Every month, The Green Kitchen will be sharing some of their ever-popular recipes with the BGS community! This week, Mrs Tombs (Deputy Catering Manager), shows you how to make Chicken Shawarma. Super Easy, this Mediterranean inspired dish is infused with everyday spices – the smell when cooking this is incredible…  

Ingredients

1kg Chicken thigh fillets with skin and bone removed. 

Marinade 

1lg garlic clove minced 

1tbsp ground coriander 

1tbsp ground cumin 

1tbsp ground cardamom 

1tsp ground cayenne pepper (reduce to half for less heat)

2tsp salt 

Black pepper to taste 

2tbsp lemon juice 

3tbsp olive oil 

Yogurt Sauce 

1 cup Greek yogurt 

1 clove garlic crushed 

1tsp cumin 

squeeze of lemon juice 

Method

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large zip lock bag (or bowl).
2. Add the chicken and use your hands to make sure each piece is coated - TIP I prefer to use a large zip lock bag, add the marinade and chicken, seal and then massage the bag to dispense and rub over each piece of chicken...far less messy! 
3. Marinate overnight or up to 24 hours. 
4. Combine the yogurt sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well, cover and out in the fridge - this can be made up to 3 days in advance.
5. Heat a griddle or heavy based pan on the stove on a medium high heat. You shouldn't need to add oil because the marinade has oil in and the thigh fillets contain fat, but if you are worried it might stick then lightly oil your griddle or pan.
6. Place chicken on the grill and cook the first side for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely charred, then turn and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes (the 2nd side takes less time). 
7. Remove chicken from the grill and over loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. 

You can bake the chicken in the oven if you prefer. However, I tend to find you lose the chargrilled flavour that really adds to this dish. If you wish to bake it then pop in the oven at 220c for 20-25 minutes until browned. As always with any chicken dish make sure the meat is cooked all the way through before serving. 

How to serve

1. Slice the chicken and put on a large platter with the flat breads and a bowl of the yogurt sauce. 
2. Take a flat bread, spread with a generous amount of yogurt sauce, top with lettuce and tomato. Lay the chicken across, roll up and enjoy!! 

At school, we also like to serve this dish with fried onions and peppers and a squeeze of lemon juice.