Lebanese Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowls with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

For the Chicken Shawarma:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

For the Turmeric Rice:

• 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf

For the Garlic Sauce (Toum):

• 1/2 cup garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
• 2 tbsp ice water

For the Bowl:

• Pickled turnips (store-bought or quick-pickled)
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Warm pita bread, cut into triangles
• Sumac, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and all the spices. Add chicken thighs and massage the marinade into every piece. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes - overnight is even better.
2. Make the toum: In a food processor, blend garlic and salt until finely minced. With the motor running, alternate adding oil in a very thin, steady stream with a splash of lemon juice and ice water. The key is patience - the stream of oil should be no thicker than a pencil lead. If it breaks, don't panic: transfer the broken mixture to a cup, clean the processor, add one fresh egg white, and slowly drizzle the broken mixture back in. The toum should be thick, fluffy, and intensely garlicky. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Cook the rice: In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add rinsed rice, turmeric, olive oil, salt, and bay leaf. Stir once, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
4. Cook the shawarma: Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until smoking hot. Working in batches, add chicken thighs in a single layer. Cook for 5-6 minutes per side until deeply charred and the internal temperature reaches 175°F. The char is essential - this is where the shawarma flavor lives. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
5. Assemble the bowls: Divide turmeric rice among bowls. Arrange sliced shawarma on top. Add a generous dollop of toum, pickled turnips, diced cucumber and tomato. Scatter with fresh parsley, a sprinkle of sumac, and tuck warm pita triangles alongside. Serve immediately.

Pro Tips

Toum is the Lebanese garlic sauce that makes everything better - it's essentially a garlic mayonnaise without egg, held together by the emulsification of garlic and oil. The trick is a very slow oil stream. If you don't want to attempt toum from scratch, mix 1/2 cup mayo with 3 minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt for a quick version. For the chicken, a cast-iron skillet is your best friend - it gives you the closest thing to a vertical shawarma spit's char without special equipment. And don't skip the pickled turnips - they're the bright, tangy counterpoint that makes shawarma sing.