Served with veggies, tahini and fresh pita, these sheet pan chicken shawarma bowls are a satisfying dinner everyone will love!
I am a BIG FAN of Middle Eastern cuisine, and Toronto has some of the best authentic Middle Eastern food in Canada.
One of my personal favorites is shawarma, a type of shaved meat that's typically roasted on a vertical spit and served with fries or in a pita. It originated in Turkey, although a ton of Middle Eastern countries have their own variations. In Toronto, you'll typically find it served in restaurants or as street food. It's so delicious and I highly recommend trying it!
I wanted to put own spin on the dish with these sheet pan chicken shawarma bowls. I don't have a spit or rotisserie in my home so this recipe doesn't use traditional cooking methods. Instead, this recipe uses a unique, one-pan weeknight spin that incorporates the aromatic spices of coriander, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper - everything that makes shawarma so delicious.
Serve it with fresh pita, homemade tahini sauce, and fresh veggies for a balanced, tasty meal!
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Sheet pan dinner. I always gravitate towards sheet pan meals on weeknights because they're so easy and minimal mess.
- Balanced meal. Any grain bowl or power bowl is an amazing balanced option because they easily incorporate all the macronutrients. We have protein from our chicken shawarma, fibre from our veggies, and healthy fats from the sauce.
- Emotionally satisfying. There's nothing worse than finishing a balanced, healthy meal and still feeling hungry, or like there's something missing. That missing component is often satisfaction! These chicken shawarma bowls have a little bit of everything so you enjoy your meal and leave the table feeling satisfied. Healthy eating should taste good too!
Ingredients
Chicken thighs. I find chicken thighs provide the most flavour in sheet pan meals (as opposed to chicken breast). Look for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you do prefer chicken breast, chop the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes and follow the recipe as written.
Garlic. I recommend using freshly pressed garlic for the best flavour. If you don’t have any fresh garlic on hand, pre-minced garlic will work as well.
Spices. Middle Eastern cuisine is known for its heavily spiced dishes. We use ground cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, black pepper, ground coriander, onion powder and oregano.
Olive oil. Feel free to use any neutral flavoured oil of choice. I recommend extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Lemon. Fresh lemon juice is always best if you have it available.
Red bell peppers. Any colour bell peppers will work in this recipe, although I find red peppers are the perfect amount of sweet, whereas green will be a bit more earthy tasting.
Red onion. I highly recommend using red onion for the best flavour!
Cauliflower. Fresh or frozen cauliflower (or even riced cauliflower) will work. If you use frozen, be sure to defrost it first.
Rice. For our carbohydrate base. White rice, brown rice or quinoa will all work- feel free to use what you have on hand.
Tahini sauce. I love making my homemade tahini yogurt sauce, but a great storebought option is the Secret Foods tahini dressing.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
In a small bowl, combine spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, black pepper, coriander, onion powder, oregano). Set 1.5 teaspoon of the spice blend aside for the vegetables.
In a large mixing bowl, add chicken thighs, 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and the spice blend. Use tongs to ensure the chicken is fully coated. Set aside.
Spread cauliflower, red peppers and red onions on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1.5 teaspoon of spice blend. Toss to combine. Arrange chicken thighs amongst the vegetables, spreading the veggies to ensure the chicken is not covered.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in colour. If you would like the edges of the vegetables a bit charred, you can set the oven to broil for 3-5 minutes after baking.
While the sheet pan is cooking, prep your toppings and base of choice.
To serve, slice chicken thighs and arrange with the vegetables on a bed of rice and lettuce, add desired toppings and drizzle with tahini sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. If you are serving with pita, ensure that is gluten-free.
To make dairy-free: Use a dairy-free feta. My homemade tahini is not dairy-free, so I recommend this recipe.
To make vegan: Follow the dairy-free swap and substitute the chicken for chickpeas.
To make nut-free: This recipe is naturally nut-free.
Feel free to switch up the toppings and base ingredients as you wish. Quinoa, couscous or even air fryer potatoes would be another base option. Lettuce can also be swapped for another green of choice, or omitted.
Some other toppings I love are Mediterranean cucumber salad, olives, pickled red onions and hummus! If you don't like tahini sauce, I also love adding my Greek yogurt dill sauce or a balsamic dressing.
Equipment
Storage
This recipe is great for meal prep. Leftovers can be storedin the fridge for up to 3 days in airtight containers.
It is your choice if you would like to construct the bowls ahead of time for storage or store all ingredients separately- both options work great! Note that the lettuce may get soggy if stored with the chicken and vegetables for longer than 24 hours, so you may want to add that when serving.
Top Tip
For even more flavour, place the marinate the chicken with the spices, garlic, lemon and oil in a large ziploc bag for 2-24 hours.
Ensure your sheet pan is large enough to evenly spread all vegetables and chicken in a single layer. The components will cook most evenly if they aren't overlapping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Slice the chicken into 1 inch cubes before proceeding with the recipe. The cook time shouldn’t change.
More Power Bowl Recipes
I love a balanced bowl for lunch or dinner!
- Inside Out Egg Roll Bowls
- Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Mediterranean Grain Bowls
- Buffalo Chicken RIce Bowls
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make these sheet pan chicken shawarma bowls, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ ts salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of ½ a medium lemon about 1 tbsp
- 2 red bell peppers thinly sliced
- 3 cups cauliflower florets finely chopped
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
For serving:
- 1 cup dry rice cooked according to package instructions
- Tahini sauce see notes for recipe
- Pita bread / naan
- Fresh cilantro
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a small bowl, combine spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, black pepper, coriander, onion powder, oregano). Set 1.5 teaspoon of the spice blend aside for the vegetables.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chicken thighs, 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and the spice blend. Use tongs to ensure the chicken is fully coated. Set aside.
- Spread cauliflower, red peppers and red onions on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1.5 teaspoon of spice blend. Toss to combine. Arrange chicken thighs amongst the vegetables, spreading the veggies to ensure the chicken is not covered.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in colour. If you would like the edges of the vegetables a bit charred, you can set the oven to broil for 3-5 minutes after baking.
- While the sheet pan is cooking, prep your toppings and base of choice.
- To serve, slice chicken thighs and arrange with the vegetables on a bed of rice and lettuce, add desired toppings and drizzle with tahini sauce.
Jessica says
Absolutely delicious! This was fast, simple, and super flavorful. My kids loved it.
Jessica says
This was delicious. I ate it over salad instead of rice and made Tzatziki as dressing for it.
Claire Bishop says
This is such a flavourful weeknight dinner that came together effortlessly with minimal dishes! Easily made it on to our regular rotation of meals.
Claire Bishop says
Every recipe I make from this site is so simple and so delicious! This was such a quick and yummy weeknight meal- thank you for helping us with so many nutritious meal ideas!