These easy Chicken Shawarma Bowls are delicious for dinner or meal prep. They have marinated chicken, veggies, couscous, and garlic sauce!
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken marinade
- Chicken cutlets – you could also use chicken thighs, or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best. Bottled lemon or lime juice can be used in a pinch.
- Cumin – ground coriander is the best substitute here.
- Turmeric – curry powder would also work, but will have a slightly different flavor.
- Smoked paprika – cayenne pepper would also help add some spice to your marinade.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Nutmeg – use allspice for a similar flavor.
- Cinnamon – add some more nutmeg or use allspice or cassia instead.
Couscous
- Pearl couscous – you could also make your bowls with quinoa, farro or rice.
- Salt – to taste.
Garlic sauce
- Sunflower oil – canola oil, avocado oil or olive oil would also work here.
- Soy milk – you can use any unsweetened plain dairy-free milk here.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best, but jarred minced garlic or garlic powder will work if they're all you have on hand.
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best. Bottled lemon or lime juice can be used in a pinch.
- Honey – add a bit of agave syrup for sweetness instead or leave this out altogether.
- Salt – to taste.
Toppings
- Red onion – white onion or pickled onions would also be good.
- Sumac – top with some lemon zest instead or leave this off altogether.
- Romaine lettuce – use any leafy green of your choice like iceberg lettuce or even kale.
- Cucumber – zucchini would be good here too.
- Plum tomato – use regular tomato or cherry tomatoes instead.
- Pickled turnips – regular pickles would also be yummy on these bowls.
- Parsley – you can leave this off, but the fresh parsley add tons of flavor.
How to make chicken shawarma bowls
Step 1: Marinate the chicken.
Add all the chicken marinade ingredients to a bowl or Ziploc bag, then add the chicken. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Step 2: Make the couscous.
Add the couscous, water and salt to a rice cooker or a pot on the stovetop and cook until the liquid has absorbed.
Step 3: Cook the chicken.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the marinated chicken. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked through. Let it rest, then slice against the grain.
Step 4: Make the garlic sauce.
Add all the garlic sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until thickened.
Step 5: Prep your toppings.
Sauté the onions and sumac in a skillet until softened, and prep any other toppings of your choice.
Step 6: Assemble your bowls and serve!
Divide the couscous among your bowls, then add the chicken and onions. Add any toppings of your choice, drizzle with garlic sauce and serve.
Shawarma bowl tips & variations
- Ingredient prep: Cut down on prep time by marinating the chicken, cooking the couscous, making the garlic sauce and chopping up all the veggies a couple days beforehand.
- Swap out the grains: Instead of couscous, try using brown or white rice, quinoa, farro or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- Add extra veggies: Throw in any extra veggies of your choice to these bowls – it's a great way to clear out your vegetable crisper! Bell peppers, olives, pickles, pickled onions, cauliflower and more would all be delicious.
- Try other sauces: Instead of garlic sauce, try using store-bought hummus and/or tzatziki.
- Repurpose the leftovers: Use any leftover chicken to make shawarma wraps, salad or loaded shawarma fries.
Frequently Asked Questions
These chicken shawarma bowls are an entire meal on their own, and you can add pretty much any toppings of your choice. If you're looking for side dish ideas, you can't go wrong with fries (or sweet potato fries for a healthier option), zaatar bread or homemade pita bread.
Yes! If you want to make a vegetarian shawarma bowl, swap out the chicken for tofu, chickpeas, lentils or falafel.
This recipe calls for chicken cutlets, but you could also use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise. Chicken thighs would also work, but cooking time may vary.
There are two ways you can prep these shawarma bowls. The first method is to ingredient prep, by marinating the chicken, chopping up all the veggies, making the garlic sauce and cooking the couscous, so all you have to do the day-of is cook the chicken and assemble your bowls. You could also meal prep the bowls, but I'd recommend keeping all the components (especially the garlic sauce) separately, as the sauce could make the rest of the toppings soggy.
Storing and reheating
If you have leftovers of these chicken shawarma bowls, you can store them in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. For best results and to keep everything as fresh as possible, I'd recommend storing all the components separately in the fridge, then assembling your bowls the night before or the day-of. You can eat them cold or reheat the chicken and couscous in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
While you can't freeze the entire bowl, you can freeze the chicken in the shawarma marinade for easy prep down the line! Freeze the chicken in the marinade in Ziploc bags or a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the chicken defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook as normal and use the chicken to make your fresh bowls.
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Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken marinade
- 1 lb chicken cutlets or chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Couscous
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup pearl couscous or white rice
- 1 pinch salt
Garlic sauce – to save time, use store bought hummus and/or tzatziki
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 tsp sumac
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 plum tomato diced
- 1 cup pickled turnips or regular pickles
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl or ziptop bag under the chicken marinade heading and let marinate for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add couscous or rice and water to a rice cooker and cook until liquid has absorbed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add chicken with marinade. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice chicken against the grain.
- Add a bit of olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat, then add onions, sumac and a pinch of salt, sauteeing for 5-10 minutes until softened.
- While chicken and onions are cooking, add ingredients for garlic sauce to a blender and blend for 30 seconds until thickened. At the same time, prepare toppings.
- Divide couscous among bowls, then divide chicken and onions. Add toppings, then drizzle with garlic sauce. Serve and enjoy!
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