulgur to a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients. Toss well.
- To assemble the salad, spread the tabbouleh salad over the bottom of a large shallow plate. Arrange with sliced chicken, sliced avocado, Kalamata olives and sprinkle some feta cheese over the top. Serve with hummus and pita bread.
Notes
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Martha Turek says
July 18, 2019 at 9:18 amCan you make this ahead of time ? Would like to make it for a work lunch. Also, can you make the chicken in the crock pot ? A little hot here to turn the oven on ! Thanks !
Nicole Beaulieu says
July 18, 2019 at 10:07 amYou can, but keep in mind your crock pot will create a lot more moisture and you won’t get the exact same results with crisp edges on the chicken.
jan says
May 19, 2019 at 6:52 amHi Jo . This recipe says it serves 6 people but only 1 lb of chicken, which is 1 xl or two small breasts – is that correct?
Joanna Cismaru says
May 19, 2019 at 9:31 amYes, because it’s in a salad. Anyway feel free to change the servings as you like.
MAHIN KAMRAN says
May 15, 2019 at 6:35 pmYour recipes are to die for jo!
Joanna Cismaru says
May 15, 2019 at 8:41 pmThank you!
Jo Bredwell says
December 17, 2018 at 8:30 pmThis is a fabulous recipe. All the flavors meld together perfectly. Just served this to a dinner party and had to give away my copy of the recipe. Love it!
jvl says
July 24, 2018 at 11:14 amI love the entire recipe, chicken, tabouleh and hummus. My entire family raves about it.
Sabrina says
July 7, 2018 at 9:48 amlove all of these ingredients, they basically cover all of the food types required by my diet on a daily basis and with flavor! Love the flavor with this chicken, thank you
Kat says
July 2, 2018 at 5:10 pmDo the onions get discarded after baking or added to the salad??
Nicole Beaulieu says
July 3, 2018 at 10:38 amThat’s totally up to you. I personally love the onions once they’re cooked down.
Janice says
May 29, 2018 at 7:58 pmI made this for dinner tonight and it was quite possibly the most delicious chicken EVER! I didn’t have any breasts so I substituted boneless skinless thighs and they were delish.
company search says
May 21, 2018 at 1:39 amThe salad looks so amazing! I don’t eat much salad but I will definitely try this. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
April 23, 2018 at 3:37 pmThis was DELICIOUS!!!
Joanna Cismaru says
April 24, 2018 at 9:02 amYay!
Aimee Mars says
February 21, 2017 at 6:07 amI just can’t do boring salads either and this one looks delightful, truly a symphony in a salad. All the flavors you used too are my current cravings so I’m thinking I need to place this in the salad rotation soon.
Joanna Cismaru says
February 21, 2017 at 11:34 amHope you try it, it was amazing.
Sherree says
February 17, 2017 at 11:43 pmHi Jo, I just made this tonight (all the way in New Zealand!!) and my family absolutely loved it!! So fresh and delicious!! Thank you!!
Joanna Cismaru says
February 18, 2017 at 5:20 pmHi New Zealand! So glad you liked it!
Claudia Phillips says
February 16, 2017 at 6:54 amI made this for company last night and it was a big hit! I mean, they couldn’t stop raving and saying that I could make this again for them anytime! I doubled the recipe for the chicken and lightly covered it with foil while baking. I made a similar Tabouleh, but used quinoa instead of bulgur wheat because some of my guests are gluten free. I served it with all the optional ingredients you listed. Absolutely delicious. I’ll be making this often. Thanks for a great recipe!
Joanna Cismaru says
February 16, 2017 at 12:00 pmMy pleasure, so glad you guys liked it!
Phyllis Mata says
February 9, 2017 at 8:15 amThe recipe doesn’t actually say to remove the chicken from the marinade, but I’m sure that’s what should be done, right?
I had this last night for supper and it was delicious.
Joanna Cismaru says
February 9, 2017 at 9:24 amYou don’t need to Phyllis, that’s why I prepared everything in the baking dish directly, there isn’t a lot of marinade, mostly enough to coat the chicken. It’s easier if you just prepare everything in the baking dish then bake it like that, less dishes to wash. Glad you liked it!
Phyllis Mata says
February 9, 2017 at 9:50 amOh good, because I didn’t remove the chicken from the marinade. When I thought about it later, I wondered if I should’ve. So happy to just throw the whole thing in the oven. The tabouleh was fantastic. I used a local Lebanese recipe for the hummus, and bought fresh feta from our farmer’s market. A really nice supper! Thank you,
Phyllis Belanger Mata
New Iberia, Louisiana
Joanna Cismaru says
February 9, 2017 at 10:02 amSo glad you liked it!!
Adina says
February 7, 2017 at 10:38 amNow that is a serious looking salad, I love it! The chicken is already on the list.
j says
February 6, 2017 at 6:05 pmTried this for dinner tonight. Absolutely fabulous! Made the easy hummus as well. Great flavors together. Gorgeous colors on the plate. Everything is easy to prepare. Made everything just as Jo posted with the exception of changing to chicken thighs. It was a hit with the whole family and everyone went back for seconds. Thanks for another great recipe Jo!
Joanna Cismaru says
February 6, 2017 at 6:40 pmSo glad you liked this!!
Scott says
February 6, 2017 at 7:37 amJo –
This Chicken Shawarma and Tabbouleh Salad dinner combo looks amazing. The photos have me salivating and imagining the exotic smell of the roasting chicken. I will be making this same dinner very soon (probably next weekend).
I subscribed to your daily email only a few months ago, but have already tried and saved a couple dozen great recipes. Cooking and eating delicious food would be so much easier, were it not for work, grad school and other pressing responsibilities! Thank you so much!
Fenne Kieken says
February 6, 2017 at 9:40 amGreat to have you as part of Jo Cooks and thanks for subscribing! You will love this recipe when you make it!
Sara | Last Night's Feast says
February 6, 2017 at 6:57 amI love this recipe. I was just talking about making shawarma the other day =)