Weeknight-Friendly Shawarma Bowls Loaded with Bold Spices and Creamy, Crunchy Layers
The only thing I miss from my corporate work life is lunch breaks in downtown Minneapolis—specifically, the shawarma stand I frequented in the skyway. I was completely obsessed with their thinly sliced, deliciously caramelized chicken shawarma bowl served with the world’s fluffiest pita.
When I stopped working downtown, I made it my mission to recreate the takeout lunch I loved…and turns out, it’s even better at home! These Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowls bring back all the textures and flavors I loved from the restaurant—except now I have seconds whenever I want them. 😊
I spent a lot of time testing my Oven Roasted Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken until it came out tender and juicy with smoky caramelization around the edges. While the chicken bakes, your hands are free to simmer a pot of vibrant, fragrant turmeric rice and chop your favorite crunchy veggies.
The result is a texture-loaded, seriously satisfying weeknight dinner bowl that you’d swear came straight from your favorite shawarma stand!
Start With A Stunning Golden Turmeric Rice
Fluffy rice is the base of this chicken shawarma bowl…but it’s not just any rice! 😍 Taking an extra second to season basmati with fragrant cumin and turmeric adds a layer of warmth, making each bowl taste a little extra special. It’s a simple technique, with a big payoff in flavor.
Deeply Caramelized Chicken Shawarma—On a Sheet Pan!
Nothing beats the crispy, caramelized edges of chicken shawarma fresh off the spit, but this sheet pan version gets shockingly close. A hot oven keeps the chicken juicy, and a quick finishing blast under the broiler creates those sticky, golden edges everyone craves.
My popular 5-Minute Shawarma Marinade is made with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and turmeric for tons of flavor in a short amount of time. Combine the spices with other pantry staples, such as lemon, honey, olive oil, and garlic, and let the chicken soak up all of the flavors while the oven preheats (or up to 2 hours).
⏰Short on time? Feel free to skip the marinade and use your favorite pre-marinated meat instead! Trader Joe’s sells shawarma chicken thighs that work great in a pinch.
Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl Assembly
Now comes the fun part! With your chicken and rice ready, you can customize your shawarma bowl with your favorite toppings. I love shaved cabbage, cucumber, tomato, and quick-pickled red onions for fresh texture.
My 5-Minute Creamy Garlic Yogurt Sauce is also a must—the cooling drizzle brings everything together and balances out all the bold shawarma spices.
I can’t wait for you to try these Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls with Turmeric Rice! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowl with Turmeric Rice
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Entrée Salads & Bowls Recipes, Main Dishes
- Method: Oven, Baked & Broiled
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern-American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Skip the takeout—this Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowl delivers all the bold, roasted flavor of your favorite shawarma spot straight from your oven!
After a quick marinate, juicy chicken thighs bake on a sheet pan until tender and finish under the broiler for crispy, charred edges.
Pile it all over golden turmeric rice with fresh veggies and a Creamy Yogurt Garlic Sauce for an epic weeknight dinner (or next-day lunch) ready in no time.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (see Recipe Notes)
- shawarma marinade (below)
- turmeric rice (below)
- 2 cups finely shredded lettuce or cabbage
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1 Roma tomato, deseeded and diced
- Quick Pickled Red Onions
- 5-Minute Yogurt Garlic Shawarma Sauce
for the shawarma marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey (can substitute pure maple syrup or agave)
- ½ lemon, juiced (approx. 2 tablespoons)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
- optional: ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, as desired
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for the turmeric rice:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅔ cup basmati rice
- 1 ⅓ cup vegetable broth/stock or water
Instructions
- Prepare the shawarma marinade and marinate the chicken: Add all listed marinade ingredients to a large bowl or airtight container. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Whisk to combine well. Add the chicken thighs or breasts. Toss to combine, coating the chicken evenly. Cover or seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Dinner prep: At dinnertime, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, arranging the oven racks such that one is in the center of the oven and one is 4-6 inches under the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet, shaking off any excess marinade and arranging the chicken in an even layer. Set aside.
- Cook the turmeric rice: Add the oil in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the cumin, turmeric, and dry basmati rice. Stir well to combine. Toast the rice, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant. Stir in the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook 15-18 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to steam (with the lid on) for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Roast the chicken shawarma: Once the oven is preheated, transfer the baking sheet to the center rack. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the chicken is nearly cooked through—total time varies based on the thickness of your chicken. Remove from the oven.
