Oooh! Two of my favourite Middle Eastern foods baked together in one pan! This Baked Chicken Shawarma and Rice is made with chicken coated with Shawarma seasoning that’s seared then plonked on a fragrant rice with chickpeas before baking. When it’s in the oven, the the gorgeous juices from the chicken mingles with the rice, adding incredible flavour you just can’t buy!
My family will rib me for sharing yet another Middle Eastern recipe. And yet another one skillet recipe! I love that they have no control over what I post. Unlike deciding the menu for our regular family dinners. The number of emails that fly back and forth as we argue over what the menu will be and who is making what…..
Oh boy. It’s ridiculous. Absolute undeniable evidence that I was born into a foodie family!
Chicken Shawarma is one of my most requested recipes. By my friends, that is. No one in my family has ever asked me for this recipe. It’s a matter of principle. They can’t make fun of how often I make Middle Eastern dishes then come crawling to me for my secret Chicken Shawarma recipe!
It’s not-so-secret anymore anyway because I shared my stovetop / BBQ Chicken Shawarma recipe last year – you can find it here. Hmm. I wonder if anyone in my family has used the recipe? 😉
One of the reasons I love Chicken Shawarma so much is because I think that the effort vs flavour is off the charts. Just a handful of spices packs a serious punch! And it is spices that I always have in stock – cumin, coriander, paprika and cardamon. Sometimes I add cayenne pepper too, for a bit of a kick (I’ve made it optional for this recipe).
So it was just a matter of time before I created a one pot version of Chicken Shawarma. Well, not one pot. One skillet. At least, that’s what I used, but it can definitely be made in a pot too! In fact, this is ideal to make in a dutch oven. 🙂
The wonderful benefit of cooking the chicken and the rice together in one pot is that the juices of the chicken drips down into the rice as they cook. So basically, the rice is being cooked with the best stock in the world! There is so much flavour in the rice, honestly, I’d be happy to forgo the chicken and just have the rice for dinner!
Well actually, that’s just a blatant lie. I’m not passing on the chicken. I want BOTH!
The pilaf for this Baked Chicken Shawarma and Rice is adapted from a recipe by the great Yotam Ottolenghi, from his cookbook Jerusalem. It’s flavoured with a touch of cardamon and a couple of cinnamon sticks and the fragrance is delicate and exotic.
Because the spice rub for the chicken is so intense, it isn’t necessary to marinate for very long. Though it certainly would benefit from marinating overnight. As long as you get a bit of skin with each bite of chicken, there is plenty of flavour, so I rarely marinate it. I consider this Baked Chicken Shawarma and Rice to be my midweek version.
We’re half way through the week! Back Friday with something delish for the weekend. 🙂
– Nagi x
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One Skillet Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma and Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
Spice Rub
- 1 large garlic clove , minced (or 2 small cloves)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (or ordinary is fine)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Chicken and Rice
- 5 chicken thigh fillets , bone in, skin on - about 2 lb / 1kg in total (Note 1)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion , finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice , uncooked (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 - 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
- 400g (14oz) can chickpeas , drained (1 can)
- 1/4 cup raisins or sultanas (optional)
Garnish (optional)
- Yoghurt (plain, unsweetened. Greek yoghurt is great)
- Cilantro/coriander leaves , roughly chopped
- Parsley leaves , roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Mix the Spice Rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Slather onto the chicken, covering both sides.
- Optional: Marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (Note 3)
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until light golden brown.
- Remove chicken from skillet. Scrape off excess black bits stuck to the pan and discard, along with excess oil (but leave some to cook the onion).
- Add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 minutes until translucent.
- Add rice and stir so the grains are coated in oil and become a bit translucent.
- Add remaining ingredients. Place the chicken on top - it should be half submerged with the skin above the surface. Pour in the juices from the plate as well.
- Bring to simmer, then place a lid on (or cover with foil) and transfer to oven.
