• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Imagelicious.com

Delicious and easy recipes for busy people

  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Food Photography Portfolio
    • Product portfolio
  • Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Work with me

Everyday Chicken Shawarma and The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen Cookbook review

Published: September 24, 2018 | Last updated: January 29, 2021

FacebookTweetPin
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
This Chicken Shawarma is juicy, savoury, and extremely satisfying. Very little effort make this recipe ideally suited for a weeknight meal | imagelicious.com #shawarma #chicken #chickenshawarma #mediterranean #cookbookreview

This Chicken Shawarma is juicy, savoury, and extremely satisfying. Very little effort make this recipe ideally suited for a weeknight meal. The flavour is warm and bright and delicious! Scroll down for my review of The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen Cookbook by Samantha Ferraro.

Top down view of a bowl of chicken shawarma with some fresh veggies and baked pitas. A plate of baked pitas is next to the bowl

I was provided a copy of the cookbook for a review by Page Street Publishing. All the delicious opinions are my own.

This post contains amazon affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I will receive a small commission.

I don’t review cookbooks too often. Mostly because my obsession with cookbooks stopped a few years ago.

When I was just starting my culinary journey, I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars in a bookstore. Browsing and buying cookbooks.

I would spend long evenings leafing through my cookbooks. It was almost a ritual, sitting on the weekends and reading the recipes.

Then the Internet and Pinterest happened. Actually, even then I was still looking at the cookbooks. It was the popularity of smart phones and apps and instantaneous access to the magical wide web that made me stop obsessing about cookbooks.

And yet, I still can’t walk by a shelf of cookbooks without flipping through them. It’s just now I stopped buying all the cookbooks I see and I am very particular about what I want to have on my bookshelf.

Read my other cookbook reviews:

  • Coconut Lemon Bars and Simply Citrus Cookbook Review
  • Bumbleberry Pancakes and Bringing It Home Cookbook Review

A bowl of Chicken Shawarma with fresh vegetables and baked pitas. A closed cookbook from which the recipe was taken is lying next to the food

The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen Cookbook by Samantha Ferraro, founder of The Little Ferraro Kitchen, is exactly the cookbook I want to have on my shelf. No, not even on my shelf, I want it on my kitchen counter or kitchen table just so that I can keep it close by and cook from it again and again.

Samantha and I met on Facebook in the summer 2017 just as I was starting to work on my cookbook, The Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook. She asked a question on a photography forum that was so specific that it made me suspect that she was also working on a cookbook with the same publisher.

I sent her a message, she responded, and we’ve talked all through our respective creative processes, writing, recipe developing, photographing, and publishing of our cookbooks. And right when Samantha started showing her behind the scenes photo shoots on her instagram account, I knew that I wanted to have her cookbook in my possession.


The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen

The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen is a collection of 80 recipes, all of them are bright and flavourful and very accessible. The cookbook starts with a section on Mediterranean staples like Pomegranate Molasses and Tahini and then proceeds to describe a lot of spices and their uses.

Although, I am familiar with Mediterranean flavours, I actually very rarely cook that way at home, so it was fascinating and educational to read about the spices. I had to go and purchase many of them as I didn’t have them in my pantry. I am pretty sure I’m going to buy more of them as I will, no doubt, be cooking more from this cookbook.

Side view of the bowl of Chicken Shawarma

About The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen Cookbook

The cookbook has six chapters:

  1. Appetizers and mezze – Fast and fresh light fare
  2. The main meal – Easy and vibrant mediterranean dinners
  3. Soups and salads – Flavorful one-pot meal
  4. Vegetables, grains and pulses – Effortlessly healthy and wholesome eats
  5. Sauces, dips and spreads – Aromatic condiments to enhance any dish
  6. Sweets and sips – Light and fruity treats to satisfy your sweet tooth

I am looking forward to trying many of the recipes, notable:

