Comfy Belly

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Chicken Shawarma with Jeweled Cauliflower Rice

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Chicken Shawarma - Comfy Belly

Here’s a complete dish that’s great to prepare any time of year: Chicken Shawarma and roasted cauliflower rice with parsley, dried apricots and cranberries.

I can eat a huge bowl of the jeweled cauliflower rice with a generous serving of lemon yogurt on top and a tall glass of sparkling water, and I’m good. The chicken is for the omnivores, however occasionally I toss in a small slice of spice-coated chicken on top of my plate. While it’s the rice, apricots, and yogurt that send me over the moon, the chicken spice blend creates an amazing coating for the chicken that pairs so well with the sweetness of the rice and tartness of the yogurt.

There’s a healthy list of spices in this recipe, however I did leave out black pepper, but feel free to add a teaspoon of ground black pepper to the spice blend.

One last thing: here’s a video on two ways to smash garlic. I remove the skin by pressing the garlic cloves with a knife, and then toss the garlic in the food processor with the spices.

Chicken Shawarma - Comfy BellyChicken Shawarma - Comfy BellyChicken Shawarma - Comfy BellyChicken Shawarma - Comfy Belly

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Chicken Shawarma

This recipe is also in my cookbook,  Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet 2nd Edition, page 156.
If it's not summer by you, or you don't have a grill, you can cook the chicken at a broil setting in your oven: broil the chicken thighs for 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
I usually have whole coriander seeds on hand, and then grind them about halfway to powder consistency. This gives the chicken a bit of a crunch once it's grilled. If you prefer no crunch, grind the coriander and the other whole spices to a powder for a smooth paste. Whole spices are more potent than pre-ground spices, but it means a bit more work on your part. You can use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder (coffee bean grinder) to grind the whole spices into a powder. Or just use the pre-ground versions.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 528kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander options (I don't always have this and it still comes out great!)
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup high heat oil
  • 2.5 pounds chicken thighs deboned, skinless
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your grill to around 500ºF (230ºC, or gas mark 8). See recipe notes to broil the chicken in an oven instead of on a grill.
  • Place the garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, allspice, salt and oil in a food processor and pulse until you have a paste. Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle or a blender.
  • Trim the chicken of excess fat and coat it with the spice paste.
  • Grill the chicken for about 8 minutes on each side.
  • Slice and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.

Nutrition

Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 5mg

 

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Jeweled Rice

I use Turkish unsulphured apricots, which is why mine are a bit darker than most. For the cranberries, I use dried cranberries with no sugar added, and sweetened with apple juice and a bit of sunflower oil added to it.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 76kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups roasted cauliflower rice from my SCD book or try this recipe
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots minced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries minced
  • 1/2 cup parsley minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine the rice with the apricots, cranberries, and parsley.
  • Add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to your liking, and blend well.
  • Serve with lemon yogurt or fresh lemon wedges.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 812IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

 

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Lemon Yogurt

To make this lactose-free, culture your yogurt for 24 hours (SCD-style) or use dairy-free yogurt.
Servings: 16 servings or 1 cup
Calories: 10kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon parsley minced (optional)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients and blend well.
  • Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 10kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 24mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments

  1. I just made the chicken tonight, and it was some of the best chicken I have ever grilled. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!!!

    Reply

  2. Is there any way this could be baked instead of grilled? If so, what temp and how long would you recommend?

    Thanks, Cindy

    Reply

  3. Wow, this looks fabulous!! Love the idea of adding the cranberries and apricots, it must add a whole new dimension to this recipe.

    Reply

  4. I made this meal last night for guests and it was a big hit — kids and adults alike! The lemon-yogurt sauce really made it all come together, and I highly recommend the cauliflower rice. Delish!

    Reply

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