Chicken Shawarma Tabbouleh Salad

Last updated on March 12th, 2018 at 11:19 am

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.

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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!

5 from 3 votes

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Chicken Shawarma Tabbouleh Salad

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

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.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: 6

Calories: 503 kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For Chicken Shawarma

1. 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. 

2. Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. 

3. 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. 

4. Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Tabbouleh Salad

1. 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.

2. Add the bulgur to a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients. Toss well.

3. 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.

Recipe Notes

In the previous recipe for the chicken shawarma I mentioned adding the onion after the chicken marinated, but I have changed it here and added everything all at once. 

 

If you have an Instant Pot at home, try my IP Chicken Shawarma recipe for this salad.

 

You can use quinoa in place of the bulgur wheat for a gluten free version.

 

Use a larger baking dish if you're making 3 or 4 chicken breasts.

 

You can find the recipe for the homemade hummus here.

 

My favorite way to serve this is to make pita wraps by adding a bit of everything from the plate. It's to die for!

 

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

 

Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.

 

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