A lot of people call their Moroccan dishes “shawarma”… and obviously I’m guilty of this too; I jumped on the bandwagon to reel y’all in. But shawarma is actually meat thinly layered on a spit and slowly cooked and marinated… think gyro meat, but not gyro meat 🤪… This isn’t Greek nor served with tzatziki sauce. But shawarma is cooked in a similar fashion and sliced off of the sides of the slowly turning spit.
So, a lot of people mislabel their recipes as shawarma when they’re actually the furthest thing from shawarma. And, as I said, I jumped on the bandwagon. In reality, this is more of a Mediterranean dish with flavors of Morocco… It’s a fusion of Mediterranean flavors.
Yesterday, I talked about how my husband couldn’t stop talking about my vegetarian Mediterranean veggie sandwich… until he had this! This dinner is epic! And it may seem like there is a lot going on, but it all works really nicely together!
It has been ages since I marinated chicken in a yogurt sauce… if you’ve never tried a yogurt marinade, then this is a must! The nerd deets on using yogurt is that all those good probiotics in the yogurt help to break down the protein in the meat and make it nice and tender! Now, chicken thigh meat is generally quite tender and moist as is, but the yogurt marinade works really nicely with it!
Super neat trick for cooking meat on skewers during the middle of winter… Use skewers that are long enough to cover the width distance on your baking sheet. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up, and then, thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, laying the skewers propped up on the baking sheet edges. This allows for even baking all around without the need for enduring the cold and using your outdoor grill!
The chicken cooks in the same oven as the cauliflower, which I tossed with melted ghee, turmeric, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne ~ for a little heat. To be honest, my son was not a huge fan of the cauliflower, and he normally loves roast cauliflower. But, my husband and I loved it! It isn’t too spicy at all. But all the spices do come together nicely and are a nice change of pace from plain roasted cauliflower. Not to mention that the flavors meld really nicely with the chicken!
Now, you made find cooking the pearl couscous with turmeric a bit strange. I actually love adding turmeric to a lot of my pasta dishes/broths. The internet touts all sorts of benefits from turmeric, and it’s lately been the new American crazy. I personally love working with fresh turmeric when I can find it… I order off of Amazon when I can’t find it in my local grocery store. Turmeric is delicious in broths! Check out my Mi Quang recipe for a delicious turmeric broth! My point, though, is that turmeric can be a great addition to broths, and in this case, adding it into the broth while the couscous cooks means the couscous absorbs the turmeric and is nicely golden in color and flavor!
Lastly, to really make this dish sing, I whipped avocado, feta, yogurt, mint dill, and garlic together in my food processor. I coated part of the serving bowl with it and spooned the chicken on top. Each bite of chicken covered in a little whipped avocado feta is ammmaazzing!!
Lately, I’ve been on this roll of just randomly throwing some flavors together, and the dishes that have sprouted from working with my gut instincts have turned out to be so delicious! Every single item in this recipe works so nicely together! And, it’s super easy to throw together!
Tag me on Instagram if you make this at home, and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Moroccan-Style Chicken “Shawarma” with Golden Cauliflower, Turmeric Pearl Couscous, & Whipped Avocado Feta
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Mediterranean
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Marinated Chicken
1¼ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½” to 2” pieces
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
zest & juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB paprika
1 TB turmeric
2 tsps ground cumin
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
Golden Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
2 TBs ghee, melted
½ TB turmeric
½ TB paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
Pearl Couscous
1 cup uncooked pearl couscous
1½ cups chicken broth
½ TB turmeric
1 tsp salt
Whipped Avocado Feta
2 avocados, seeds and skin removed
6 oz feta
¼ cup yogurt
3 TBs fresh mint
2 TBs fresh dill
2 garlic cloves
large pinch salt & pepper
To Serve
handful arugula, if desired
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, minced garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, dill, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add the chicken and stir to thoroughly coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
When ready, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Thread the chicken pieces onto metal skewers long enough to reach across the width of a baking sheet. Place each skewer on the baking sheet width-wise, with the ends of the skews raised up onto the edges. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the ghee, turmeric, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. On a second baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets with the ghee mixture. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the second to lowest rack and bake for 10 minutes. Toss.
After the cauliflower has baked for 10 minutes, place the sheet of chicken in the oven on the middle rack and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
While the chicken and cauliflower cooks, make the pearl couscous. Heat the chicken broth in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in the turmeric and salt. When boiling, add the couscous and reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 5 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, cover, and turn the heat off until ready to serve.
In a food processor, blend together the avocado, feta, yogurt, mint, dill, garlic, and salt and pepper until smooth.
Dish… Smear the whipped avocado feta on half of each bowl and divide the chicken evenly on top of it. Divide the remaining half of the bowl with cauliflower and couscous. If desired, serve with arugula.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Mediterranean, Moroccan, chicken shawarma, Moroccan chicken, pearl couscous, turmeric pearl couscous, golden cauliflower, roasted cauliflower, spiced cauliflower, marinated chicken thighs, yogurt marinated chicken thighs, Mediterranean marinated chicken thighs, whipped avocado, whipped feta, whipped avocado feta
