Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowls
If you’re craving something bold, healthy, and super-delicious, these chicken shawarma bowls check alllllllll the boxes. Juicy chicken is served over a bed of yellow rice and topped with fresh and cool veggies, hummus, a velvety white sauce, and crunchy pita chips.
This dinner is a bit more work, but it’s worth it.
It’s been going strong for the last 5+ years at least and I see no signs of slowing down with it.
This recipe was inspired by the Middle Eastern shawarma plates we loved so much when we lived in Los Angeles. Minnesota doesn’t have quite as many spots (at least in our neighborhood!), but with a little bit of prep and a focus on the flavorful marinade, fresh toppings, and a variety of textures, you can enjoy the flavors of a shawarma shop at home.
The ingredient list is admittedly long, at least compared to most of my recipes, but a lot of it is spices you probably already have, and there are also some opportunities to lean on shortcuts and premade items. Take the shortcuts if and when you need them! It’s…
🍗 Flavor-packed: There is so much flavor in this meal. The spiced chicken is layered over yellow rice and topped with fresh veggies, pickled red onions, pita chips, and a drizzley white sauce.
😋 Seriously delicious: You read the description above, right? This meal has so many flavors and textures that all make it feel totally delicious and special.
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: While the list is longer than usual, there are also a lot of pantry staples and spices on the list. You can also use a premade shawarma spice mix if you don’t stock all of the spices.
⏱️ Quick & easy: This meal does take a bit longer (closer to 60 minutes), but can also be split up and prepped ahead to help it come together quicker. Nothing is complex or hard, but there are a few different components going on.
🍽️ Balanced meal: This meal has it all! Protein, fresh veggies, carbs, and flavor.
🌱 Customizable: Everyone can make their own perfect rice bowl at the table.
You’ll also want to try orange chicken, spaghetti with meat sauce, ground turkey tacos, and baked panko salmon.
Huge hit with the whole family. I halved the recipe and wish I had made the full amount for two meals as the kids were asking if there were leftovers the second day. I appreciate the balance of health, flavor, and simplicity in your recipes. They’re key to a busy family! –Karen
Ingredient Notes
The ingredient list is a tad longer than I typically like, but this meal is worth it, plus there are plenty of pantry staples on this list: chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), lemon, garlic, onion, rice, mayonnaise, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, pickled onions, pita chips, and spices.
- Mayonnaise – Kewpie mayo is highly recommended here! It helps create a super silky white sauce and has a delicious flavor. The white sauce is SO good, so I highly recommend making it, but if you’re short on time, you could also use tzatziki, it’s also delicious on these Middle Eastern chicken bowls.
- Hummus: I used prepared hummus to keep things easy, but you could make your own if you prefer! MN locals – we love Baba’s Hummus! It’s the smoothest around.
- Pita chips: The addition of some crushed pita chips takes these shawarma bowls to the next level. Simple, but they add wonderful crunch – it’s like a crouton on a salad! You could also serve them for scooping the whole mixture up. And they can also act as a side dish option for kids who may not be into the meal in its entirety. (Mine, cough cough.)
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: When I originally came up with this recipe back in 2021 it was part of a “cook once, eat twice” meal so if you have leftover chicken, it’s great served up in a fluffy pita wrap. Drizzle sliced chicken with white sauce, and top with a schmear of hummus, fresh lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
- Cooking methods: You could also grill or air fry the chicken thighs, cook until they reach an internal temperature of 185 degrees F (you can pull from heat at 180 and it will continue to rise a bit while it rests).
- Shortcuts: There are a number of components to prep so you could always skip the white mayo sauce and use a premade tzatziki! You can also look for other premade options for the hummus and pickled red onions.
- Feeding kids without pressure: This meal has so many different components, that it’s a great one to serve DIY family-style, so let everyone make their own bowl. If your kids don’t like any of the components, add some milk, fruit, and bread and butter if they don’t do rice – yet!