- Bake for 35 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the rice and mix the rice quickly (to evenly distribute flavour).
- Serve, garnished with cilantro/coriander and parsley if desired. I also like to serve it with a bit of plain yoghurt. (Note 4)
Recipe Notes:
- Drumsticks and large breast fillets - follow recipe
- Small to medium chicken breast fillets - bake for 25 to 35 minutes, so put it in the oven 10 to 15 minutes after the rice has been in the oven
- Boneless skinless thigh fillets - put in oven on the rice after the rice has been in the oven for 15 minutes
Also, if you want to make this with chicken breast fillets, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the Marinade, otherwise it will be too dry to sear. 2. This can be made with white long grain or medium grain rice. Jasmin and basmati will work too. Short grain white rice can be used as a last resort. This recipe is not suitable for arborio (risotto rice), calasparra (paella rice) or brown rice (takes too long to cook in the oven). 3. The flavours of the spice rub are quite strong. So as long as you get a bit of skin/chicken surface with each bite, there is plenty of flavour even without marinating. Plus, because it is half braised, there is extra flavour from the braising liquid too. 4. Yoghurt - you can fancy up the yoghurt a bit if you want. If I'm cooking for company, I will make a yoghurt sauce with 1 1/2 cups of yoghurt, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper. 5. This makes more rice than for 5 servings. I think it makes enough for 7 servings. 6. The nutrition analysis below takes into account that I discard 3 tablespoons of fat that rendered out when I browned the chicken and that this recipe makes enough rice for 7 servings.
Nutrition Information:
Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe! Loved the flavors and how easily the dish came together. Definitely a recipe I will come back to often. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Addie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish tonight. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Debra! N x
This recipe looks brilliant! I have a dutch oven but my actual oven doesn’t work at the moment. Would I be able to make this on a stove top? How would I adjust the temperature?
Hi Jit! Stove top will be a little trickier, what I would do is cook the chicken in the pan almost all the way through, then take it out, put the rice etc in, reduce the water to 1 1/2 cups of water (so total of 3 cups of liquid), then put the lid on and cook the rice on the stove on medium low. When most of the water is absorbed, plonk the chicken on top to warm through and so the juices drop into the rice. 🙂 The chicken won’t be quite as crispy because it gets crispy in the oven, but it will still be delicious!!
Wow, thank you so much for your help! Stove top was indeed much tricker but it was absolutely worth it. During cleanup, I deboned the chicken (thighs and legs), added the meat to the rice, and created a quick stir fry for our lunch today. These leftovers are amazing. The fat/juice from the chicken, raisins, cinnamon sticks, etc. really make the rice. I couldn’t find cardamom at my local supermarket and substituted with equal parts allspice/nutmeg. Thanks again for yet another deliciously complex yet easy recipe, Nagi! Can’t wait to try it with cardamom and you know, an actual oven. 🙂
YAY! So glad it worked out Jit!!! 🙂 N x PS I am impressed you were so determined to try this you made it on the stove!!
Delicious! My husband and two kids (4.5 and 2) gobbled it up! Problem is, there was WAY too much rice for the amount of chicken and I used six chicken thighs. I decided to make more chicken to finish up the rice for dinner the following night. I added some lemon zest in the marinade and used chicken drumsticks because that’s what I had. My husband grilled the chicken on the bbq. The combination of the added lemon zest and grilling the chicken that just made it even better.
The only thing is, we still have so much rice left over. Is there any way to cut back the rice in the recipe?
Hi Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed it! It is hard to make less rice because it affects the cook time overall so it can’t all be cooked at the same time. The rice keeps for a couple of days and is so yum to have as a side or toss through salads!
Really enjoyed this, thanks so much for posting it, my other half has said it might have even edged out his previous favourite chicken dish and that he was already looking forward to left overs tomorrow for lunch, so an absolute keeper. Didnt have chickpeas, used tinned brown lentils and added green frozen peas n beans for colour. Delicious.