  • Baked Feta Two Ways (page 22)
  • One-Pot Paprika Chicken with Olives and Orzo (page 49)
  • Turkish Lentil Soup (page 77)
  • Baked Orzo with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Halloumi (page 115)
  • Persian Style Eggplant and Yogurt Dip (page 156)
  • Mini Fig Tarts with Pomegranate Molasses (page 178)

A small jar of Zaatar spice mix with a spoonful of the mix in front of it on a napkin

It took a while to decide what to make from The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen cookbook. Every photo is so vivid and mouthwatering that I wanted to grab a spoon and dig in. Finally, I narrowed it down to Everyday Chicken Shawarma (page 62) which I served with Spiced Baked Pita Chips (page 42). And since the pita chips required some za’atar, I followed the recipe in the spice section of the cookbook (page 15).

I’ve never made my own za’atar blend and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create and how versatile it would be in the kitchen. I’ve had sumac at restaurants but never cooked with it before. I loved the sour tang of the spice in za’atar. So wonderfully refreshing.

We make our own baked pita chips at home all the time but I usually just bake the pita plain. Samatha’s recipe for Spiced Baked Pita Chips was a great way to elevate them. Made with za’atar, garlic powder, and cumit, the pita chips are crunchy and savoury, and, oh, so addictive!

A bowl of Chicken Shawarma with some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and pitas. More baked pitas on a plate next to the bowl. A cookbook with a photo of the same recipe is open and lying next to the food

How to make Chicken Shawarma

Everyday Chicken Shawarma was absolutely amazing. The chicken was juicy and the spices were warming, savoury, and extremely satisfying. It’s amazing how a recipe that requires so little effort could pack so much punch and flavour in every bite.

This recipe appealed to me since it didn’t require any grilling or stove-top pan-frying. Just as the concept of my cookbook, The Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook, suggests, I love cooking in the oven and this Chicken Shawarma is baked in the oven as most of my favourite dishes.

The recipe starts out with a delicious marinade. Chicken thighs are then covered in the marinade and left alone for a little while. Later on, you just bake, slice, and serve!

So, the steps are actually minimal and surprisingly simple:

  1. Make a delicious marinade, just combine the spices, chopped garlic, lemon juice, and oil.
  2. Add the chicken to the marinade, mix around and let marinade in the fridge.
  3. Transfer everything to a baking sheet and bake.

It’s so easy! All you need to do is make the marinade!

Closeup of a bowl of Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

Marinade for this Chicken Shawarma recipe is incredible. It’s full of bright and flavourful spices: sumac, pepper flakes, allspice, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon.

That tiny addition of cinnamon really brought the flavours to another level. It’s so subtle but it made the Chicken Shawarma so wonderfully spiced.

The spices are mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lots of chopped garlic. It’s really easy to make and the result is magical.

I have to warn you, the marinade for Chicken Shawarma smells heavenly! You just want to eat it with a spoon! I am sure it can be used on many other meats and proteins. I can even imagine some delicious eggplant roasted with that sauce. It’s just fantastic!

Ingredients for the Chicken Shawarma Marinade

  • olive oil
  • garlic
  • lemon juice and lemon zest
  • sumac
  • chili pepper flakes
  • allspice
  • cumin
  • paprika
  • turmeric
  • cinnamon
  • salt

It sounds like a lot of ingredients but the marinade comes together in just a couple of minutes.

TIP: I used good quality jarred chopped garlic and it saved me time. Very convenient!

Photo of a cookbook called The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen Cookbook with a few bowls of food made from this cookbook surrounding it

Top down view of a bowl of chicken shawarma with some fresh veggies and baked pitas. A plate of baked pitas is next to the bowl
Print Pin
5 from 8 votes

Everyday Chicken Shawarma

This Chicken Shawarma is juicy, savoury, and extremely satisfying. Very little effort make this recipe ideally suited for a weeknight meal | imagelicious.com #shawarma #chicken #chickenshawarma #mediterranean #cookbookreview
Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword chicken, shawarma
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Calories 420kcal
Author Julia

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced (I only used 1 lemon, see note)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (I used regular chili flakes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, chopped garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and all the spices. Mix well to create a delicious marinade.
  • Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and mix well to coat the chicken on all sides.
  • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or preferably longer.
  • Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer. 
    You can line the sheet pan with foil for easier cleanup.
  • Make sure to drizzle all the marinade from the bowl over the chicken.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature is at least 165F.
  • Optionally, turn up the oven temperature to 425F and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes for extra crispy edges.
  • Serve with pita, hummus, fresh cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, and lemon wedges.