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Marinating Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sheet Pan
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
These chicken shawarma bowls are loaded with bold flavor, spiced chicken, fresh veggies, and a creamy white sauce. Delicious, healthy dinner!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs. chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 yellow onion, cut into half-moon slices
Rice
- 3 cups basmati rice
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
White Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (kewpie works well!)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (use lemon from marinade)
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds
- pinch of turmeric
- sprinkle of cayenne
Serving
- 1 romaine lettuce heart
- 2 cups sliced cucumbers
- sliced grape tomatoes
- prepared hummus
- pickled red onions
- crushed pita chips
Instructions
- Mix up chicken marinade. In a large glass bowl, combine the zest from lemon, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon. Add chicken into bowl, toss together to coat chicken, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Add turmeric before cooking for yellow rice.
- Spread out onions onto the sheet pan and top onions with marinated chicken thighs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain. (About 3/4-inch wide slices)
- While the chicken is baking, prep other ingredients for your bowls.
- Mix up the white sauce. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, caraway seeds, and a pinch of turmeric and cayenne pepper.
- Thinly slice romaine. Thinly slice cucumbers into half-moon shapes. Slice tomatoes.
- Assemble bowls. Scoop rice into shallow bowls. Top with sliced chicken and onions. Then add toppings as desired.
Notes
- You will probably have extra rice, it’s a lot but I’ve found our family struggles to find the sweet spot between 2-3 cups raw rice! Two is never enough and three is usually too much.
- Storage: Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat chicken in a 350 degree F oven or in a hot skillet until warmed through for best results. You can microwave, but it can toughen the texture of the chicken.
- Ingredient notes: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You could use chicken breasts, but the thighs stay so much juicier, which is why I use them here. If you do use breasts, be very careful not to overcook them as they dry out quickly. I prefer to use Persian or English cucumbers, which have a thinner skin that doesn’t require peeling. If you use a traditional cucumber, give it a peel and scoop out any excess seeds with a spoon. Lightly salt the cucumbers for the best flavor!
- Prep ahead: Mix up the marinade (or mix up the spice portion of it even further in advance). Make pickled red onions if using a few days in advance; these keep for a few weeks in the fridge. Make white sauce up to a day in advance.
- Special tools: A microplane zester is helpful here, and a shawarma spice mix can also cut down on individual spices if you don’t stock them all.
- Nutrition: Nutrition facts are an estimate.
Serving Suggestions
When I originally created this recipe, it was a “cook once, eat twice” meal for my meal plan group. We had one meal as rice bowls and one meal as pita wraps. There are many ways to enjoy this chicken shawarma:
- Salad: Turn it into a salad with extra lettuce, extra veggies, and maybe an addition of thinly shredded cabbage or a darker green like spinach or arugula.
- Wrap: Look for pita or naan bread that is pliable enough to use as a sandwich. (Some pita breads feel too crunchy to wrap and roll, so you want something really soft!) Drizzle with the white sauce.
- Rice bowl: That’s what we’ve done here with the yellow rice, veggies, and toppings. With the veggies and crunchy pita chips it’s sort of the best of both worlds.
More Chicken Recipes
If you like these chicken shawarma rice bowls, you might also like some of these other flavorful and balanced chicken dinner recipes. These are a few of our favorites!
- Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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I skipped the second meal and served it when we had family over, everyone loved it!
Huge hit with the whole family. I halved the recipe and wish I had made the full amount for two meals as the kids were asking if there were leftovers the second day. I appreciate the balance of health, flavor and simplicity in your recipes. They’re key to a busy family!
Thanks so much for your comment, Karen! I’m so glad to hear that the family enjoys this meal! 🙂
I really liked this meal! The sheet pan chicken is moist and flavorful and it’s a win since everyone can customize exactly how they want it. I couldn’t find pita at the store so we used Stonefire naan instead and everyone liked that a lot! I also happened to not have mayo in stock at home so we used sour cream for the white sauce instead and that worked in a pinch. We had leftover shredded lettuce from another meal and that worked great instead of the romaine hearts.
This is one of my favorite meals!!! We make this all the time.
This was delicious! 3 out of 4 of us loved, the 5 year old ate some of it deconstructed – a win! Cant wait for my lunch leftovers tomorrow. Thanks again!
Jealous of your lunch leftovers! Thanks so much Sarah, love that you (almost) all enjoyed it.