- Finish under the broiler: Preheat the oven’s broiler to its highest setting. Transfer the baking sheet back into the oven, positioning it directly under the broiler. Broil 4-5 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken shawarma is deeply browned and caramelized. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Serve: Once the roasted chicken shawarma is cool enough to handle, slice into thin strips or dice into bite-sized pieces. Build a chicken shawarma bowl with turmeric rice, shredded lettuce or cabbage, diced cucumber, diced tomato, and sliced chicken shawarma. Top with a drizzle of yogurt garlic sauce, pickled red onions, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!
Equipment
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Great Jones Stainless Steel Saucepan
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Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I prefer using chicken thighs when I make chicken shawarma, since they’re super flavorful and stay really juicy through baking and broiling. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer—be sure to pound the chicken breasts out flat or butterfly them (slice in half lengthwise) to ensure they roast up evenly. Adjust cook times as needed to ensure the chicken is cooked through and skip broiling (Step 5) to avoid drying the leaner breast meat out.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: These chicken shawarma bowls come together pretty quickly, but a little meal prep makes them come together even faster on a busy weeknight. Get all the chopping out of the way ahead of time and all you have to do at dinnertime is preheat the oven and prepare the rice—easy!
- Veggie prep: Shred as much lettuce or cabbage as you’d like and dice 1 cucumber and tomato. Store in individual airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Toppings prep: If desired, prep a batch of Quick Pickled Red Onions and/or 5-Minute Yogurt Garlic Shawarma Sauce. Store in individual airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Storage and Reheating:
- Store leftover chicken shawarma, rice, vegetables, and other bowl fixings in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator. Everything will keep for up to 3-4 days. Easily build a bowl with the leftovers and reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
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Great flavors and textures (I added cabbage to my bowl). Don’t skip the garlic sauce! Loved the bites that the broiler hit the most.
This was so tasty! I know it’s a sheetpan recipe but I decided to grill the chicken as we’re having summer weather still and it was wonderful. I loved the flavors and as other’s mentioned, the yogurt sauce was delicious and tied the meal together really nicely. I look forward to doing again in cooler weather and cooking on a sheetpan.
Grilling the chicken is a great idea, Renee!! So happy to hear you loved the shawarma bowls as much as we do! 🙂
Talk about a flavor bomb of a marinade. It’s incredible. To make things easier for myself I prepped my pickled onions and marinaded my chicken the day before. 10/10 will definitely be making this on rotation.
Prepping the day before is such a smart move to make dinner even easier!! We love this marinade, too! 🙂
Yum!! Such a fresh and relatively easy dinner to whip up. Excited for leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
LOVE being excited for leftovers!! Thanks so much for the review, Alison!
So delicious and flavorful! It was even better leftover. Don’t skip the garlic yogurt sauce! I will definitely make this again.
So happy you loved the bowls and garlic sauce, Kathryn!! 🙂
Great meal to use up cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. Make sure you leave time to marinade the chicken – preferably a day before. I also made the rice when I was preparing the marinade. This saved a lot of time the following day. I really like the flavors of the marinade with the garlic yogurt sauce. Will make again!
So happy you loved the shawarma bowls and yogurt sauce as much as we do, Amy!! Marinating ahead of time definitely helps dinner come together quickly! 🙂
I love bowls and this was no exception. Made this yesterday and the only change was to cook chicken 10 minutes longer (may be my oven) and I used packaged cole slaw mix. I prepped over a few days-marinaded chicken in advance along with preparing the yogurt sauce and pickled onions. A little more complicated if done in one day for a weeknight meal. But, it was so good, chicken and rice were very flavorful. Bowls were crunchy, creamy, garlicky, and comforting. Even my picky nephew loved it and asked to take leftovers home. Will definately be making again
So happy to hear you were able to adjust the recipe to suit your needs and that you enjoyed it, Jeanne! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
Delicious! I made this tonight and it was devoured. My boys loved the flavors and tenderness of the chicken. The tumeric rice was a little extra work, but the golden color was beautiful. The garlic yogurt sauce was a nice addition. I added one chopped jalapeño pepper to the sauce to give it some kick. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you and your boys loved the shawarma bowls as much as we do, Eleanor! 🙂
Delicious and super easy! Will definitely make this again.
So happy to hear that, Karen!! 🙂