This easy chicken shawarma recipe uses a classic spice blend, fat rice, zucchini and my favorite street food white sauce. If you’re looking for low FODMAP dinner ideas, this one-pan meal is an easy, healthy pour-and-stir option. My gluten free chicken and rice recipe is a fan favorite!
If I’ve developed one signature dish in the past decade of running this site, I’d have to say it’s Chicken and Rice Casserole.This easy homemade chicken shawarma recipe is just the latest in a venerable series of mashups Gluten-Free Chicken Dinner Recipe.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane shall we?
it all starts here Provence Chicken and Rice Casserole Served with cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs and brined Nice olives. Arborio rice is perfectly plump in the time it takes for the chicken to crisp and tender. So why stop there, I asked?
An ode to the chicken and rice casseroles of the eighties that mostly used canned cream of chicken or mushroom soup for thickness and flavor, I decided to inspire the next generation of chicken and rice with one of my favorite Thai soups Casserole inspiration. Tom Kha Gai is a spicy, sweet, and creamy coconut milk soup.The zest of ginger (or galangal) and lemongrass, along with some fresh chives and scallions, is the perfect base for another stunning Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole.
Recently, I inspired a peanut butter version with another Thai dish that can also be low FODMAP: Chicken Satay Chicken Rice Casserole!
For today’s segment, though, I want to head to the Middle East and make a variation on one of my favorite street meats: chicken shawarma.
When I was studying abroad in Rome and doing a lot of cheap European travel, I basically lived off kebabs, the Turkish cousin of shawarma. I love the texture of spiced marinated meat mounded together and slowly crisped on spits around an open grill. Topped with diced cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, and slathered with white sauce, it’s one of my favorite sandwiches in the world (when I could still eat warm bread!).
This homemade gluten-free shawarma clearly lacks the traditional equipment and techniques of shaving to order. But with the right low FODMAP seasonings in the marinade, the end result tastes similar, and, it’s chicken and rice casseroles and more, it can be quickly and easily put together in the oven.
The marinade consists of fresh lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and paprika. Even with the acid, the meat can easily be assembled ahead of time and marinated overnight in the refrigerator. The spices do double duty when you mix the rest of the marinade into the uncooked rice mixture.
I added some zucchini to the rice as I try to add as much extra veggies as possible Low FODMAP Dinner Recipes. I also provide the casserole with the necessary garnish: a quick mix of cucumbers and fresh tomatoes. White sauce is optional, but it’s so easy to throw together—a combination of mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, and lemon juice—that you might as well go for it.
Entire meals can be low FODMAP friendly if you stick to the designated serving sizes. But if you don’t care, a little minced garlic is delicious in a marinade or sauce.
Finally, when the whole casserole comes out of the oven, you can skip the meat and serve right away. But I like the look of the chicken – certainly closer to a traditional shawarma – if you take the time to cut it into thin strips and serve it over rice.
This Chicken Shawarma Casserole is a complete one-pot meal, but you can always serve more veggies with a simple green salad on the side.just use my preferred Low FODMAP Salad Dressing!
More Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole Recipes:
If you don’t like chicken, try this Grilled Shrimp and Rice Casserole Recipe or this massaman style Beef Rice Casserole!
More low FODMAP dinner ideas:
Read on for the latest and greatest additions to my Chicken and Rice Casserole Hall of Fame, and let me know which dish you want me to inspire next – I’m always on the lookout for more low FODMAP dinner ideas!
With health and hedonism,
phoebe
Easy Chicken Shawarma Casserole (Low FODMAP)
serving size 4
raw material
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon chili
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 medium zucchini cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 ¼ cup arborio rice
- 2 cup Low FODMAP Chicken Soup
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or mint Divided into
- 2 Little Kirby Cucumbers chopped (for serving)
- 2 medium plum tomatoes chopped (for serving)
instruct
-
Marinate Chicken: Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add chicken and toss to combine. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 12 hours.
-
Preheat oven to 400°F.
-
Remove chicken from marinade, shake off excess, and transfer to a plate.
-
In bowl with remaining marinade, add zucchini, rice, chicken broth, and half of the parsley or mint. Fold ingredients together until well combined. Transfer to a 15-inch ovenproof skillet or 9 x 13 casserole dish in an even layer. Put the chicken thighs into the rice mixture.
-
Bake the casserole for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, prepare toppings: toss cucumbers and tomatoes with olive oil and salt (and a little lemon juice, if desired). Sprinkle vegetables over casserole.
-
Optional: If you like the look of the shawarma, you can remove and slice the chicken thighs and return them to the pot.
-
Sprinkle the cucumber tomato topping over the casserole and serve with the white sauce (see notes) and hot sauce.
notes
If you’re not following a low FODMAP diet, feel free to add a minced garlic clove or some garlic powder for flavor!
If you make it, please tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!