Oooh, that’s a BIG CALL! Yay, so glad you loved it, thank you!!
“really good mum”….both boys demolished a large plate full I have done a similar dish with lamb mince always a hit,..
next week clients get this one. thanks heaps
That’s so great to hear Lucilla! I’m curious – what do you do for work? N x
Yet another great family dinner thanks to you Nagi – this was really tasty and so simple to make. I’ve made about 8 of your dishes now and every one of them has been a success so thank you. You should publish a hard copy recipe book, I’m sure it would be a hit here in the UK.
I have one question – with skin on chicken so much of the marinade flavour is in the skin and yet I worry that it’s unhealthy to eat the skin – would this recipe work with skinless thighs?
Hi Debra! Thank you for your wonderful message! 🙂 YES it works with skinless thighs. One of the reasons I pan fry the skin on chicken on a lower heat is to render out as much fat as possible before popping it in the oven. But I’ve definitely made this plenty of times with thigh too! And book, you say? On the cards!! I’m aiming to release my first one in the 3rd quarter of next year (thinking just in time for Christmas!!;) )
I made this tonight and it was very tasty but I used jasmine rice and it was definitely overcooked and super sticky and mushy. I also used chicken breasts and they ended up being quite dry. I baked it for 35 minutes and feel it maybe needed less time due to soggy rice and dry chicken 🙁 will try to remake it with thighs and less cooking time.
Hi Anna! Hmm, that’s odd. If anything, I would have thought jasmine rice would be slightly firmer. Was the rice fresh? As in, not sitting around in the pantry for ages? And definitely try it with thigh, it is MUCH juicier than breast!!
Hi, Nagi. I have a question about the liquid – in my experience cooking with jasmine rice, I use 1.5 cups liquid to 1 cup rice. I was just wondering if all the liquid in the recipe is necessary because of the chicken and other ingredients? Just don’t want to end up with soggy rice!
Thanks!
Hi Cris! You are absolutely right, it is usually 1.5 to 1. That is the ratio for stovetop for perfect (not soggy!) rice. There is more liquid in this because it is baked in the oven and so much liquid evaporates during the baking time when the lid is taken off. The rice is definitely not soggy. Being of Japanese background, I was brought up to be a rice snob. No soggy rice for me!! My mother would disown me if I did a recipe result in soggy rice!!!
Hi Nagi, I’m English but I live in France and I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your recipe for Shawarma Chicken! It was perfect, subtle but interestingly spiced – really delicious! I look forward to trying our more of your recipes and love receiving them each week. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I am envious of your life in France, I imagine it to be very exotic and romantic! 🙂
As much as I love Middle Eastern food, I rarely make it at home. This recipe may have to be tried and tested! Yum!
Really? I would have thought it would be a regular in your household! Let’s go get a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese fix in Redfern soon! 🙂
I have made this recipe twice since you posted it. The smells fill the house with the most amazing perfume. The rub is absolutely outstanding. Do you think that I could use it on another type of meat?
Hi Barbra! I’m SO GLAD you enjoy it!! Yes, the rub is fabulous on beef and lamb, though they can’t be cooked in this particular recipe because of the cooking time 🙂 It’s particularly good rubbed on beef or lamb and thrown on the grill. Or used to make koftas! I have a kofta recipe on my site. 🙂 SO GOOD! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! <3
I love Middle Eastern food!!! And love the idea to put the rice in with the chicken so smart that will taste amazing! 🙂
This looks delicious! I can see why your friends request this dish frequently. The spice rub looks especially yummy. I’ve never made this dish before, but after seeing your pictures and recipe, know I must try it!
Thanks Sarah!! I hope you do! Have a wonderful weekend – N x
FAMILY-SCHMAMILY!!
