Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Dill Tzatziki

Shawarma2Here in Atlanta, we are coming up on the hottest days of summer. It seems like it will be ages before it’s too cold to venture out to the grill. Nonetheless, we are seizing every chance we can to light up the coals. 

In a pinch (or in the winter), you could roast this chicken in the oven. But you’ll up with a deeper flavor if you can get it on the grill.

We hope you enjoy our take on chicken shawarma!

Difficulty: Easy
Time Intensity: Medium (Be sure to include marinating time.)
Equipment needed: Grill

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Ingredients:

Shawarma:

  • 1 c. full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 chicken breasts, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • salt and pepper to tasteShawarma3

 

Grill prep:

  • Nonstick grill spray
  • Wooden skewers, soaked in water for an hour or more

 

Tzatziki:

  • 1 c. full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp dill, chopped

 

Instructions: 

  1. Combine marinade ingredients and add chicken. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.skewer
  2. While chicken is marinating, prepare tzatziki by combining all of the ingredients. Return to the refrigerator until serving time.
  3. After chicken marinates, spray grill with non-stick spray and heat to medium-high.
  4. Thread chicken on skewers, but leave space between each cube of chicken. (Otherwise, you’ll end up with some pasty marinade in between.)
  5. Once grill is heated, grill chicken skewers for 4-5 minutes per side, flipping once, or until cooked through.
  6. Serve with chilled tzatziki.

Serves 6

Serving suggestion: Serve alongside this chickpea salad sans chicken. 

 

 

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