Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

This oven baked chicken has become my favorite way to cook chicken thanks to my sister-in-law, Gina. She finds the best recipes and then so kindly makes them for me and I get to share them here !!

The original recipe came from the New York Times Cooking website, it has gone through the "Laurie" filter to arrive at its present iteration.

Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma

• 2 pounds, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons, chopped fresh parsley ( optional)

For the marinade

• 2 lemons, juiced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced or grated*
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• A pinch ground cinnamon 
• Red pepper flakes, to taste  

1) Combine the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, then whisk to combine.
*The recipe asked you to mince the garlic, I have my secret way to avoid the tedious chopping: the micro-grater.
You can also see in this photo that I mix my marinade right into the glass pan I am going to marinate my chicken in.

2) Add the chicken and toss well to coat.

3) Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

4) When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 degrees.

5) Add the quartered onion to the chicken and marinade, and toss once to combine.

6) Remove the chicken and onion from the marinade, and place in an oiled baking pan.

7) Roast until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.

8) Serve with the fresh parsley sprinkled on top.


I love to serve the chicken with my coconut rice, it's also great with roasted vegetable.
While the recipe calls for the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, the next time I make it, I am going to try a using  bone-in chicken pieces.  If you try this,  increase your baking time by 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pieces.