I have made your chicken Shawarma and it is D licious! So I am so happy to see you put it as a ONE POT meal! You have saved me with your FAMOUS one pot BIG flavor dinners! PLUS once you have the basic ingredients in your pantry, you can make many of these meals- and buy the better, cheaper chicken thighs and have them in your freezer 🙂 So I THANK you for another one pot meal 😉 Hey I make ‘Nagi’ dinners at least twice a week, and I live on the ‘right’ side of the world- HA! A few tips- if I may on making this chicken shawarma, for those who do not cook with chicken thighs or have not made ‘Nagi recipes’…. 1) make SURE your chicken is NOT frozen and 2) before you put chicken into the pan bring those thighs to almost room temp! LOL and and 3) do not be afraid to get the skin front and back nice and crispy brown- but not burnt and 4) RUB those spices INTO that chicken, almost massage it in, you will taste a fuller flavor- ALL my opinion and I thank you again Nagi for your recipetin recipes! MY family loves you and so do I…”the most pinned recipes-recipetineats’!
x from Lisa in a DRY ( 99 degrees yesterday!) and BROWN Portland- RAIN PLEASE! a true Oregonian!
You won’t be begging for rain in a few months when it’s freezing Lisa! All wonderful tips, thank you SO much for sharing your advice!! You’re such a great cook Lisa, and your family is so lucky. It makes me so happy to think that you’re making and enjoying my recipes! <3
Two of my favorite things as well! I could eat this cuisine every single day! Seriously can’t get enough of the bold flavors and warm spices! My hubby spent a lot of time in the middle east, so I know he’s going to LOVE this recipe of yours. And the fact that this is one pot makes it all the better!
I know, right? Spices….I just adore spices!!!
I love lamb shawarma, well, let me back up… I love lamb, chicken and beef shawarma! I always thought those are too complicated for home cooking! Thanks for breaking it down and sharing this recipe, Nagi! I can’t wait to try this. I have everything, but cardamom. How essential is this spice?
You sound like me!! I like fish shawarma too – you left that off your list!! <3
How did you know I was planning to make chickekn for dinner tonight, Nagi? I was going to make one of my kebab recipes but I must try this instead! Now to see what types of chicken I have on hand and whether I need to buy more. I’ll report back later, though I’ve yet to make a recipe of yours that hasn’t been 5-star!
Thank you Marlene!! I do hope you enjoy it! I had leftovers for dinner last night 🙂 I love the rice!! It’s so fragrant!
I made this last night with boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I marinated for several hours and thought it was okay but not as flavorful as I’d expected, based on the other comments and your description, Nagi. Perhaps the lack of skin and bones is the reason? I agree that the rice is yummy. I have leftovers and will make them in to a salad for my lunch tomorrow. Next time I’ll have to try bone-in chicken instead.
Hi Marlene! I’m sorry you didn’t think was a flavourful as you expected. I pride myself on big flavours so this worries me! Did you use 1 kg/2lb of thigh fillets? Because that would be more pieces than using bone in thigh fillets which means there is more surface area which means less spice rub on each chicken. That’s the only thing I can think! Looking at the spice mix, there are 5 1/2 teaspoons of spice in total (plus garlic) which equates to 1 teaspoon per chicken. Which is amount of flavour per piece, at least, in my books! Oh – the one other thing! Are you spices very old? Because especially these types of spices tend to lose intensity over time. 🙂
I used one pound of boneless thighs and the full spice recipe. Oh–I see I forgot the cayenne! No wonder it lacked some zip. I’ll try again with more spice rub and the cayenne, and maybe bone-in thighs. (My spices are pretty fresh; these are ones I use a lot!) Thanks for the suggestions.
Recipe sounds and looks wonderful. Will be making soon. If using breast fillets, would they need skin or can they be skinless?
Thanks,
new to your site and love it.
Hi Linda! Skinless will work ok too, just please be careful not to overcook it!! Baked chicken breast is terribly dry if overcooked and this recipe does not have a sauce 🙂
I love the flavors in this dish and the photography is stunning!!
Thanks Sabrina!