Chicken Shawarma with Tahini Sauce

We were recently invited to a friend’s house for a cookout to which everyone was asked to bring something to grill and share. Inspired by Tony’s book (Read our review here!) to expand our grilling repertoire, we wanted to do something other than our typical, but quite delicious, Quick and Easy Bacon Burgers.

This Mediterranean recipe took some advanced preparation, but was otherwise simple. Still, our friends were really impressed and they loved the flavors. We hope you will, too!

Ingredients
chicken shawarma
20 cloves garlic, chopped
4 lemons, juiced
1 C extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt
4 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp turmeric powder
4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tomato, chopped
1 or 2 heads of romaine lettuce

tahini sauce
1/2 C tahini
1/2 C water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed
pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Blend garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, curry powder, salt, pepper, and turmeric in a small bowl. Pat chicken dry, place in a large dish and pour the sauce over the chicken. (Alternatively, you could put everything in a large ziplock bag.) Allow the chicken to marinate overnight, up to 24 hours.

To make the tahini sauce, whisk the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Heat your grill to medium heat, about 350°F. Remove chicken from the marinade and grill for 10-12 minutes per side. We used this handy grill basket to hold and flip all the pieces at one time.

Cut and serve the chicken over lettuce leaves topped with tomato and tahini sauce.