Notes

The recipe is re-printed with the permission of the author and the publisher. The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen by Samantha Ferraro © Page Street Publishing, 2018.
 
I made two small changes to the recipe:
  1. I used jarred chopped garlic just because I didn't have fresh garlic at home.
  2. I only used one lemon for the juice and zest instead of two. I love citrus flavour but I felt that one lemon would be enough for me and it was perfect!

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 698mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 29.8mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Tried this recipe?Leave me a comment with a star rating!
Mention or tag @Imagelicious
FacebookTweetPin

Filed Under: chicken, cookbook review, Quick Recipe, Recipe Tagged With: mediterranean, Spices

« Easy and Quick Turkey Pot Pie
Instant Pot Maple Cranberry Sauce »

Comments

  1. Cassandra D says

    September 30, 2018 at 10:29 pm

    5 stars
    My favorite spice is Turmeric.

  2. Lushka Smith says

    September 30, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Favourite spice, that’s a tough one, love so many but I’ll go with cumin.

  3. Wendy S says

    September 28, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    Recipe looks great. I love lots of spices— cinnamon and paprika are favorites.

  4. Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says

    September 28, 2018 at 9:48 am

    5 stars
    Hey! That book would make a great addition to my cookbook collection. My favourite spice is a spice mix from Israel called San Moreno – it’s a mix of paprika, large salt, cayenne pepper, pepper and a few other things. If I had to pick one spice, I would go for paprika.

  5. Linda says

    September 26, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    I love using nutmeg with meat. It’s a revelation!

  6. Diana says

    September 25, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    5 stars
    Great post. Thank you for sharing! This recipe looks amazing I will have to try it out. I love turmeric!!

  7. Samantha @FerraroKitchen says

    September 25, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you SOOOOO much Julia, this looks delicious!! I am so excited I inspired to get more spices as well :))

  8. Colleen says

    September 25, 2018 at 12:15 am

    5 stars
    This chicken shawarma looks amazing. Mediterranean cooking is my favourite way to cook and eat, so I would love to win this cookbook. I really love cinnamon in savory dishes.

  9. Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says

    September 24, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    5 stars
    The chicken in this recipe looks and sounds so flavourful! Great review too! I love reading through cookbooks. Even with Pinterest and Instagram, I much prefer to spend hours leafing through cookbooks and foodie magazines! I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks, and I will never give a single one away! Happy Monday Julia!

  10. natalie says

    September 24, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    5 stars
    your pictures are gorgeous – and now I am hungry lol 🙂

  11. Denise says

    September 24, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    I cannot wait to see More of this cookbook – you did an awesome review! My favourite spice is my chef’s blend

  12. Gabbu says

    September 24, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    Love this post, the chicken looks so delicious! Sumac is my favourite spice!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Imagelicious

The person who created Imagelicious
Hi, I'm Julia and I love cooking simple, easy, and healthy meals. My favourite meal of the day is breakfast so you'll see many pancakes. Cooking and baking shouldn't be complicated, let me show you how.

IMAGINE VIP ACCESS!

Sign up to receive emails with new recipes!

Order my Cookbook!

Cover of The Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook by Julia Konovalova

IMAGINE VIP ACCESS!

Sign up to receive VIP emails with new imagelicious recipes!

Archives

Categories

Looking for Something?

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

A proud member of…

FBC logo
All content copyright © 2008-2022 Imagelicious. Privacy Policy.